C.S.I. (2000 - )
by Del Harvey

In CBS's C.S.I., Gil Grissom (William Petersen) is the lead forensic scientist in charge of the Crime Scene Investigations Field Services Office in Las Vegas, Nevada. This means that he works with some of the best students to come out of the local C.S.I. school. An avid entomologist, Grissom often puts this science to good use in his investigations by determining the time of death by a certain type of critter attached to the vic's body. He's good at his job, few people question his conclusions, and fewer of his staff can come close to his levels of accuracy and integrity. To most of his staff he is something of an enigma, or at times like the ultimate geek among them. And while each of his staff admires him, they often are confused or perplexed by his actions. Which sets up some great tension between the characters. In spite of this, each of his staff maintains their loyalty and belief in what he can do.

First among his most competent staff is Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), a single mother, a former Vegas dancer, and now a dedicated crime scene investigator. She's nearly as passionate about her job as Grissom, and provides a strong Yin to his Yang.

New as of the first of this year, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) loves cases that deal with bones. She has a very outspoken attitude that often leaves hurt feelings in its wake, and she's let her own personal feelings interfere with the job on at least one occasion. There have been several times throughout the season when she has expressed great affection and interest in Grissom. However, she has not betrayed his trust and seems determined to stick with the job no matter what.

Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) is a friend of Grissom's and very good at his job, but his addiction to gambling has very nearly ruined his career on several occasions. Warrick seems to be in persistent but friendly competition with Nick Stokes to solve whatever case they're working on.

Nick Stokes (George Eads) likes to think of himself as a ladies' man. He keeps in shape, is steadfastly dedicated to the job, and is not shy about questioning anything and everything. The most novice member of the group, there seems to be a close parallel between his character's love of the job and Grissom's, which borders on obsession.

Homicide detective Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) spent twenty years working his way up to the Homicide Division back in New Jersey, from where he transferred ten years ago, eventually running the C.S.I. unit. Brass's character can seem dark at times, and is divorced with a daughter in her early twenties. His relationship with new C.S.I.-er Holly Gibbs ended with her death and Brass was depressed about that for a long while. But nothing stops him from his devotion to the job.

Finally, among the regulars are Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda), the “X-treme" young lab tech devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, and Dr. David Robbins (Robert David Hall), the morgue technician whose physical handicap does not limit his knowledge or verbal defense mechanisms.

Each week this crew sets out to ferret out the truth behind whatever grisly, gruesome or extraordinary murder might occur. The crime scene situations and the methods employed by the investigators could rival the best Sherlock Holmes mystery. Most often there are two separate murder investigations each week, with Grissom frequently overseeing both. Along the difficult trail to solving the mysteries are plenty of red herrings, and the solutions are often not revealed until the final frames, so every viewer is good and excited by the end of a show.

There have been episodes which push the limits for network television with elements such as mangled bodies, nudity, language, and situations that on most programs would probably get a “mature" rating. I believe the only reason C.S.I. is able to pull this off is that nothing is gratuitous. There is a reason, scientific or pertinent to each investigation, for everything shown on the program. For that alone, C.S.I. is heads above the competition.

Like I said at the start, if you haven't tuned in to the program yet, you should give yourself the treat. This is an incredible show. And very addicting.

Del Harvey is the founder of Filmmonthly. He has recently returned to LA from Chicago to get back into all that show biz insanity firsthand.

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