There are times in life when all you can do is sigh, shake your head and let out an exasperated “Why?” Prime example: Why more CSI? Why another version of the same show? Because again and again, millions of viewers tune in. In fact, CSI ranks higher among female teens than Gilmore Girls and Everwood.
This time, it’s CSI: NY , an even creepier rendition of the original CSI and its spin-off, CSI: Miami. Starring Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes, the drama is centered on crime scene investigators following a nauseating trail of forensic clues. And things in the Big Apple are rotten to the core.
The series premiere depicted investigators tracking down a criminal who, through his medical knowledge, rendered his victims unable to move or speak (via “locked-in syndrome”), thereby making them conscious but helpless while he took their lives. As the season unfolded, fans saw violent gang initiations, autopsies, gunfire galore, vivid depictions of murder, bodies drenched in blood and extreme close-ups of victims’ insides.
In CSI: NY’s defense, the show is about fighting crime. It stands up for victims, condemns violence and drug abuse, and offers closure to families coping with tragedy. But its downfall is in the violent, gratuitous details.
Writers say season two will get a facelift. CBS’ research indicated viewers haven’t been able to stomach CSI: NY, even though 13.6 million people tuned in for last season’s finale. Nina Tassler, CBS Entertainment president, said the revamped show will “have more elements of humor” and the CSI: NY offices will move from underground to a midtown high-rise.
Let me get this straight: CSI: NY is riddled with blood, guts and body parts, and the solution is to crack more jokes? Viewers endure grotesque shots of mangled corpses, but the real problem lies in the team’s headquarters being situated in a basement? That doesn’t sound very promising.
When will prime time’s fixation with macabre criminal extremes end? According to Tassler, “We look to our audience to tell us when they’ve had enough.” Sadly, many in the audience have become too desensitized—TV’s equivalent of “locked-in syndrome”—to cry uncle.
