Like most people, I have those few favorite shows that I have to catch every week. Unlike most people I have waaayyy too many of these favorite shows. So when I hear about a new show that I ‘just have to watch’, I’m generally very skeptical as I only have so many hours in the day to get in some quality viewing. In recent years I’ve shied away from most ‘cop shows’, because the few I had tried to get into in the 90’s left me kind of cold. They were all the same, with semi-interesting characters, dull plots, car chases and shoot-outs. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was original in that it avoided nearly all the conventional action sequences that most police dramas need to survive. It was, and still is, a show that really makes you think, as each episode is a puzzle waiting to be solved. Some episodes have more than one plot, while others take all the members of the CSI team together to solve one big crime. The pieces of the puzzle are presented in flashback version of the crimes, based on suppositions or lies.

But more interesting is the way the physical evidence is shown. Utilizing creative cinematography, the camera often zooms in close to give us, at times, a microscopic perspective of the smallest items; hairs, blood drops, etc… Other times we are given a ‘bullet’s eye’ view of the damage that can be done to the human body.

Now a show simply cannot survive on cool cinematography alone, I have to get to the second reason the show is so good and that is the stories. Each plot is intricately woven, and though constantly moving forward is never rushed. The show’s writers are careful in making sure no fact of the case is missed in case you want to play detective right along with the CSI team. So far, none of the stories seem too far-fetched and are unfortunately all too realistic at times. I say unfortunately, because where some shows glorify the violence they present; “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” offers an unflinching view of how horrible, sadistic and sickening acts of violence can be. And it also goes beyond the physicality of the acts to show the tragic effect it has on the victim’s family.

Furthering my take on the writing is the simple fact that the CSI team doesn’t always win; this in itself brings an even more realistic feeling to the show. When they win, it’s exhilarating; when they lose it can be devastating. We also have five main characters, and though one or two are the obvious leads, over the course of the series, and sometimes within a single episode, all of them have the opportunity to come to the forefront.

Speaking of the characters, these are by far what really make the show tick. Heading up the cast is William Peterson as Gil Grissom, the head of the Las Vegas CSI Unit. I first remember seeing Peterson in “To Live and Die In L.A.” and he had one of those commanding personalities that made you sit and watch. Over the years I only saw him in a few other films, and for some reason as good an actor as I thought he was, he never seemed to cross over to ‘star’ status. This show has finally put him on the map, and deservedly so. Grissom is easily one of the most likable characters on Network TV. His easy demeanor and quick wit allow him to easily bridge the gaps between being a boss, father figure and friend, the members of his team.

The series became so incredibly popular that in 2002, the producers decided go the route of “Law and Order” and create a 2nd series utilizing the style of the original. However, to make it a bit different, they changed locations and some of the style and “CSI: Miami” was born. This new series boasted the return of David Caruso to network television after his foray into feature films. He stars as Horatio Caine, the head of Miami’s elite CSI team. The rest of the team is made up of Tim Speedle (Rory Cochrane), Calleigh Duquesne (Emily Proctor), Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander) and for a short time Megan Donner (Kim Delaney). Most of the cast had found limited amounts of fame in other shows, most notably Khandi Alexander in “E.R.” and Adam Rodriguez in “Roswell.”

Over the last couple of years, Paramount has released several seasons of both the original and this ‘spin-off’ on DVD, which finally gave me the opportunity to see for myself just how they compared. And after watching all of the episodes of both, I came to the conclusion that whether or not either show is as good is certainly a matter of opinion, mostly on how you feel about the cast. I found the episodes in “CSI: Miami” to be just about as well written, but the characters were not quite as compelling as those in “CSI.” I tuned in to that show specifically for the characters, while “CSI: Miami” had me watching in spite of them.

However, as the series moved forward, I started noticing a lot of improvement, and the characters began to show signs of life. By the end of the 2nd season set, I was almost as hooked on it as I was the original.

But when the network figured out they might have had a real franchise in its hands, they opted to create yet ANOTHER “C.S.I.” series, this time set in New York. My first thought was that enough was enough. I mean how many incarnations of the same idea could you go through before they all became withered imitations of each other? Sure that they network executives really hadn’t thought this through, they moved forward with the project and last year “C.S.I.: NY” premiered. This time in the lead was veteran film star Gary Sinise as Detective Mac Taylor.

I decided to start watching “C.S.I.: NY” when it began airing and found that I liked it right off the bat. What ended up really making this series work in spite of having to overcome its predecessors was the casting of Sinise. I’ve now learned, by watching each of the shows, that the lead actor really drives the tone of the series. The tone here was much darker, than the previous series. Taylor had more of a past that was reveled from the beginning. His wife was killed during 9/11 and so he threw himself completely into his work. He is so focused on getting the ‘bad guy’, that having any kind if life is unthinkable.

He is aided in his war on crime by his own team consisting of Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), Medical Examiner Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper), Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) and Aiden Burn (Vanessa Ferlito). Each of these characters has their own distinctive set of quirks, and like the team in “C.S.I.: Miami”, it took a little while to warm up to them. I liken this to the “Star Trek” franchise, where you immediately took to the original crew because nothing had come before to set up your expectations. Then as each new series aired, the new crew had to grow on you. I do wish to mention I was glad to see the return of Eddie Cahill to network television. After a short stint on “Friends”, Cahill starred as the lead in “Glory Days”, which unfortunately was canceled well before its time.

Watching the 1st season of “C.S.I.: NY”, I’ll have to admit I became a fan much quicker than I did with the middle child, but I think that had a lot to do with the writers learning what mistakes held back “C.S.I.: Miami” at first, and they were able to jump right past those. Now, I mentioned that the show was much darker. That might seem weird as each show is expressively dark due to the nature of the plots…. which are invariably about murder. However, the darkness doesn’t just come in tone and attitude, but overall look. The first series is all glitz and glamour; after all it takes place in Las Vegas. The second is much brighter, fitting in with the sun-drenched shores of Florida. But the New York we see is a dark and grimy place, which is admittedly more of a Holloywood-ized expectation of what the city looks like. Anyone who’s spent time there, knows it isn’t that bad everywhere.

“C.S.I.: NY” was also able to set itself apart when it came to the crimes that it investigated. With so many “C.S.I.” shows out there, the first fear is duplication, but there has been little of that so far.

Paramount is following up all of these earlier releases with the 1st season of “C.S.I.: NY” this week. I was thrilled to see this release because I was able to catch up with all the episodes I had missed during the initial run of the series. The transfer for all of the 24 episodes presented here share the same high quality I’ve come to expect from Paramount’s earlier releases of the franchise. The widescreen presentations offer rich color, in spite of the otherwise drab color palette the series gives to make New York look gritty.

They also went way beyond the call in terms of extra features. Most of Paramount’s ‘TV on DVD’ releases don’t have many extras, but the “C.S.I.” and “Star Trek” franchises always have more than their fair share a lot. There are 7 full commentaries, all of which are done by the creators and / or writers of the series. They’re all really well done, though I would have enjoyed hearing from some of the cast as well.

The 7th disc of the set contains the brunt of the extra features, which include interviews with the main cast members where they give their take on how they approach the characters. We also hear from technical advisor Bill Haynes, who uses his expertise in forensic science to try and keep the show as ‘real’ as possible. Then production designer Carey Myers takes us on a tour of the sets used in the series, followed by a various interviews discussing why New York was chosen for the new series. Finally, there is a look at the use of animals in some of the episodes.

Carrying forward the style of the packaging, this new DVD also features the DVD case that opens like a book, which allows you to flip through to each disc. The outer cover also has a slipover band labeled that looks like crime scene tape, just like the ones that have been used on all of the franchise’s releases.

“C.S.I.: NY” quickly became my second favorite series of the franchise, though this in no way is meant to sell”C.S.I.: Miami” short. The characters just came together quicker, and the stories were more compelling. But in the end, I’m now a fan of all three.

Episodes:
MIA/NYC – Nonstop
Blink
Creatures of the Night
American Dreamers
Grand Master
A Man A Mile
Outside Man
Rai
Three Generations Are Enough
Officer Blue
Night, Mother
Tri-Borough
Recycling
Tanglewood
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Til Death Do We Part
Hush
The Fall
The Dove Commission
Crime and Misdemeanor
Supply and Demand
On the Job
The Closer
What You See Is What You See

Starring: Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Eddie Cahill, Hill Harper, Carmine Giovinazzo, Vanessa Ferlito
Extras: Commentary by Ann Donahue on Mia/NYC Non-Stop, Commentary by Anthony E. Zuiker on Blink, Officer Blue, and Tanglewood, Commentary by Pam Veasey on Creatures of the Night, Commentary by Timothy J. Lea on Outside Man, Commentary by Anthony E. Zuiker and Zachary Reiter on Recycling, The cast examines the characters, The science behind the scenes, CSI: NY set tour, The world's largest crime scene, The zoo year
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 10/18/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give CSI New York: Season 1 an A.