In my opinion, NY has emerged, by the end of it's sophomore season, as the best of the franchise. The characters are all likable and believable, with flaws that make them more human (much better than the holier-than-thou Perfect Grissom. Ugh). This show started giving character background and development much earlier than the other 2 shows, so I found it easier to get to know and like them more, right from the start. Sinise of course is terrific as the tough minded but fair Mac, and I'm glad to see him less stoic in season 2, and allowing some dry humor to show through. Kanakaredes, Cahill, Giovinazzo, Harper and Belknap round out the rest of the very good cast. Belknap, in my opinion, is the weakest link, but I don't dislike her, either.
The story lines here are slightly darker and grittier, and once again, I like that too. Sometimes the plot lines on the other 2 shows seem almost cartoonish or lampoonish, but I haven't felt that, with NY. I'd like to see more one-case shows where the entire team is working on the same thing rather than splitting into two crimes/groups, but that's something that we see on all three CSI shows, so it's a rather minor quibble.
This is definitely the main CSI I'll be watching next season. I'll tune in once in awhile for Miami, mainly because the locale and cinematography is stunning - and the writing has become so lame on the "original" CSI that I don't even bother with that stinker, anymore. But NY has me hooked, and hooked for good!
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