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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series. CSI premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The ninth season began airing on October 9, 2008 and currently airs in the United States on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is filmed primarily at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.
CSI trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and other crimes.
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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series. CSI premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The ninth season began airing on October 9, 2008 and currently airs in the United States on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is filmed primarily at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.
CSI trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and other crimes. For the first eight and a half seasons, the show starred William Petersen as Dr. Gil Grissom, the night shift supervisor who excels in crime scene investigation. In the middle of the ninth season, Petersen left and was replaced by Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Raymond Langston, a former medical doctor who turns criminalist in an attempt to rid himself of past demons.
Reception of the show is generally good, with ratings making it the number one show on the network several times in its history, although it has been criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of how police investigations are performed and for its often extremely violent depictions of the crime. CSI has been nominated numerous times for industry awards and has won nine awards during its history. The success of the program has led it to be spun off into two additional shows, an exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, a series of books, and several video games.
Production
Overview
CSI Las Vegas is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Productions, which became CBS Paramount Television in the fall of 2006. Formerly a co-production with the now-defunct Alliance Atlantis Communications, that company's interest in the series is now owned by investment firm GS Capital Partners, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. CBS Paramount acquired AAC's international distribution rights to the program.
The show has been heavily criticized—almost since its debut—by police and district attorneys, who feel CSI portrays an inaccurate image of how police solve crimes, and by the Parents Television Council, who note the level and gratuitousness of graphic violence, images and sexual content seen on the show. Nevertheless, CSI became the most-watched show on American television by 2002. The success of the show encouraged CBS to produce a franchise, starting in May 2002 with the spin-off CSI: Miami and then again in 2004 with CSI: NY.
The show is now in syndication and reruns are currently broadcast in the US on the Spike and TV Land cable networks.
CBS renewed the show for a ninth season, which began airing on October 9, 2008. With the departures of William Petersen and Gary Dourdan, the ninth season stars new characters played by Lauren Lee Smith and Laurence Fishburne.
As of the fall of 2008, CSI commands an average cost of $262,600 for a 30-second commercial, according to an Advertising Age survey of media-buying firms.
Conception and development
During the 1990s, Anthony Zuiker caught producer Jerry Bruckheimer's attention after writing his first movie script. Bruckheimer wanted an idea for a television series. Zuiker didn't have one, but his wife told him about a Discovery Channel show she liked about forensic detectives who used DNA and other evidence to solve cold cases (The New Detectives). Zuiker started spending time with real-life LVMPD crime investigators and was convinced that there was a series in the concept. Bruckheimer agreed and arranged a meeting with the head of Touchstone Pictures. The studio's head at the time liked the spec script and presented it to ABC, NBC and FOX executives, who decided to pass. The head of drama development at CBS saw potential in the script, and the network had a pay or play contract with actor William Petersen who said he wanted to do the CSI pilot. The network's executives liked the pilot so much that they decided to include it in their 2000 schedule immediately, airing on Fridays after The Fugitive. Initially it was thought that CSI would benefit from The Fugitive, which was expected to be a hit, but by the end of the year 2000 CSI had a much larger audience.
Filming locations
CSI was initially shot at Rye Canyon, a corporate campus owned by Lockheed Corporations situated in the Valencia area of Santa Clarita, California. Other shows such as The Unit and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers have also been shot there.
After the eleventh episode, filming shifted to the Santa Clarita Studios and only second unit photography, such as the shots of the Las Vegas streets are done on location in Las Vegas, Nevada. Occasionally, when required, the cast will also shoot on location in Las Vegas, although more often the locations will be substituted by California locations. Santa Clarita was originally chosen for its similarity to the outskirts of Las Vegas. Some of the California locations include the Verdugo Hills High School, UCLA's Royce Hall, the Pasadena City Hall and, as of October 2007, the California State University, shooting has moved away from Santa Clarita, the city and the surroundings have proven so versatile that CSI still shoots some of its outdoor scenes there.
Style
Stylistically, the show has drawn favorable comparisons to Quincy and The X-Files. The show's gadgets and occasional usage of yet-to-be-invented technology have moved the show nominally into the genre of science fiction and garnered it a 2004 Saturn Award nomination for best network television series. The series also occasionally lapses into the realm of fantasy, such as a 2006 episode, "Toe Tags" which is told from the point of view of several corpses in the CSI lab who reanimate and discuss their deaths with each other.
The series is known for its unusual camera angles, percussive editing techniques, hi-tech gadgets, detailed technical discussion, and graphic portrayal of bullet trajectories, blood spray patterns, organ damage, methods of evidence recovery (e.g. fingerprints from the inside of latex gloves), and crime reconstructions. This technique of shooting extreme close-ups, normally with explanatory commentary from one of the characters is referred to in the media as the "CSI shot."
Many episodes feature lengthy scenes in which experiments, tests, or other technical work is portrayed in detail, usually with minimal sounds effects and accompanying music a technique reminiscent of Mission: Impossible. Often the lighting, composition, and mise-en-scene elements are heavily influenced by avant-garde film
Music
CSIs theme song is Who Are You, written by Pete Townshend with vocals by Roger Daltrey, both of The Who, as the title track of their 1978 album. The show's spinoffs also use The Who songs as their theme songs: Won't Get Fooled Again for CSI: Miami and Baba O'Riley for CSI: NY, both recorded by The Who in 1971 for their album Who's Next. This was parodied in an episode of Two and a Half Men, where a CSI parody used Squeeze Box as its theme. The Who's Roger Daltrey made a special appearance in a season seven episode, Living Legend, which also contained many musical references such as the words "Who's Next" on a dry erase board in the episode's opening sequence.
Throughout the series, music plays an important role; artists like The Wallflowers, John Mayer, Method Man, and Akon (with Obie Trice) have performed onscreen in the episodes The Accused is Entitled, Built To Kill, Part 1, and Poppin' Tags, respectively. The Wallflowers' Everybody out of the Water can be found on the CSI soundtrack CD. Mogwai is often heard during scenes showing forensic tests in progress (see Style, above) as are Radiohead and Cocteau Twins, but several other artists have lent their music to CSI including Rammstein - used heavily in Lady Heather's story arc. Sigur Rσs can be heard playing in the background in Season 2 episode- Slaves of Las Vegas - The Turtles (Grave Danger) and Marilyn Manson (Suckers). Industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails have also been featured multiple times throughout the three series'.
Plot
The show follows the cases of the Crime Scene Investigation division of the Las Vegas Police Department, usually referred to by officers as the "Las Vegas Crime Lab." Anthony E. Zuiker chose to set the series in Las Vegas becauseas mentioned in the pilotthat city's crime lab is the second most active in the United States, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation lab in Quantico, Virginia. The division solves crimes almost entirely through forensics evidence, which may or may not come to conclusion of a murder or accidental death. The bizarre conclusions of these cases often force one to question morals, beliefs and human nature in general.
Characters
Main Characters
- CSI Level 1: Doctor Raymond "Ray" Langston (Laurence Fishburne) On the characterization of Langston, CBS previously explained, "His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence - tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI." Langston was once a doctor, working in a hospital. A co-worker murdered 27 patients, and all the evidence showed up before him, but he never put the evidence together.
- CSI Level 3 Night Shift Supervisor: Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) is the night shift team supervisor for the Las Vegas CSI unit. She was promoted to this position with the resignation of Gil Grissom in the episode One to Go (2). An early subplot involved Catherine constantly requesting promotions or ways to spend more time with her daughter Lindsey. Catherine's ex-husband Eddie and her father Sam Braun were both murdered on episodes of the program. She supported herself through college by working as an exotic dancer. This character is loosely based on real life CSI Yolanda McCleary.
- CSI Level 3: Nicholas "Nick" Stokes (George Eads) is an easygoing and friendly former college baseball player and fraternity member from Dallas, Texas, with a degree in criminal justice from Texas A&M University. Because of being molested at a young age, his character is portrayed as more empathetic than his co-workers, which has drawn several rebukes from others, and tends to get more emotional about cases. In the episode Grave Danger, Nick was buried alive. He survived but it has changed him a lot. This was very noticeable in Gum Drops when he got very emotional searching for the missing little girl who was thought to be dead. He was also stalked in "Stalker" when a repairman named Nigel Crane thought that Nick was his best friend. He helped a prostitute with whom he later had a relationship. She was murdered, making him a suspect in Boom. He speaks fluent Spanish.
- CSI Level 3: Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) was formerly the lab's DNA technician. Greg entered field training and in the season five episode "Who Shot Sherlock?" became a full-fledged CSI. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of DNA and trace analysis. In the season 7 episode "Fannysmackin'", Greg is brutally beaten by a gang of youths while rescuing a victim. Greg is an Eagle Scout. He also wrote a book about the history of Las Vegas, and often becomes intrigued with cases that date back to "old Las Vegas" when it was run by the mob. Greg is promoted to CSI level 3 in the episode "19 Down".
- Trace Technician: David Hodges (Wallace Langham) is a lab technician who transferred to the Las Vegas crime lab from the Los Angeles crime lab. Hodges' appearances provide some comic relief, though most of the team finds him obnoxious and irritating. Hodges' first appearance was in the third season episode "Recipe for Murder", and he became billed as a regular cast member starting with the season 8 episode "Dead Doll". He has had a crush on fellow lab technicians Mia Dickerson and Wendy Simms, and once got all the other lab workers to collaborate (behind Grissom's back) and try to solve The Miniature Killer case, discovering a key clue. It is also noted that Hodges has an uncanny sense of smell, and is able to identify key chemical compounds by their scent alone, such as cyanide, which for those who possess the gene (which Hodges does), smells like rotting almonds.
- CSI Level 2: Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith) is a former St. Louis police officer who became a crime scene investigator. She comes in as a second-level CSI to the understaffed Las Vegas unit, which is still shaken by the shooting of Warrick Brown. On May 15, 2008, a press release was issued by CBS confirming that Lauren Lee Smith will join the cast of CSI in the ninth season as Riley Adams, a role expected to fill the void left by the departure of Sara Sidle in the previous season. According to the press release, Adams will be a non-conformist who joined law enforcement to rebel against her father, who is a psychiatrist.
- LVPD Homicide Detective: Captain James "Jim" Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) was the head of the CSI unit in Las Vegas until he was moved back to the police homicide division in the second episode. He is originally from New Jersey. He continues to work with CSI's despite problems in season two with his daughter, Ellie, who is a drug addict and a prostitute in Los Angeles. It was discovered in the season 2 episode "Ellie" that he is not Ellie's biological father. From the second episode onwards, Brass remains a captain in the homicide division and works closely with the graveyard shift CSI team. He very often conducts witness and suspect interviews. In the season 6 episode "Bang Bang", Brass was shot twice by William Cutler after convincing him to release his hostage.
Former Main Characters
- CSI Level 3 Night Shift Supervisor: Doctor Gilbert "Gil" Grissom (William Petersen) was the night shift team supervisor for the Las Vegas CSI unit, and a forensic entomologist with a degree in biology from UCLA. He is known for being a very thorough and methodical scientist, as well as a bit of a quirky introvert. Grissom is proficient in sign language and used to have otosclerosis (inherited from his mother), but he underwent corrective surgery. He was raised Catholic and is now lapsed. It was revealed to the viewers on the sixth season finale "Way To Go" that he has been in a relationship with Sara Sidle. He successfully proposed marriage to her in the eighth season. This character is loosely based on real life criminalist Daniel Holstein. William Petersen was originally reported to have renewed his contract for the show's ninth season, but the Associated Press reported on July 15, 2008, that Petersen was leaving the show as a regular following Season 9's tenth episode in order to pursue more stage acting opportunities. He will return for guest spots during the show's run, as needed. In his final scene as a regular, he is shown meeting his fiancee, Sara Sidle, in the rain forest of Costa Rica.
- CSI Level 3: Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) was a materials and element analyst. Sidle was a physics major at Harvard University, and previously worked for the San Francisco coroner and crime lab. She replaced Holly Gribbs after helping investigate her death. She is completely devoted to her job and will go to almost any lengths to make sure that justice is served, for both victims and criminals. She is often very cold in her tone and demeanor. Sara's alcoholic father used to beat her and her mother Laura, until one day Laura snapped and stabbed him to death; as a result, Sara has emotional difficulties when dealing with abuse cases against women and children in her job. She was placed into foster care following her father's death and her mother's subsequent institutionalization. Sidle accepted a marriage proposal from co-worker Gil Grissom in the season 8 episode "The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp". A few episodes later, in "Goodbye and Good Luck", Sara leaves the team following a difficult case. She did not say good bye to her fellow CSIs or Grissom, for whom she only left a note stating that she had to go face the ghosts of her past, something that she couldn't do in Las Vegas. She returned for a guest appearance in the season 9 premiere for Warrick's death. She also appeared in episodes 902, 905 and 910. She is shown in a guest appearance in Grissom's last episode when he meets her in the Costa Rican jungle.
- LVPD Homicide Detective: Sofia Curtis (Louise Lombard) was a CSI who became part of Grissom's team after the midseason five split, decided by the Assistant Director of the crime lab, Conrad Ecklie. She soon considered resignation, upset at the fact that she had been demoted from acting day shift supervisor. In season six, Curtis makes a career shift from CSI to detective. Sofia was a recurring character in season five, and became a regular character in season seven, and Louise Lombard was billed in the opening credits. Sofia appeared in the season eight premiere, "Dead Doll", where Louise Lombard was billed as a "Special Guest Appearance". She has never been seen since "Dead Doll."
- CSI Level 3: Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) was an Audio-video analyst. Brown was a Las Vegas native and a chemistry major from UNLV. A major facet of Warrick's character portrayed in the show is that he was a recovering gambling addict, his recovery hindered by the fact that he worked in Las Vegas. New CSI Holly Gribbs was killed at a scene in CSI's first episode, while Warrick was out laying a bet. He almost lost his job for not being with her at the time. Grissom's friendship and support has helped him a great deal in overcoming his addiction, but his compulsion is one of the reasons used by Conrad Ecklie to investigate and then split up the night shift team in season five. Warrick had a deep affection for his hometown and used his experience as a former gambler and casino runner in his investigations. Warrick was married in season six, but divorced by season eight. It was revealed in the Season 9 premiere that he had a child. Warrick Brown's character will not return in Season 9, since actor Gary Dourdan and CBS could not come to terms on a contract. As a result, in the Season 8 finale, the corrupted undersheriff shoots Warrick in the neck and chest while he is sitting in his car, and then leaves him to die from his wounds. In the opening moments of the Season 9 premiere, he dies in Gil Grissom's arms.
Recurring Characters
CSI: has utilized an extensive cast of recurring characters on the show. Recurring characters can be found as technicians in the crime lab, as homicide detectives, as family members of main characters, and as villains, among others.
Guest stars
Clueless star Stacey Dash played a "newbie" lab tech who flirted with Warrick in "Slaves of Las Vegas" from Season 2. Kelly Rowan (Melinda Clarke's co-star on The O.C.) also appeared in "Slaves of Las Vegas" as Eileen Nelson, the wife of a man who hated her. He made a girl from an underground fetish club act like her, and his violence resulted in him killing her. Coincidentally, Clarke and Rowan appeared in the same episode prior to working together in 'The O.C.', though they did not appear in scenes together. The Usual Suspects star Steven Baldwin appeared as Jesse Acheson, who was investigated in Season 5's "Compulsion". The Who frontman Roger Daltrey guest starred as a missing mob boss who comes back to Las Vegas to pay back his would be killers in "Living Legend", season 7. Ugly Betty and Disney Channel star America Ferrera had a guest starring role in the season 5 episode "Harvest". Frank Gorshin made his last ever TV appearance in "Grave Danger", the season 5 finale. Faye Dunaway played a prominent ex-showgirl and mob mogul's former flame in the episode "Kiss-Kiss, Bye-Bye" in season 6. Danny Bonaduce appeared as Izzy Delancy, the Miniature Killer's first victim, in the two-part Season 7 opener "Built to Kill" as well as "Loco Motives". Kevin Federline made his guest appearance in season 7, starring as a street hoodlum known as 'Pig' leading a gang of college kids in carrying out random, brutal and sometimes fatal beatings on a citizen and mainly tourists throughout Las Vegas. This episode sees the gang seriously assaulting Greg Sanders when he tries to intervene on one of their vicious attacks. Kevin's character is also seen shouting abuse at Nick and Warrick while they are investigating the scene of Sanders' attack, this subsequently lead to physical altercation between Nick and Kevin's character 'Pig.' Ned Beatty made a guest appearance in the episode "Sweet Jane" in season 7, playing a serial killing dentist. Lost stars Ian Somerhalder, Josh Holloway, Elizabeth Mitchell, M.C. Gainey and Harold Perrineau have all guest starred. Somerhalder portrayed a murder suspect name Tony Del Nagro in 2002 in "Revenge Is Best Served Cold". In 2003 Holloway played Kenny Richmond in "Assume Nothing," a casino valet who was Nick's college baseball teammate. Both episodes were the third and fourth season premieres respectively. Mitchell appeared as Melissa Winters, a wheelchair-bound prosecutor and friend of Sara's with a deadly secret in "One Hit Wonder", and Perrineau played a reverend with a sordid past and an exorcism patient who is missing in "Go To Hell". Before becoming a regular on CSI: NY, Carmine Giovinazzo made a guest appearance in "Revenge Is Best Served Cold", making him one of the several actors to be in all three CSI shows. Summer Glau of Firefly & Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles played Mandy Cooper in the episode "What's Eating Gilbert Grissom?". Juliette Goglia played Hannah West, a child prodigy who muddied the waters in two murder cases her half-brother was involved in. Her cold, calculating actions made Sara Sidle rethink her career choice and she left at the end of the episode "Goodbye and Good Luck." Sara left her duty vest for new CSI Ronnie Lake, after removing her name tag and throwing it into the garbage. The first was "The Unusual Suspect" in season 6. Constance Marie played detective Carolina Flores in "Two and a Half Deaths" from the eighth season Guest appearances have been made by no less than four of The Shield cast members, namely: Catherine Dent (Danny) in "Who Shot Sherlock?" Season 5 (as the killer), Kenny Johnson (Lem) in "Time of Your Death" Season 6 (as the driver of the Corvette), Walton Goggins (Shane) in "Empty Eyes" Season 7 (as the killer), and Jay Karnes (Dutch) in "For Gedda" Season 8 (as the IA Detective). Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of MythBusters appeared as scientists-observers in the Season 8 episode "The Theory of Everything". Kay Panabaker acts as Catherine Willows's daughter Lindsay assuming the role after Madison McReynolds left the show. Pauley Perrette acts as an aspiring singer who befriends Catherine Willows' husband in Lady Heather's Box. Ally Sheedy as Sharon Turner in episode "Leapin' Lizards (CSI)". Method Man, as Drops, appears in the episodes "Poppin' Tags", "Big Shots" & "Drops Out". Taylor Swift as Haley Jones in the March 5, 2009 episode. Holt McCallany was in the episode "Young Man with a Horn." He previously played Det. John Hagen on CSI: Miami. Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia played Bobby in the Season 1 episode Friends & Lovers. The Office (U.S. TV series) star John Krasinski appeared in the Season 5 episode Who Shot Sherlock. Travis Barker played a rapper in an episode about East Coast/West Coast Wars. Shanna Moakler Former Miss USA appeared in the same episode as now ex-husband Travis Barker. Carlos Alazraqui as a Reno cop in Let it Bleed (a nod to his role in Reno 911!). Allison Scagliotti-Smith known for her role in Drake & Josh as Mindy Crenshaw played a fast food restaurant employee in the episode "Deep Fried and Minty Fresh".
Episodes
There were twenty-three episodes in the first season, including the two part pilot episode written by Anthony Zuiker, the series' creator. There were twenty-three episodes each of the three following (Seasons two to four). There were twenty-five episodes in Season five and twenty-four in Seasons six and seven. There were only 17 episodes in Season 8, due to the WGA strike. The total number of aired episodes to date is 194. There have also been crossover episodes with its CSI sister shows, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.
The last episode of the eighth season aired in the U.S. on May 15, 2008. Gary Dourdan's character, Warrick Brown, was shot and left to die; it was confirmed in the season 9 premiere that Dourdan's character was killed by the gun shot.
Crossovers
A two-part crossover episode with "Without a Trace" aired on November 8, 2007. The first hour was on CSI and the second hour was on Without a Trace.!
On May 8, 2008 the episode "Two And a Half Deaths", written by Two and a Half Men writers Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn, was aired. The episode focused on the death of a sitcom star of a show based on Cybill, which Lorre wrote some of the episodes. A number of writers of CSI wrote an episode for Two and a Half Men, "Fish In A Drawer", where Charlie's house is investigated following the death of Charlie's stepfather. George Eads (Nick Stokes) was the only actor to appear on both CSI and Two and a Half Men, but portraying different characters. The stars of Two and a Half Men also appeared in part of the CSI episode. They can be seen outside of the dressing trailer, dressed in tuxedos (possibly the ones seen in the opening credits of Two and a Half Men) all three appear to be smoking, but they do not talk.
Reception
For the 2001 season CBS decided to move CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, along with the hit franchise Survivor, to Thursday night, ending NBC's long dominance of these television hours, because even though they had a long-standing and popular Must See TV lineup (such as Friends and Will & Grace) they could not compete with CSIs numbers per week. CBS became the most-watched network on American television, with CSI being the most-watched program on television for the 20022003 TV season, and the most-watched scripted show for five consecutive seasons, from the 20022003 season through the 20062007 season. Since 2003, it is also the top-rated drama series in America and in 2007 remains among the top five programs every season (usually behind American Idol).
The 20042005 season finale, directed by Quentin Tarantino and entitled "Grave Danger", was watched by over 35 million viewers on May 19, 2005, twice that of the nearest competition.
It the fall of 2006 ABC began airing the third season of Grey's Anatomy at the same time as CSI, prompting a TV ratings battle between the two popular shows. Grey had over 3 million more viewers than CSI in that season's premiere. Since then it has been a constant fight between the two shows, because even when CSI beats Grey in the ratings, CSI always had lower ratings among the younger viewers, the category most wanted by advertisers. Some critics have said that CSI is now taking the characters into more romantic paths so as to compete with Grey, although this has been denied by Carol Mendelsohn.
Also, the fact that for the first time ever CSI ended a season with a cliffhanger (Sara Sidle trapped under a car) has been compared to Grey's Anatomy, that has ended every season with cliffhangers. The cliffhanger resolution gave CBS its fruits since season eight premiered with over 4 million viewers more than Grey, also winning in the young people category.
According to TV.com, "Living Doll" from the seventh season and "Grave Danger" from the fifth season are the highest rated episodes, which are rated in 9.6. "Monster in the Box" from Season 7 and "For Gedda" from Season 8 are rated 9.5. "Goodbye and Good Luck" from the eighth season, and also Jorja Fox's last episode is rated 9.4, together with "Rashomama" from the sixth season, "Law of Gravity" from the seventh season, "Gum Drops" from the sixth season, "Bloodlines" from the fourth season, "Play With Fire" from the third season and "Stalker" from the second season.
Public reaction
CSIs popularity has led to the creation of websites, online discussion forums and a large amount of fan-made art it is ranked second in the amount of fan fiction (of a TV show) with FanFiction.Net, having over 19 thousand stories, Buffy the Vampire Slayer being the first, with over 30 thousand.
On September 27, 2007, after CSIs season eight premiered, a miniature model of character Gil Grissom's office (which he was seen building during season seven) was put up on eBay. The auction ended October 7, with the prop being sold for $15,600; CBS donated the proceeds to the National CASA Association.
On August 2007, upon rumors of Jorja Fox leaving the show, a grassroots campaign started. Organized by the online forum Your Tax Dollars At Work, many of its nineteen thousand members donated to the cause, collecting over $8,000 for gifts and stunts targeted at CBS executives and CSIs producers and writers. Some of the stunts included a wedding cake delivery to Carol Mendelsohn, 192 chocolate-covered insects with the message "CSI Without Sara Bugs Us." to Naren Shankar and a plane flying several times over the Universal Studios of Los Angeles with a "Follow the evidence keep Jorja Fox on CSI" banner. Other protests included mailing the show's producers a dollar, so as to save Fox's contract "one dollar at a time". By October 16, 2007 according to the site's tally, more than 20,000 letters with money or flyers had been mailed to the Universal Studios and to CBS headquarters in New York from forty-nine different countries since the campaign started on September 29, 2007. Fox and Mendelsohn chose to donate the money to CASA, a national association that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children.
Criticism for violent and sexual themes
CSI has often been criticized for the level and gratuitousness of graphic violence, images, and sexual content. The CSI series and its spin-off shows have pushed the boundary of what is considered acceptable viewing for primetime network television. The series had numerous episodes on sexual fetishism and other forms of sexual pleasure (see especially the recurring character of Lady Heather, a professional dominatrix). CSI has been ranked as among the worst prime-time shows for family viewing by the Parents Television Council nearly every season since its second, being ranked the worst show for family prime-time viewing after the 20022003 and 20052006 seasons. The PTC has also targeted certain CSI episodes for its weekly "Worst TV Show of the Week" feature. In addition, the episode "King Baby" aired in February 2005, which the PTC named the most offensive TV show of the week, also led the PTC to start a campaign to file complaints with the FCC with the episode; to date, nearly 13,000 PTC members complained to the Federal Communications Commission about the episode. The PTC has also asked Clorox to pull their advertisements from CSI and CSI: Miami because of the graphically violent content on those programs.
Law enforcement reaction
Another criticism of the show is the depiction of police procedure, which some consider to be decidedly lacking in realism. For instance, the show's characters not only investigate crime scenes (as their real-world counterparts would), but they also conduct raids, engage in suspect pursuit and arrest, interrogate suspects, and solve cases, which falls under the responsibility of uniformed officers and detectives, not CSI personnel. However, some detectives are also registered CSIs, although this is exceedingly rare in actual life. It is considered an inappropriate and improbable practice to let CSI personnel to be involved in detective work as it would compromise the impartiality of scientific evidence. CSI shares this characteristic with similar British drama series, Silent Witness.
The cities of North Las Vegas and Henderson, and other surrounding townships and counties, will not allow Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department or companies contracted for work under them to come into their jurisdictions, unless the crime occurred on a border of the cities and/or townships. Furthermore, CSIs contracted to LVMPD don't travel to other counties, such as Nye County, or Pahrump, or any other places in Nevada, due to each county having different laws in regards to what is considered law enforcement within that particular county.
Some police and district attorneys have criticized the show for giving members of the public an inaccurate perception of how police solve crimes. Victims and their families are coming to expect instant answers from showcased techniques such as DNA analysis and fingerprinting, when in real life processing such evidence can take days or even weeks. District attorneys state that the conviction rate in cases with little physical evidence has decreased, largely due to the influence of CSI on jury members.
However, not all law-enforcement agencies have been as critical - in fact, many CSIs have responded positively to the show's influence and enjoy their new reputation. In the UK, Scene Of Crime Officers (SOCO) now commonly refer to themselves as CSIs. Some constabularies, such as Norfolk, have even gone so far as to change the name of the unit to Crime Scene Investigation. Also, recruitment and training programs have seen a massive increase in applicants, with a far wider range of people now interested in something previously regarded as a scientific backwater.
LGBT issues
The LGBT community has criticized the show for its negative representation of LGBT characters. Despite the general overall displeasure, the fifth season episode "Ch-Ch-Changes" was received positively by the transgender community in particular. Furthermore, the season 5 episode "Iced" featured one of very few openly gay characters on the show who were not victims or criminals, as the victim's neighbor.
Franchise
Like NBC's Law & Order franchise, CBS went on to produce their own franchise starting in September 2002 with the spin-off CSI: Miami, set in Miami, Florida. Another spin-off debuted September 2004 with CSI: NY, set in New York City. Also, a number of comic books, video games and novels based on the series have been made. The series was found to be in the same "universe" as fellow CBS police-drama Without a Trace during a crossover episodes airing in early November 2007. It is also within the same universe with Cold Case because of the series' crossover with CSI: NY.
CSI Effect
The "CSI Effect" (sometimes referred to as the "CSI syndrome") is a reference to the phenomenon of popular television shows such as the CSI franchise, Law & Order, Silent Witness, Crossing Jordan and Waking the Dead raising crime victims' and jury members' real-world expectations of forensic science, especially crime scene investigation and DNA testing. This is said to have changed the way many trials are presented today, in that prosecutors are pressured to deliver more forensic evidence in court.
CSI: The Experience
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry opened an exhibit in CSIs honor on May 25, 2007 called: "CSI: The Experience". There is also a supporting Web site designed for the benefit of people who cannot visit the exhibit at , designed by Rice University's Center for Technology in Teaching & Learning.
Vehicles
In a high profile product placement deal, General Motors donated two GMC Yukon XL Denalis to the Los Angeles and Las Vegas police departments. The same model vehicles were modified and used on the show as the "Mobile Analysis Unit", or MAU, in the same episode directed by Tarantino, the season five finale "Grave Danger". The vehicles were given a six-inch height difference from stock models, allowing the trunk lid to be used by the characters as a rain shield, and the rear bay and third-row area as a mobile lab, complete with notebook computers, equipment drawers and storage. In 8x12, Warrick is seen driving a black hybrid Yukon XL/Denali.
Ratings
American Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS.
Note: U.S. network television seasons generally start in late September and end in late May, which coincides with the completion of the May sweeps.
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers
(in millions) |
|---|
| 1 | Friday 9:00pm/8c (from October 6, 2000January 12, 2001)
Thursday 9:00pm/8c
(from February 1, 2001) | October 6, 2000 | May 17, 2001 | 20002001 | #10 | 17.80 |
|---|
| 2 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 27, 2001 | May 16, 2002 | 20012002 | #2 | 23.69 |
|---|
| 3 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 26, 2002 | May 15, 2003 | 20022003 | #1 | 26.20 |
|---|
| 4 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 25, 2003 | May 20, 2004 | 20032004 | #2 | 25.27 |
|---|
| 5 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 23, 2004 | May 19, 2005 | 20042005 | #2 | 26.26 |
|---|
| 6 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 22, 2005 | May 18, 2006 | 20052006 | #3 | 24.86 |
|---|
| 7 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 21, 2006 | May 17, 2007 | 20062007 | #5 | 20.00 |
|---|
| 8 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | September 27, 2007 | May 15, 2008 | 20072008 | #5 | 19.53 |
|---|
| 9 | Thursday 9:00pm/8c | October 9, 2008 | May 14, 2009 | 20082009 | #4 | 19.77 (to date) |
|---|
DVR Ratings
The show ranked number three in DVR playback (3.07 million viewers), according to Nielsen prime DVR lift data from 9/22/08 - 11/23/08.
U.K. Ratings
CSI airs new episodes on UK terrestrial channel FIVE on Tuesday nights at 9.00pm; viewership is usually around 4 million. Repeats are shown on Five USA throughout the week, with viewing figures around the 2 million mark. Episodes are also shown on the channel Living.
Awards and nominations
Awards
ASCAP Award:
ASC Award:
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Episodic TV Series - 2006
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Episodic TV Series - 2005
Emmy:
- Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series - 2007
- Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-camera Series - 2006
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2003
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic) - 2002
Saturn Award
- Best Network Television Series - 2004
Screen Actors Guild Award
- Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series - 2004
Nominations
Emmy:
- Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) - 2007
- Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries Or Special - 2007
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (non-prosthetic) - 2007
- Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series - 2007
- Outstanding Single-camera Sound Mixing For A Series - 2006
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2006
- Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series - 2005: Quentin Tarantino
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (non-prosthetic) - 2005
- Outstanding Single-camera Sound Mixing For A Series - 2005
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2005
- Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series - 2004
- Outstanding Drama Series - 2004
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic) - 2004
- Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series - 2004
- Outstanding Drama Series - 2003
- Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2003: Marg Helgenberger
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Non-Prosthetic) - 2003
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Prosthetic) - 2003
- Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series - 2003
- Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series - 2002
- Outstanding Drama Series - 2002
- Outstanding Makeup For A Series (Prosthetic) - 2002
- Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series - 2002
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2002
- Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series - 2001
- Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2001
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Series - 2001
- Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - 2001
The series has also been nominated for multiple Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Award, Writers Guild of America Award, Directors Guild of America Award, and Producers Guild of America Award
DVD releases
Region 1 DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date |
|---|
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 1 | March 25, 2003 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 2 | September 2, 2003 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 3 | March 30, 2004 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 4 | October 12, 2004 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 5 | November 29, 2005 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 6 | November 14, 2006 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 7 | November 20, 2007 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 8 | October 14, 2008 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 9 | Fall 2009 |
The US box sets are distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, while the Canadian box sets are distributed by Alliance Atlantis. The first season DVD release differs from all subsequent seasons in that it is available only in 1.33:1 or 4:3 full frame, rather than the subsequent aspect ratio of 1.78:1 or 16:9 widescreen, which is the HDTV standard aspect ratio. As the program began in 2000 it is possible it was shot in that manner and later seasons were the first to shoot in wide.
The first season is also the only DVD release of the series not to feature Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio, instead offering stereo sound.
Region 2/4 DVD releases
Region 2 and 4 DVD releases have followed a pattern whereby each season is progressively released in two parts (each of 11 or 12 episodes (with the exception of Season 8, In Which Part 1 contained 8 Episodes and the Without a Trace Crossover and Part 2 Contained The Remaing 9 Episodes) with special features split up) before finally being sold as a single box set. After having been almost 12 months behind region 2 releases after the first four series, region 4 releases are speeding up, with distributors simply releasing season five as a complete box set.
Region 2
| DVD Name | Release dates |
|---|
| Full season | Part 1 | Part 2 |
|---|
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 1 | December 8, 2003 | July 1, 2002 | October 7, 2002 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 2 | March 15, 2004 | July 28, 2003 | October 6, 2003 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 3 | July 26, 2004 | April 5, 2004 | July 5, 2004 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Seasons 13 | August 23, 2004 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 4 | November 21, 2005 | May 9, 2005 | July 11, 2005 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Seasons 14 | December 12, 2005 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 5 | June 26, 2006 | April 24, 2006 | June 14, 2006 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Seasons 15 | October 2, 2006 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Grave Danger - Tarantino Episodes | October 10, 2005 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 6 | June 4, 2007 | February 26, 2007 | June 4, 2007 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 7 | February 25, 2008 | September 3, 2007 | February 25, 2008 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 8 | TBA | September 22, 2008 | February 16, 2009 |
Region 4
| DVD Name | Release dates |
|---|
| Full season | Part 1 | Part 2 |
|---|
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 1 | November 27, 2003 | October 21, 2002 | April 9, 2003 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 2 | October 28, 2004 | October 27, 2003 | March 30, 2004 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 3 | October 4, 2005 | March 18, 2005 | September 13, 2005 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 4 | November 8, 2006 | May 12, 2006 | August 17, 2006 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 5 | January 24, 2007 | Not released | Not released | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Grave Danger - Tarantino Episodes | June 6, 2007 | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 6 | December 5, 2007 | Not released | Not released | | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 7 | December 3, 2008 | Not released | Not released |
Blu-ray Releases
Paramount Home Entertainment will release the first season on High Definition Blu-ray disc on
May 12, 2009.
Unlike its DVD counterpart, this release will be in its original widescreen format and feature 7.1 surround sound.
Other Releases
The CSI franchise has also been released as a series of mobile games. In Fall 2007, CBS teamed up with game developer Gameloft to bring CSI to mobile phones. The first of the series to be published was CSI: Miami. The game features actual cast members such as Horatio Caine, Alexx Woods and Calleigh Duquesne who are trying to solve a murder in South Beach with the player's assistance. The game is also available for download on various iPod devices
In spring 2008, Gameloft and CBS released "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Mobile Game" which is based off the original series in Las Vegas, NV. This game introduces the unique ability to receive calls during the game to provide tips and clues about crime scenes and evidence. As for the storyline, the game developers collaborated with Anthony E. Zuiker (the series creator) to ensure that the plot and dialogue were aligned with the show's style.
Online sales
| Country | Store | Available Season |
|---|
| iTunes Store | 6, 7, 8 and 9 (after episode airs on TV) | | Amazon Unbox | 6, 7 and 8 | | Xbox Live | 6 and 7 (approximately one week after airing) | | NetFlix | 7, 8 and 9 (streaming with Instant play for Netflix customers) | | Five Download | 6, 7, 8 and 9 (immediately after airing) | | | 6 and 7 |
Parody
The show was parodied in the 2009 Chick-fil-A calendar "The Bovines in Blue" where the show in November was referred to as B.S.I.: Bovine Special Investigators, as well as in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and MADtv skits.
See also
External links
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