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.

Having watched my share of NYPD Blue some years back, it was strange seeing David Caruso in a crime drama set in New York without Dennis Franz at his side.

That's right: New York. Just prior to its season finale, CSI Miami sends Horatio Caine to the Big Apple in search of a killer. Caine's lead seems to dead-end when he arrives at another crime scene and discovers his suspect was murdered two days prior to the Miami crime he is investigating.

Enter Gary Sinise as Detective Mac Taylor. The scene of Caine and Taylor's meeting features a moment of lighting genius in which Caine stands in a beam of warm amber sunlight while Taylor's key matches the cool blue ambiance of his native New York atmosphere. (Who says these things only happen in films!)

In this pre-pilot, Taylor and Caine discover they are searching for the same killer. At first they refrain from joining forces, but once they establish through chit-chat their mutual admiration for the death penalty and its liberal enforcement, the two are inseparable.

While the CSI counterparts get acquainted, two more murders take place in New York. These are uncannily similar to the Miami slayings. A bloody fingerprint in Miami points Caine and Taylor to a convict, a rooftop chase and a narrow escape for their new prime suspect.

The New York CSI team pieces together the facts of the most recent murders. The introductions of Taylor's staff are brief and forgettable. This episode was created to establish an emotional connection between Caine and Taylor, presumably to generate interest in CSI New York's "real" pilot. If all goes well, the show will have an entire season to develop supporting characters.

For those who didn't see it and are hoping to catch the repeat, I'll refrain from revealing who hired the hit man and why. And for those like me who are contemplating whether to watch the CSI New York pilot, I say "go for it." If the pre-pilot (CSI Miami in New York episode) is any indication, CSI New York will probably build on the solid foundation of tough-but-approachable characters, clever episodic plots and fast pace that typify the first two CSI shows. The intense simulations of violent crime forensics (the CSI trademark device) also make for hypnotic viewing.

When most TV shows have spinoffs, they're usually not worth watching because of thing-they are different than the original. I think that is a major reason that many fans don't like CSI:NY. While the original show is set in glamorous Las Vegas, NY is set in a much darker city, giving the show a darker tone and feel than Miami or Vegas.

As for characters, New York has a great cast, and is still working on character development. They have been seen as not having personalities, but people have to give the show a chance to find it's foothold-it's only the first season. It took the original CSI five years to say that Sara's mom killed her dad, so its logical that it will take a few seasons to totally tell these characters backgrounds. Danny Messer and Mac Taylor's pasts have been partially revealed in the premiere "Blink", with the knowledge that Max Taylor's wife was in 9/11, and in "Tanglewood", with Danny's involvement in the Tanglewood boys street gang.

The acting in CSI:NY is just as good as those in the other shows, but most people aren't giving it a chance. Some will like it, some wont, but the least they could do is watch some of the stronger episodes, like "Blink", or "Tanglewood", and not scrunitze its difference from the originals...just give it a chance. Rome wasn't built in a day- it will take a little longer for people to accept this new show, but i think it's doing perfectly, and i can't wait for next season.

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.

While there are lots of people who do not like clones, there are many others who wait with bated breath for the next one. I and my daughter are both in this category. What I find most interesting is the variety of crimes from city to city. For example: CSI-LV has the desert/gambling/showgirls/prostitution, CSI-M has alligators/hurricanes/illegal immigrants/drug smuggling, and CSI-NY has drugs,mobs,gangs/big city over-population & ethnic diversity crammed in a small space/terrorism threats. We would most like to see a CSI-Alaska. The possibilities for totally new crimes are plentiful: poaching(polar bears,eagles,whales,fish,seals), exploration espionage(oil & gas,diamond & gold mines)/hide outs for criminals escaping mainstream cities etc. There are so many channels now that I can't see a reason for anyone to complain about shows that are on - we just choose to watch the ones we like and we choose not to watch the ones we are not interested in. Another reason my daughter and I like CSI is for the absolutely amazing camera shots of the different locations. We are both disabled and don't have the ability or finances to allow us to travel, so it is very pleasing for us to be able to see these panoramic views (especially Miami-just beautiful!!!).