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something is missing
Same premise but needs the original's spice
By Dan Jewel
A lot can happen in a few months.
Near the end of the last TV season, on an episode of “CSI,” we met the cast of the new CBS spinoff, “CSI: Miami.”
The only memorable character was the head of the Miami team of forensic investigators, Horatio Caine (David Caruso). The other castmates made such brief appearances that they left little impression.
Still, something else was memorable: Kim Delaney was very definitely not on the show.
But with the demise of her failed ABC legal drama “Philly,” CBS suddenly snatched her up and added her to the roster. The former female lead, Emily Proctor, who lit up “The West Wing” as perky Republican staffer Ainsley Hayes, has been relegated to supporting player.
The reason, apparently, is that CBS executives were concerned about a lack of chemistry between Caruso and Proctor. Certainly, on last season’s introductory episode, they didn’t mesh, most likely because Proctor is endlessly peppy while Caruso specializes in low-key sensitivity.
But the chemistry between William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger on the original “CSI” doesn’t come naturally either. It’s actually somewhat awkward, which is what makes it worth watching.
In any case, judging from the premiere episode, airing tonight at 10 p.m., Caruso and Delaney don’t have much chemistry either. They both ooze a world-weary, drawn demeanor, but that’s about it.
Still, “CSI” didn’t become the most popular drama on TV because of character development, which is nearly non-existent. And for the most part, “CSI: Miami” sticks to the original’s successful game plan.
The concept is identical: A team of investigators pieces together forensic evidence to solve a crime, and a slew of twists keep us guessing. Like the original, we get demonstrations of, say, the path of a bullet through a chest, and the crime itself is shown through flashbacks, which change as new evidence is uncovered.
The only real difference is that more of the action has moved out of the lab and into the field. This CSI even includes an “underwater recovery expert.”
In tonight’s premiere of “CSI: Miami,” a small plane crashes in the Everglades. The pilot appears to have been shot, though no trace of gun or bullet can be found. More bizarrely, one passenger’s body is found alone, five miles from the crash site.
As the team investigates, the characters are sketched out. Megan Donner (Delaney), who once ran the unit, is now back from a hiatus and reporting to Caine. Her brusque, by-the-book manner clashes with his brash, break-the-rules style.
Another investigator, Tim Speedle (Rory Cochrane), is the only one who seems happy to have Megan back. Eric (Adam Rodriguez), who retrieves evidence or body parts from the water, seems stiff as a corpse. The coroner (Khandi Alexander) talks to the dead while she cuts them open, which the others treat as perfectly normal, rather than sending for men in white coats to lock her away.
And then there’s Calleigh (Proctor), the Southern ballistics expert--or “the bullet girl,” as someone calls her. Even in her supporting spot, Proctor displays a spunky sexiness that makes her far more charismatic than Delaney.
The cast hasn’t yet jelled, though it may just be a matter of time. Horatio and Megan have a clichéd Mulder-Scully relationship: He trusts his gut, she trusts science.
On “CSI,” Gil Grissom’s failings lend him complexity; he’s great at what he does, but he lacks basic human skills. Horatio Caine—whose name practically bludgeons you over the head with import—so far seems like a saint. He operates on instinct, which is rarely wrong, but he’s not arrogant. He’s moved by the plight of the victims and sensitive with their loved ones.
But there’s little of the original’s quirkiness or sense of humor, at least in the premiere.
“CSI: Miami” is still far superior to most crime shows on TV. But facing a tough challenge from “Crossing Jordan” on NBC, it might need something more than the strength of its cases to succeed.
We need characters worth caring about too.
September 23, 2002© 2002 Media Life
-Dan Jewel is a senior editor at Biography Magazine in New York
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