Product Description

CSI: New York, 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. Detective Mack "Mac" Taylor is a dedicated and driven crime scene investigator who believes that everything is connected and for everyone there is a story. He and his partner, Detective Stella Bonasera, a workaholic and a jack-of-all-trades, share a passion for the job. They lead a team of experts amid the gritty and kinetic city that never sleeps. Their team includes Danny Messer, a Brooklyn-born investigator with rugged good looks, an unflappable spirit and a colorful family history, and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, a reclusive coroner who walked away from a promising surgical career after the traumatic loss of two patients. Joining them is homicide Detective Don Flack, an edgy, hardcore investigator with a quick wit, impressive forensic insight and limited patience with potential suspects. Rounding out the team is Aiden Burn, a smart and sexy investigator whose chameleon-like behavior allows her to adapt to any situation at any time. These skilled investigators, who see New York City in a whole different light, follow the evidence as they piece together clues and eliminate doubt to ultimately crack their cases.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5872 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2005-10-18
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Russian
• Number of discs: 7
• Running time: 1011 minutes

Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

A Suspenseful and Captivating Visual Event...
Crime Scene Investigation: New York (CSI) is the second follow-up of the original CSI, which takes place in Las Vegas. The first sequel to CSI offered the 60 million dedicated viewers to the initial series a location change, as the sequel is set in the subtropical Miami. However, in one episode of CSI: Miami, a cold-blooded murderer brought the investigation to New York to find the killer. This development gave grounds for another change of scenery, which gave the viewers a chance to see the nitty-gritty indifference of the unsympathetic Big Apple's criminals. The mood in CSI: NY is far grimmer and more distant from humanity than its predecessors, as the bluish tone of the photography enhances the cold and unfeeling mood of this series murderous trail.

The first disc of this set of discs offers an opportunity for the audience to experience the initial episode from CSI: Miami that sets up CSI: NY. In this episode the forensic-analyst, Caine (David Caruso) of Miami-Dade crime lab, investigates a grisly double murder, which leads them to New York. Once in New York, Caine begins to cooperate with Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) to find the answers of the callous murderer's identity, as they put their two sharp minds together to solve the crime. In the opening of CSI: NY, the discovery of a female body neatly dressed and with no visible signs of struggle, or harm, immediately sets the tone of Mac's bleak world. To further the desolated atmosphere of CSI: NY, the audience learns about Mac's late wife who died during the 9/11 attack in Manhattan, which affects his sleeping patterns.

CSI: NY has a number of interesting characters, besides Mac, such as the dedicated Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) and Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo). There is also the disillusioned doctor Sheldon Hawkes who has left his job as a doctor due to failure, and then there is the hot-tempered Don Flack (Eddie Cahill). The combination between these characters led by Mac and the horrific crimes that fall in their lap allows the audience to enter a dark and sinister domain, as they seek through scientific methods find the clue that solves the case. The TV series is not really entertainment, as it has some gruesome stories. However, CSI: NY offers an interesting and suspenseful perspective on science in the legal system, which also offers an interesting viewpoint on life and its function. It truly presents a rather fascinating experience, which definitely is worth the time.

CSI: NY brings the viewers an intriguingly dark police drama where science is the main tool in their investigation. The success on the show rests within the cast's chemistry and their performances, as they all enhance the experience with multifaceted individuality and persona. In addition, each episode presents a unique perspective on innovatively gruesome crimes and how the law enforcement pursues the criminals with relentless dedication. Thus, adding a third location to the CSI franchise was a good decision, as it still serves a large audience a suspenseful and captivating visual event.

A Stand-Alone Spin-off
I have been a fan of CSI and CSI: Miami for quite a while now, so when I heard that a third incarnation of this fantastic show was going to come out, I was excited. I found it very easy to get into CSI: NY, even more so than Vegas or Miami--I think it had something to do with the incredible cast that was assembled for New York. Gary Sinise is one of my favorite actors, and I found his character Mac to be a much more likeable lead CSI than either Grissom or Horatio (Grissom has been varying degrees of antisocial and oblivious over the seasons, and Horatio gets more than a little bit aggravating sometimes with the way he talks and stands, arms akimbo, while the other CSIs process the scene.) Don't get me wrong, I love Vegas and Miami, but New York has become my definite favorite.

I liked the fact that, in this CSI, the viewers got some of the characters' backgrounds early on, rather than waiting forever (such as the 5 season wait to find out why in the world Sarah from Vegas gets so belligerent when spousal abuse is involved). Each of the characters on New York, as with the first two shows, is unique, and they all complement each other nicely. Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) is a strong, capable woman who works alongside Mac rather than simply taking orders from him. Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) is brash, funny, and slightly mysterious (viewers get tantalizing hints of his past, although there is still a lot left to be discovered), but there is no denying that he is a good CSI. Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) is smart and sassy and doesn't take any crap from anyone (particularly not Danny). Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), the main detective on the show, seems like one of the team, as does coroner Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper), who becomes a CSI in the second season. None of the characters feel like carbon copies of those from Vegas or Miami, despite what many other people have told me.

The setting of the show is decidedly dark and gritty, portraying the urban jungle of New York City as a place that is at once beautiful and decrepit, steeped with history and amazingly diverse. There is a blue sort of tint to the first season, much as there is an orange cast to many of Miami's episodes. At first I thought that this would detract from the show, but in the end it just helped to identify New York as being separate from Vegas and Miami.

Many of the storylines could easily be put on Miami or Vegas, but others are strictly New York (where else would a rat swallow a crucial piece of evidence?). There are a lot of people who say that the CSI franchise is getting too crowded, but the way I see it, if the show is good, who cares? New York is a great addition to the CSI family, but it is also a wonderful show all on its own. NY has had a lot to live up to, and there are those out there who don't give this show a chance, but I would encourage fans to watch and find out for themselves. Sure, Vegas was first, but New York is fresh, fun and just as exciting! I look forward to watching the subsequent seasons.

Decent start to the New York edition marred by some problems.
The third incarnation of the wildfire that is the CSI franchise sets up in the Big Apple of New York City which stars Gary Sinise as the head of the CSI forensic department Mac Taylor as well as his CSI fellows Stella Bonasera, Aiden Burn, and Danny Messer. The first season is shot in a somewhat austere bluish light and gives the show a far more severe appearance than it's two predecessors. The first season opens with "Blink" and gets better as it progresses. The second season which is not yet out improves on this one.