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Product Description
CSI: NY, the third incarnation of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise and the spin-off of CSI: Miami, is a crime drama about forensic investigators who use high-tech science to follow the evidence and solve crimes in The Big Apple.
Amazon.com
Season One
What do you get when you transplant CBS's successful franchise to the Big Apple? Cases involving sewer rats as witnesses, a victim whose head was slammed in a pizzeria oven, and murders of commodities traders, and--of course--a Red Sox fan. Fun as that may sound, CSI: NY is a bleaker, grimmer version of its Las Vegas and Miami cousins. The team is made up of a pleasantly New Yawk but indistinct cast of characters: Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), medical examiner Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) and younger CSIs Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) and Aiden Burn (Vanessa Ferlito, who has since left the show). Their leader, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), fares better as one of the few characters in the CSI franchise to have a back story (he lost his wife in the 9/11 attacks). But the formula has always worked best by avoiding personal storylines, thus any mention of this became nearly nonexistent. Sinise may be less intense than Miami's David Caruso, but lacks the wink-wink humor of the original's William Petersen. You kinda wish the whole crew would lighten up a bit, maybe go on a company retreat or something. Nonetheless, the franchise continues its trademark zooming cameras, gruesome crimes and way-cool forensic gadgets. New York makes an intriguing backdrop, but a message for producer Jerry Bruckheimer: We're saturated now. Please don't give us CSI: Omaha next. -- Ellen A. Kim
Season Two
The CSI franchise continues to thrive with the second season of CSI: NY, which aired on CBS during the 2005-2006 season. The kickoff episode is filled with lots of drama--but not much suspense--as the investigators delve into the death of a jewelry designer who is found wearing an $8 million diamond bra. The other case involves the shooting of a thrill seeker who is killed while climbing up a skyscraper. Though neither crime is particularly challenging for the viewer to solve, it's the little things that make the series an enjoyable viewing experience. A mosquito, for instance, provides more data on a potential killer than fingerprints or witnesses. And in a later episode, a discarded coffee mug provides the evidence to convict someone of killing a plastic surgeon. There is drama within the department as well: One of the investigators, who gets too caught up in a rape case, tampers with the forensic evidence and is told to resign from the department. While the chemistry between the main characters isn't as strong as it is with the cast of the original CSI--starring William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger--Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13) makes a strong presence as lead investigator Mac Taylor. And Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) gets to show more dimension in a storyline where he's trapped inside a panic room. All 24 episodes are included on this 6-disc set, which includes audio commentary on five episodes, as well as a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes. This season also includes a little stunt casting, with David Caruso (playing his CSI: Miami character Horatio Crane) in a compelling crossover episode that involves the kidnapping of a young girl. Both strong silent types, Horatio and Mac make for a wonderful team, despite their different methods. --Jae-Ha Kim
Season Three
The third season of CSI: New York is full of murder, mayhem, and mystery. And luckily for lead investigator Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), it also includes a little romance in the form of the lovely Dr. Peyton Driscoll (Claire Forlani), a medical examiner who joins the staff. All 24 episodes from the third season, which aired on CBS during 2006-2007, are included on this six-disc box set. And moreso than the previous two years, this season has a taut, cohesive feel. The characters have bonded and come into their own, especially Detective Don Flack (played by Eddie Cahill, who made his name playing the boytoy of both Jennifer Aniston on Friends and Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City). Mac's team also includes Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper), and the aptly named Dr. Sid Hammerback (Robert Joy). When Sid, the medical examiner, goes off one of his lengthy tangents, Sheldon quietly points out, "You're going to that creepy place again." Fans will be a little frustrated at the flirtation between detectives Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) and Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), which falters before it really gets to start.
This season includes guest appearances from tennis player John McEnroe, singer Nelly Furtado, magician Criss Angel, former heartthrob Joey Lawrence, and a real-life Goth burlesque group that goes by the name Suicide Girls. The latter make for interesting visuals, but they slow down the scenes with their stilted acting. While it's understandable that CSI:NY wants to stand out from other dramas--including those in the CSI franchise, it's odd that the producers would give such a big chunk of air time to a group of women who aren't completely convincing in roles playing themselves. On the other hand, Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is perfectly cast in the role of a college student who's not quite right after his brother is executed for a crime he insists wasn't his fault. The boxed set includes audio commentary on four episodes, as well as behind-the-scenes featurettes. If you've got the stomach for it, take a tour of the "body farm" (where the decomposition of bodies are studied) with Hill Harper. --Jae-Ha Kim
Season Four
Beginning with a spectacular murder at the Statue of Liberty and ending with an unusual plea from a bank robber, the fourth season of CSI: NY moves along at a quick, exciting pace that belies its almost 15-hour run time. Spread over six discs, all 21 episodes--which originally were televised during the 2007-2008 season--are included. Led by head CSI Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), the core group of Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap), Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) returns to solve compelling and often ghastly crimes. Sticking true to the format of the popular CSI franchise, a crime is committed, the viewer is left to guess whodunit, and then Mac and his team come in to tell us what really happened. Sometimes the plots aren't that difficult to figure out. But in many instances--such as watching a horrifying stalker's obsession with Mac build throughout the season--the viewer is left almost as unsettled as the victims. One of the most powerful episodes of the season centers around Stella, who comes to the realization that her neighbor may have harbored (or kidnapped) a missing child. Kanakaredes succinctly captures the complex nuances of what it might feel like to wonder if you could have helped someone who lived right next door. If being completely honest, an objective viewer might admit that CSI: NY isn't wholly unique in terms of story arcs. However, Sinise is a compelling leading man who shares strong chemistry with the rest of the cast. Even when dealing with a convoluted storyline centering around his deceased wife's son, he makes it work. And when Danny goes through some personal turmoil, viewers sense that he will be OK, because he has his colleagues' support. The season finale falls a little flat, but it does offer a cliffhanger-style ending sure to entice viewers to tune in to the fifth season. --Jae-Ha Kim
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Box set; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
