CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

                I’m a little hesitant to write about this show.  It’s not because there is anything wrong with it.  My hesitancy is all about the fact that I have not seen the episodes in order.  That is a hang up of mine.  I like to watch and read series from the very beginning and not start in the middle.  However, when I find a show because of weekly marathons on TV, being able to begin at the beginning is out of my control.  My only option is to watch the show out of order until I decide to get the DVDs.  Then I can see each episode as I would like.  Until then, I’m going to enjoy CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in any order it arrives.

                Even though this show has been on for years and there are plenty of episodes to air, the ones I have seen most frequently are the recent episodes that star Ted Danson and Elisabeth Shue.  I have watched a few episodes before these two actors joined the series, but not many.  While some aspects of the show will change depending on the actors and the characters they portray, the premise of the show never does.  No matter who is on screen, the premise always remains the same.           

                CSI is a little different from other crime shows.  Yes, the characters investigate murders and they try to track down the culprit.  They also bring people in for interviews and use that information to figure out the guilty party.  However, unlike other shows, that is not what the characters primarily concentrate on.  Instead, the show revolves around the deciphering of evidence.  Tests are run on DNA and other materials found at the scene.  Autopsies are performed and every avenue possible to get pertinent information is explored.  There have been times where even genealogy was used to try and figure out the motive for a murder.  If there is a method that may get an answer, the team will try it.                

                In the background of the investigation are all the personal stories of the investigators.  Many of them have worked together for years.  For others it has not been so long, but because of the hours they keep it doesn’t really matter.  Spending so much time together turns everyone into family.  This is a very overused phrase that I cringe to use, but in this case it is the truth.  The lives of these team members have become intertwined in many ways.  Two of the characters have parents who are dating.  One of the dating parents also happens to be a higher up in the police force.  Another investigator is married to the team’s former supervisor.  Ted Danson’s and Elisabeth Shue’s characters worked together in another city.  As you can see, everyone is connected to each other, and they are all there for one another when they need it. 

               What I find so fascinating about this show is how the investigators find the most miniscule of objects to help them solve the case. Sometimes it feels like they have radar because I don’t know how they find all these things. Something can be barely out of place and they will notice. Plus, they think to take anything and everything. In one episode they even unscrewed the shower drain, and it doesn’t stop there. If anyone feels they need to go back and look for another piece of evidence, they will do it. It makes me wonder if real CSI units are able to uncover as much as these people do. I would hope so, because I would hate to think it is all a work of fiction.