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HERC Examines The Debut Of CSI!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I've had some letters from people now that they've seen Hercules, some of them surprised that he doesn't appear to be at his physical peak. I would remind those people of how old Herc is (he makes me look like a spring chicken) and that he possesses powers far beyond those of mortal man. Besides, all he does is watch TV. He doesn't have to be built like freakin' Ferrigno. Make fun of him at your own risk, people. I've seen the damage this man can do to a green apple martini from Lola's. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION FAQ 1.1
WHAT IS CSI?
The first network series from Jerry Bruckheimer, the
insanely successful film producer behind movies like
“Armageddon,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Coyote Ugly” and
“Remember the Titans.” It airs 9 p.m. Fridays on CBS
beginning tonight.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A half-dozen very attractive young men and women
working the graveyard shift of the Las Vegas police’s
Criminalistics Dept., a crack squad of crime scene
investigators charged with solving crimes by
scrutinizing fingerprints, bullet wounds, hair
follicles, toenail clippings and the like. The show’s
point of view is nicely crystallized by a line from
Marg Helgenberger’s character, who loves her job:
“We’re just a bunch of kids who are getting paid to
work on puzzles.”
DID YOU LIKE IT?
I kinda did!
WHY?
It’s different. It kept surprising me. I think my
first clue that this was no ordinary crime drama came
with an early line about a white suspect from one of
the show’s black investigators,: “Oh, he’s lying.
That’s why I took this job, I can always tell when
whitey’s lying out of his ass.” As far as I know,
none of the regulars on “Law & Order” ever say
ANYTHING LIKE that. Later on, while visiting a judge
at home in an effort to obtain a warrant, the same
character is held at gunpoint: cops were called after
neighbors reported a black man in the judge’s
neighborhood. When the cops tell the investigator to
drop to his knees, he refuses – at risk of his own
life. “I’m not getting down on my knees for anybody.
You can shoot me.”
SO THE CHARACTERS ARE DIFFERENT?
Yes, the investigators are mostly young, nerdy
obsessed types. As centrifuges whir, they discuss
“Exorcist” dialogue and the merits of“NFL2K” for
Dreamcast. One grows to share their enthusiasm for
the nuts and bolts of criminal science.
WHO WROTE THE PILOT?
Anthony E. Zuiker, a newcomer who came up with the
idea four years ago while he was driving a tram for
the Mirage. But, for a change, the show’s uniqueness
doesn’t stem entirely from the writing. There are
smash-zooms into strands of hair. Cameras also plunge
into bodies through bullet wounds, “Three
Kings”-style.
WHO DIRECTED THE PILOT?
Danny Cannon, exhibiting a good deal more restraint
and charm than he did on big-screen projects like “I
Still Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Judge
Dredd.”
YOUR RATING FOR “CSI,” HERC?
**1/2
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
**** better than most motion pictures
*** actually worth your valuable time
** as horrible as most stuff on TV
* makes you quietly pray for bulletins
I warn you not to scrutinize me under a microscope!
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Out of all the CBS promos that have been force-fed to me this summer, this is the show that I've been looking forward to the most. I'm glad Herc gave it a semi-good review. BTW, that is one messed up picture!!!!
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I have really been looking forward to this for awhile. I have been a fan of Peterson's since Manhunter and To Live and Die in LA (two very stylish and intense crime thrillers). This looks like the kind of project I have been waiting to see him in again. I hope it doesn't disappoint!
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Why is it that every fucking new hour-long drama this season is gonna have a jaded black guy character who spouts remarks which contain the term "whitey" ("Deadline" had one too, in case you didn't see the premiere)? Why do the networks insist on having these kinds of characters? Isn't it just as racist and stereotypical as having an inferior black character? I'm sure a majority of the African American population is not full of hate and ill regard for white people, which is what these series' makers would have you believe. They're being just as ignorant and creating misconceptions about other races by having characters like this. And then they act like it's the fashionable thing to do. I think the networks have totally mishandled the whole NAACP thing. Instead of going out and creating realistic minority characters that can provide insight for the viewers, they have filled their shows with a bunch of unrealistic, shallow minority characters, which will do nothing but create even more misconceptions and bigotry. Goddamn, the networks are a bunch of fuckheads.
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Oct 06, 2000 6:24:38 PM CDT
Premise not that unique; anybody remember UNSUB w/ David Soul ba
by blackbanana
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I must say that I enjoyed it, for many of the reasons Herc listed: visual inventiveness (could it, with a little help and support, become a new Homicide? One hopes). The writing might not be as knock-your-ass-on-the-floor good as Homicide's was, but it was a good, quality show. As for Warrick Brown, I liked him, and what was important to the show was the fact that his colleagues liked him too--not because he's a "smart-ass black guy" but because he's a good detective. His scene early with the detective he had the bet with showed the regard they had for each other despite the rivalry, and I got the impression that he understood the enormity of his mistake later in the episode. There was a lot to like, I thought.
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I really enjoyed this show. I hope that people aren't scared off by Bruckheimer's name on it, because I thought it was a fairly inventive, thoughtful show. It appealed to both the geek and the drama whore in me, and that is no small accomplishment.
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Thanks for bringing up UNSUB--I thought I was the only one who remembered that show! I might be wrong, but wasn't young George Clooney on that also?
UNSUB had almost the exact same premise as CSI. That being said, I still thought CSI was pretty good. It's a little slow or something, but it's got style.
By the way, why did the networks bury all of these big new dramas (CSI, Freakylinks, Fugitive, The District and That's Life) on Friday and Saturday nights when noone's home????!
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I think it's obvious that they are going to allow that "jaded black character" to grow. I think your argument loses it's point by the fact the character pays for his jadedness and bad attitude, and others also pay for it. I think as the show progresses(if it's allowed to) the character should expand a bit. I was particularly surprised by the young rookie getting shot in the end, I'm hoping they don't kill her off.
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I'm not sure but I thought I heard Warrick Brown say "shit" when talking to the other guy who was vying for the CSI 3 spot. Am I crazy or did he say what I thought?
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Ok.. have to preface this with saying my hot, nuclear bomb of sexual energy and looks girlfriend works on this show. So maybe I'm kinda biased, maybe not, because I HATE cop shows...
That being said... I liked it, alot. Kept me on my toenails (pun intended) unlike alot of shows these days.
Warrick Brown's character isn't just the 'black man pissed off at whitey" stereotypical thing. He has a brain, he's logical, he's not just 'taking it from tha man'. It's a nice breath of fresh air in what TV has turned into. Stereotyping every single ethnic group you can think of.
As far as the future of the show (SPOILERS FOLLOW)...
The rookie dies.. maybe in this weeks episode (called Cool Change) or next weeks (fuzzy memory). But his character really starts to develop because of Holly's death (side note, network didn't like the rookie angle so they axed her).
I think that the show shows real promise, the writers are doign a decent job, the effects are movie quality, and, most importantly, they are using alot of people we really haven't had the pleasure of seeing in alot of shows. So they are not type cast into roles.
Let's hope it keeps doing as well as it did on the overnight's.
P.S. But they REALLY need to hire me as a consultant for roller coaster references... ;) -
Garbage Man... take it from editorial. Warrick doesn't say "shit." We're not sure WHAT the heck he says, it's kind of a mumble, but if it was anything actionable they'd have made us take it out long ago. Charon... we want to know what department your "hot nuclear explosion of sexual energy and looks girlfriend" works in.
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