Where is the feeling?
06 August 2008 @ 06:59 ; 0 CommentsEvidence never lies.
Yesterday I watched an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on
I know I have been in denial a bit about the state of the show but after last night's repeated viewing, the inevitable had to be agreed upon- that, in some ways, the quality of the show is slowly slipping. What happened? Is it because of the change in showrunners? (Previously creator Anthony Zuiker was the main man; he went on to handle the New York version, leaving Carol Mendelsohn to take charge.) The lack of forensic/crime/original stories, hence the introduction into the characters' backstories and dramas into the mix? The perhaps unwanted additional input of the cast, outside forces, the show being too big for its boots? Too many similar shows on air? We may never know.
When the show first aired critics and television audiences praised it for being innovative, the first of its kind, the fact that they focused primarily on the science of the matter instead of the heart. As the show slowly evolved and the stories got more outlandish (in a good sense, for the most part) and the characters become larger than life, there is perhaps that need to retain its audience and keep things fresh. In some aspect with Grey's Anatomy competing in the same timeslot as CSI (only in the US) and the overload of other similarly styled shows perhaps contributed to the change of how the show was handled the last few seasons. As an avid fan this has significantly not gelled so well with me.
Alright, confession time- I didn't really pay attention to the show when it was first introduced on the goggle box. Yes, you can sue me now. I did watch some parts of season two, so by the time the third season rolled, naturally I was hooked. (Coincidentally, the third season is my favourite overall.) I really enjoyed the whole science aspect of it, how the forensics was the bigger part of the show, how the evidence never lies, blah blah blah. And I really appreciated the fact that any dramatizations on the characters' part were kept on the down low, being used as a subtext of sorts that only fans will pay attention, weed out and go all spasgasmic online. It's not so in-your-face as compared to the later seasons.
In a sense, it was really fun to find out more about the characters and stuff, but also, in a sense, that aspect has taken away a chunk of the show's originality and affected its overall performance. Now it's more mild science soap opera as opposed to being a procedural forensics drama. And plus, with the loss of a couple of key characters of the show (I ain't spoiling ya, I swear!), it has left a somewhat stale taste in the mouth. Has it jumped the shark? I don't believe so. The science is still there. The cases are still intriguing, shocking, interesting. Or perhaps I'm just being hopeful (or a hopeless romantic. You choose.)
Plus, Catherine's storylines are still not resolved yet. So I'm definitely tuning into the show until everything pans out. Or until the bigwigs at CBS decided enough is enough. I sure hope it's not the latter. They should end it with a bang. And then a movie. Yeah. A movie version of CSI! That would be uberly cool, non?
