C.S.I. Miami - The Complete Second Season (DVD)

The rules of being cool as displayed by David Caruso in "CSI: Miami":

1. Put your hands on your hips, because when I dip you dip we dip.
2. Wear shades, because it is always cool to take off your sunglasses and dangle them when examining dead people.
3. Tilt your head, because it's always cooler to look at someone sideways.
4. Talk really softly because what they don't hear becomes their fault, plus it is scarier for the crook.
5. Act compassionate even when we know you are not, you may fool someone.

Besides the several attempts David Caruso takes to prove to someone he is the coolest cat on screen, "CSI: Miami" is an absolute hit that sets itself far enough apart from the original that it can call itself a show of its own.

While there isn't a "CSI" spin-off that will be able to be compared to the original "CSI," the "Miami" version is a good enough substitute to fill the void when Gil Grissom isn't around.

Instead, you get Horatio Caine and his crime solving gang that, I will admit, are much more likeable than the group of miscreants that now seem to occupy the lab in Las Vegas. My favorite of all has to be Calleigh Duquesne played by Emily Proctor who won my affection for her semi-recurring role on "The West Wing," making it a welcome addition to the "CSI: Miami" cast.

The second season of the show offers up enough tricks and crime solving tips to keep it interesting plus the small amount of personal affairs, which are kept to a satisfying minimum so as not to distract the audience from what they actually tune in for, the crime solving.

On top of the 24 episodes you are also going to get some of the best special features you will find on a TV DVD.

Features such as "The A/V Lab Tour" and "The Trace Lab Tour" are awesome in introducing audiences to the actual equipment used on the show and lets you know just what is realistic and where the realism is stretched for dramatic and show purposes. You will be quite surprised at how much of the tools the CSI's use are no different than they are in real life.

Probably the best feature is the "CSI: Miami--Visually Effective", which delves into the spectacular use of CGI the CSI shows use to bring the audience that much closer to the crime trying to be solved. In this feature you are going to get step-by-step looks at how several of the effects for the show were made and then the final product. A really cool feature.

This is a box set that is a set "CSI: Miami" fans will be happy to own and CSI fans in general will not have a problem with. If you are anything like me David Caruso is the sore spot in this series and his quirks certainly take a lot of getting used to, but if you are able to do that this is a highly enjoyable television series.