CSI: NY

When this first came on TV, the first few episodes were just too downbeat for me and I stopped watching. It didn't have the excitement and color of the Las Vegas and Miami shows.

Well, I turned out to be premature in my judgment of this show. A year later, I obtained the DVD of the first season and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I thought it might be the best of all three CSI shows but I'll wait on that call until a complete second season is done.

I liked this debut season more than the others for two main reasons:

1 - It did not have all the little soap opera side-stories involving the characters that the two other CSI shows have. Each show was strictly about the crime(s).

2 - All the lead characters are fun to watch and had no annoying personality traits. True, the head guy, played by Gary Sinise, didn't have much of a personality but I liked his low-key, no-nonsense approach. Bill Petersen interjects too much New Age philosophy on his show and David Caruso is so ultra-dramatic that he's almost cartoonish at times. Sinise just does the job with that's it. Same for the rest of the crew. I understand one them, Vanessa Ferlito, left the show after this season, and I'm sorry to hear that. I enjoyed her face and her humor. I can only hope the rest of the cast stays. A good share of the cast seems to be made up of New "Yawkers" with that accent and that just adds to the believability of the show.

Although I enjoyed "Stan," played by Carmine Giovinzzo, the best, the most interesting was Melina Kanakaredes. From shot to shot, she's different in appearance from strange and unappealing to gorgeous, depending on the camera angle and lighting. She's hard to figure, both in looks and her character.

I never get tired of those aerial shots of the city, either. Odd they were tinted the blue the first month of the season and then brown-and-gray the rest of the year. As with the other CSI shows, the camera-work is fantastic. Those who have never seen any of the CSI shows on DVD owe themselves a look. They are spectacularly filmed.

However, unlike Miami and Las Vegas CSI shows, this is basically a no-glitz affair with the stories dominating. One problem with these shows is they are filmed on Los Angeles movie sets, so most of the time, because of crowds and other problems in filming locally, you don't see the main characters actually in the locales they are supposed to be. It would be fun watching them chase criminals in Central Park, at the Empire State Building, through Madison Square Garden, etc.

CSI NY is an action-filled series about tough cops led Head Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinese as lead role) and his team resolve crimes in New York City , facing off nasty delinquents and heinous killers by means of scientific investigations . This show follows the activities of the detectives working at the Scientific Department , a section assigned to Crime Scene Investigations bureau . CSI officers use the best scientist and technical methods to solve puzzles and catch criminals . It stars various Police Inpectors of a special unit against crime that take down cerebral murderers , scum and low-life criminals , these are the followings : Led by hard-nosed officer Taylor (Gary Sinese , he is most known for playing Leuitenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump) , and supported by Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) , Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) , Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) , Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) , Sid Hammerback (Robert Joy) , Ross (A.J. Buckley) , among others . With almost obsessive dedication towards their quest for the facts , Taylor and his elite team of investigators work various perplexing cases using scientific skills and equipment that are capable of finding valuable clues from the most seemingly unlikely sources . Taylor leads the quest for the one thing that can cut through the lies to the truth and justice , the evidence . As they take on several dangers and risked assignments , confronting unsettling junkies , violent muggers , avaricious robbers , malevolent panderers , bank attackers , extremely villain mobsters , women traffickers , heinous druggies , kidnappers , ominous murderers and several others . They are very skilled technicians , and are a component of the police response to crime . In the numerous episodes there are different and twisted cases dealing with kidnappings , grisly murders for robbing , racism , envy , ambition or vengeance . Together, these investigators collect and analyze the evidence to solve the crimes and to vindicate those who often cannot speak for themselves , the victims .

CSI has the best scientific criminalistic division in N.Y.C. with the best crime lab , solving crimes that practically every other crime lab has given up on . Formed by an expert team , they track down perpetrators using scientific analysis and the occasional leap in logic . This exciting series packs a moving atmosphere by means of shaky camera , videotape and killings reconstructions in a really dynamic style . And even food items are frequently used to simulate injuries to corpses , for example , a roast chicken skin was used to simulate burns . The majority of the techniques and technologies used in the CSI shows are accurate and true to reality . However , in real life , the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Crime Scene Investigators (CSI's) are not detectives and are called Forensic Technicians who work in teams called Crime Scene Units (CSU's). In fact , they do not interview suspects, they do not write or execute search warrants, and they do not make arrests . In real life they are directed around the scenes by the detectives and supervisors, not the other way around . Detectives are commissioned police officers . CSU's are civilian personnel, not sworn and do not have the same arrest powers as police officers . At the conclusion of each case the culprits almost always confess their guilt to investigators that would most assuredly not be the people interviewing . The expert team is headed by Detective Taylor , masterfully played by Gary Sinese , he steals the show as an intelligent and resourceful Inspector . He heads a group of investigators who work crimes amid the rough urban ambient . Taylor is the last member of the NYPD hired during Rudy Giuliani's term as Mayor of New York City and his wife was killed in the 911 attacks . This character was originally offered Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta , but both of whom declined the role . Melina Kanakaredes as the Greco-Italian Stella Bonasera , her legalistic mind allows little gray area in cases , until she is forced to fight for her life , this alters her reaction to cases involving abused women . Stella has a close relationship with her CSI partner , Lab Supervisor Mac Taylor, with whom she shares a deep trust and respect based on endless hours of work , and literally saving one another's lives over the years . Edith Cahill as Detective Flack who bridges the gap between the old-school NYPD and new generation of CSI , carrying with him an intense hatred of the "bad guy" , his approach to solving crimes , while sometimes borderline , is nonetheless always effective . Hill Harper as Sheldon Hawkes , he started the show as a medical examiner, but moved over to field duty as a CSI . Carmine Giovinazzo as Danny Messer who is married to his co-worker Detective Lindsay Monroe , Anna Belknap , whom he calls "Montana" because she was born and raised there ; they have a daughter named Lucy . And Robert Joy as Sid , he is the quirky, crazy, funny ME or Medical Examiner .

The series formed by 197 episodes develop his own peculiar style , full of action tension , thrills , chills , twists and turns . It is with plenty of suspense , restless movements , violence gore and guts . The action moments are compactly made and fast moving . The robbing , kidnappings , heists , and murders deliver the goods filled with non-stop action , shocks , intrigue and suspenseful . The series follows the C.S.I Las Vegas wake and its sequels and rip-offs such as CSI Miami , CSI Cyber , CSI immortality and CSI NY.

Wow, what have we done to deserve this, another fantastic series from what has shaped up to be one of the best franchise's on television, CSI:NY has everything that a good cop show needs; strong leading characters, well thought out stories and above all else, cinematic production values, like the previous two series do. That it isn't to say that the show had the best start. I'll admit to being balled over by the pilot/crossover episode during CSI:Miami's second season and I couldn't wait to see how it would transpire as a fully fledged series. Initially however, the series did have a rough start. The show just seemed too dark and gloomy and any humour seemed to sit at odds with the show's dark milieu, but things happily changed as the first season progressed and by the end of it's freshman year I would have to say that CSI:NY was truly one of the best shows on the box, more than giving its sister series a run for their money.

Like CSI's Miami and Las Vegas, the show has a terrific leading man with a penchant for feature films and character acting, in this case Gary Sinise. For anyone who has seen Apollo 13, The Green Mile, Ransom or Mission to Mars, it is great to see this actor headlining his own show and doing it so well. Initially his character is so dark in the earlier episodes, much like the series, it is hard to like him, but like the show he comes out of his shell and we get to see a likable and at times nicely humorous character simply trying to move on with his life after the death of his wife. Like the other two series we have a superb leading lady, in this case Melina Kankaredes, simply one of the most beautiful leading ladies on television, and a damn fine actress to boot, with the two leads centered around a terrific supporting cast. Eddie Cahill and Hill Harper stand out almost straight away, whilst Carmine Giovinazzo really comes into his own as the first season develops culminating with a terrific storyline involving a shootout and a dead undercover police officer towards the end of the season. If there is a weak link it is possibly Vannesa Ferlito's character Aiden. While likable, she is essentially a third wheel and does nothing more than react to the other characters.

Like the other two shows, hell like every thriller/crime series on American television today, the production values are incredible, the aerial shots of New York are some of the best ever done on a television series budget and the show, especially on DVD, looks fantastic. If there is a nit-pick to be had it has to be that at times it is very obvious that the show is filmed on studio lots in Los Angeles, something not as obvious on CSI's Las Vegas and Miami. For anyone who has ever seen Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Angel, one cannot help but get a kick nearly every episode of seeing the vampire with a soul's old office from season one in the background of many scenes throughout CSI:NY's first season. Aside from this, the show does very well with what it's given, which is fine acting and some of the finest writing currently on the crime genre in television. If you have yet to see this show, buy the first season on DVD, there are many fine episodes to watch, and many to choose from. I wouldn't expect anything else from a series created by Anthony E Zuiker.

Despite the fact that all three of the CSI franchise shows exaggerate the roles and scope of crime scene investigators, I enjoy them in varying degrees. As a retired cop, I've worked with CSIs on cases many times. They are mostly good, solid professionals who do their previously unsung job and help detectives solve cases. The CSIs on the CBS shows do far more than that and far more than they would be allowed to do in real police departments. I'll suspend disbelief and allow the wide dramatic license when I enjoy a TV show.

All of that aside, I was looking forward to CSI:NY for a variety of reasons, not the least its being set in my other home town. It also boasted Gary Sinise, a great actor, in the lead role. I think I still prefer William Peterson's Grissom, but Sinise as Mac Taylor is so far above Caruso as Cain that comparisons are hard to make. Yes, he is somewhat cold, but in police work it is rare to see someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. Cold professionalism is the hallmark of most cops. Add to that the loss of his wife in the tragedy of 9/11 -- which I do not think the show exploits; it is a legitimate plot point in the development of a character in NY and motivates Taylor to find justice wherever he can, something his wife was denied -- and his quiet demeanor makes sense.

If Emily Proctor leaves CSI:Miami, I'll quit watching. That will leave the original and this gritty, dark spin-off. With CSI:NY on hand, I won't miss Miami for a moment.

I just watched the season finale and am looking forward to next season. I agree that the spate of spin-offs shows a lack of creativity, but when it is done well -- as it is in CSI:NY and in Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Trial by Jury -- it can be good viewing. (I'd like to add Law and Order,: Criminal Intent -- I like D'Onofrio a lot -- but I just couldn't get into the show, try as I might.)With the loss this year of both Third Watch and NYPD Blue, we are left with only a couple of good cops and robbers shows. CSI:NY is one of them.

I absolutely LOVE the original CSI. I really can't watch CSI Miami - just a bit too much. So when they announced there was a third one coming out I was skeptical. But they've out done themselves! Although the original is still my favorite, this one steps away from the CSI format a bit. There's more of a glimpse into the characters and great story lines. There isn't the condescending tone that Miami has. Gary Sinise is, of course, brilliant as usual. If they keep it up this one will stick around. Combine this one and the original and I could watch all week! No one can beat Grissom, but Taylor is certainly going to give him a run for his money. Now a combined episode would be phenomenal!