CSI: Miami

for me,this is by far,the weakest entry in the CSI cannon.it's not that the stories are uninteresting.many of them are.most of the characters are done well enough,except for two notable exceptions.the first exception,and this is just my opinion,is the character of Dr. Alexx Woods,the medical examiner,played by Khandi Alexander.i find the character much too weepy,at least in the earlier episodes i have watched that might be different now.i think Khandi Alexander is a good actress,given a weak character to portray.the character with biggest flaw,at leas in my opinion,is Lieutenant Horatio Caine,Played by David Caruso.Caine is the leader of the team.this character is just way too annoying for me.Caine is just a poser to me,with his supposedly thoughtful demeanor at the end of each episode where he looks out at the ocean with this hands on his hips and his cool looking sun glasses on.i also find his speech pattern annoying.this character sinks the whole show and makes it all but unwatchable.this may not bother everybody,but it sure does bother me.in fact,i dislike the character enough that i have not bought any CSI:Miami on DVD,and probably won't.again,this is the character,not the actor.and the character may be different now.i don't have anything against Caruso.this is just my view.for me,CSI:Miami is a 4/10

CSI: Miami is a fun show to watch, like the original CSI:. But the chemistry in the original isn't quite there.

Grissom, in CSI:, is interesting, deep, and can easily be believed to be as smart as he is. But Horatio in CSI: Miami seems a bit more flat, and his bright moments seem cheesy and scripted.

Other characters don't seem to grow in CSI: Miami, while there's clear changes in their CSI: counterparts. Also, the side stories are more interesting in CSI: than in CSI: Miami.

So, while I'll watch CSI: Miami, it's not growing on me like how the original did.

I'm gonna get creamed with e-mails from fans of the original CSI show, but I can't help it. In my opinion, CSI: Miami is superior to the original and a good foundation for (the also superior) CSI:NY.

Don't get me wrong, the original is the original, but the fact that the real Miami/Dade CSI's are cops first allows this show to explode in gunfire at any moment...and place our lead, David Caruso, at the center of the action. Now I want to make something clear: Almost 15 years ago I saw some of Caruso's early work and I was trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. What makes THIS guy a sex symbol (on NYPD Blue)? Then, just as fast as he becomes a major star, he exits Blue, makes two movies that bombed (the really good "Kiss Of Death" and the laughable "Jade") and he's suddenly poison. It was after seeing Caruso in Kiss of Death and a previous film, The King of New York" that I realized we were missing one of the last REAL tough guys.

CSI: Miami has brought him back. Caruso spearheads this show with a vengeance. Sure his line readings have their own stilted rhythm, but he did the same thing on NYPD Blue and people loved him then. Caruso with a gun in his hand looks more natural than anything else I have seen on TV (and my favorite show is The Shield).

CSI: Miami is action packed. The stories are seedier. The cinematography is unmatched by any other show. Go watch the DVDs. Tune in Monday nights. I swear, you'll be a convert.

Then go watch Gary Sinise give the performance of his life in CSI:NY. You'll be glad you did.

One person ruins this show: David Caruso. All he does is pose. They should make it into a drinking game. Every time he strikes a pose, take a shot. Of course, people have died from alcohol poisoning. This would only add to the statistics. All the other characters have depth. He just gets this look on his face and 'strikes a pose'. Watch him turn sideways and look over his shoulder. Wow!! OOOhhh, he figured out something. Time for him to take off his sunglasses. I challenge any of you to find an episode where he isn't positioned sideways looking over his shoulder and where he takes off his sunglasses. Quit posing and pretend like you know how to act!!!!

And, how come he has to figure everything out? The other shows let the other characters show some brains. How 'bout letting the other CSI Vogue characters have a little spotlight?

The redhead that looks at the floor as he talks to his suspects. A brilliant trademark for a very well written show. From the opening crime catching scene and into a great 'screaming', remix of The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled again' open credit sequence, to David Caruso's great acting, this show is worth at least an hour of your time each week. Caruso makes the show. He's great to watch as he throws simple single line hooks into his suspects & catches them off guard with the forensic evidence his team gathers. We got a glimpse of this guy in 'NYPD Blue' as he played Detective John Kelly, but Caruso has been a good actor for a very long time. From 'Proof Of Life' to William Friedkin's 'Jade' to Barbet Schroeder's 'Kiss Of Death', Caruso has been an actor that has come into his own. If you have an opportunity to see 'First Blood' you will get to see Caruso as he plays a young Deputy showing compassion to Sylvester Stallone's character. The same compassion that he now shows in CSI:M to victims that are not able to help themselves. A welcome relief to today's hardened Hollywood leading dramatic actors roles that show no empathy.

This is not to take away from the rest of the cast. They are good and hold their own, however it's good that the lead actor shines as Caruso does. Perhaps an Emmy is not out of the question.