In the past year I have become obsessed with the television show, Crime Scene Investigation. I'm sure you've all heard of the CSI television series. Crime dramas like CSI have become a new television fad. Today there are more crime dramas than reality shows available for television viewers to watch. Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Without a Trace, NCIS, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, 24 and many others have overwhelmed the television viewing audience to the point that some of these great shows are getting lost in this over-saturated market. Crime Scene Investigation was so popular of a crime series that the producers of the hit drama produced two alternate CSI shows that include CSI:NY and CSI:Miami to supply the viewers' strong demand. Jimmy Fallon joked on Saturday Night Live that The Early Show should be renamed CSI:The Early Show to boost ratings. A new episode of one of the three CSI series can be seen on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night on CBS, while cable channels like SPIKE and A&E show hours of rebroadcasts of the show daily. CSI, more than any other crime drama, has seemed to found a winning formula that has made the show the number one drama on television and an emmy award winning series.
For those of you who have never given CSI a chance because of your distaste for the typical crime drama, you are making a big mistake. One thing for certain is that CSI is not your typical crime drama and if you are associating CSI with the influx of other typical criminal shows, then you are unaware of why this show is so great in the first place. Crime Scene Investigation is not your average crime drama that portrays a loose cannon, alpha dog, Serpico type of cop who chases down bad guys and battles the stress and anxiety of his job by abusing alcohol. This show is unique in so many ways. Rather than a focus on car chases, shoot-outs, explosions and other ordinary action elements found in crime dramas and movies, CSI demonstrates the scientific side of law enforcement and engages in a lot of psychological motivations to stir the plot.
The show centers around supervisor Gil Grissom and his team of forensic scientists that include Catherine Willows, Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders. The team gives the viewers a look inside criminal investigation and forensic science that is not seen in your typical, run of the mill, criminal program. There are graphic portrayals of crime reconstruction, bullet trajectories, blood spray patterns, organ damage and the human anatomy. Methods of evidence recovery from fingerprints, DNA, tire treads, gun shot residue and bullets are illustrated in great detail. The show looks at crime from many different perspectives. CSI constantly delves into the psychological nature of murderers and serial killers. Grissom and his team investigate the psychological/criminal profile of the offender and his or her signature and method of operation. They also discuss victimology and examine the characteristics of the typical victim.
What else makes CSI such an intriguing show besides the actual content is the characters. In my opinion, Grissom is the best television character I have ever watched. Yes, that includes George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer. I can't think of any character on TV as complex and yet as appealing as Gil Grissom. What makes Grissom so appealing is his mysterious nature. He is an enigma in every sense of the word. Grissom appears to be cold and emotionless because he is so passionate about his work and he doesn't want personal feelings or bias to ever hinder his investigation. He always preaches to his colleagues that they should listen to the evidence because the evidence is the only thing that doesn't lie. Grissom is so objective and emotionless that members of his team have been annoyed with him in the past. Sara and Catherine have been critical of Grissom in past episodes for never demonstrating compassion or empathy for victims, but Grissom maintains that emotion clouds the investigation and that their job as crime scene investigators is to interpret the evidence, not to empathize with the victims or demonize the suspects. Grissom relates more to science and his work than to people, but there is still an enthusiastic and quirky aspect about his persona. There are times when he opens up and demonstrates a sarcastic and witty sense of humor. There are a lot of other quirks about Grissom that seperate him from the typical protagonist in crime dramas or any other TV show for that matter. He doesn't like to dabble in office politics and has a strong distaste for carrying a firearm. Grissom likes to study bugs and he keeps bizarre specimens in his office, including a radiated fetal pig, a tarantula, and a two headed scorpion. Grissom is not only intelligent with science and his work, but he has proven in previous episodes to have a wide range of knowledge in history, literature and art. He has a tendency to quote a variety of literary and historical figures such as Shakespeare, Keats and Sigmund Freud.
Crime Scene Investigation is too great for me to describe in words. The only way to really understand the CSI love affair is to give it a chance and watch an episode or two. If you prefer more action, flashy characters and dramatic scenes, then I suggest you try CSI:Miami because it has a little more flare. Crime Scene Investigation doesn't try to be sexy, but it is a lot deeper, psychological, creative and has a much more unique identity compared to the rest of the class in the crime genre.
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