My television time was beginning to become severely limited when "CSI: NY" first aired so this was my first time watching the show. I did, however, get a taste of it when I reviewed the second season of "CSI: Miami" as the final episode introduced the new team in a crossover episode that took Horatio Caine (David Caruso) up to the Big Apple to get to the bottom of a case.
Considering the yellow and orange glow that paints the canvas of the Miami show an immediate difference is noticed once you step into New York's black and blue atmosphere. All the color is drained out of the world as "CSI: NY" once again reinvents a show that just can't seem to do any wrong; then again this one does have a bit of a bumpy start.
After watching the first four episodes of "CSI: NY" I wasn't exactly clamoring for the second disc. Even though this was the rough and tough streets of New York, this show didn't seem to have the edge presented in the Las Vegas and Miami shows, and I place the majority of the blame on the shoulders of Gary Sinise.
Primarily known for his film career Sinise plays the part of Mac Taylor, i.e. the Horatio Caine/Gil Grissom of New York. In the first 18 or so episodes of the first season Mac is a bit of a softy, which is a far cry from the part Caruso and William Petersen play on their respective shows. Now you can tell there is supposed to be some edge there amongst his vulnerability due to his recent loss of his wife in the 9/11 tragedy, but this seems to hold the show back until later on when he finally grows a pair.
Now his team on the other hand is a different story. Of the group Melina Kanakaredes and Carmine Giovinazzo definitely add the most to the show. Melina plays Stella Bonasera and Carmine plays Danny Messer, Stella is Mac's partner while Danny is an up-and-comer. Stella's looks combined with her attitude do their best to make up for Sinise's character flaws early on and then once Gary catches up these two are unstoppable, and the reason for Mac's attitude adjustment - Danny.
Danny Messer is pretty much the loose lipped New Yorker of the crew and you love him for it. Giovinazzo has a talent for capturing your attention and his character is certainly the light inside this dark territory.
One cast member that is under-utilized is Eddie Cahill playing N.Y.P.D Homicide Detective Don Flack, but I am sure that will change similar to the way that Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) became a much bigger part in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in later seasons. Cahill has the chops and these guys would be fools not to take advantage.
As for the show itself - once it caught its stride you only had to keep up. Making use of the landscape and the city, "CSI: NY" has an opportunity to become the best of the bunch especially as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is moving on in seasons. The "CSI" shows have had the uncanny ability of making the most of their surroundings, whether it is Las Vegas, Miami or New York they take advantage of what the cities have to offer and exploit those aspects, and with New York the opportunities are endless. In a city consumed by weather, attitude and of course "crime" this show can only get better.
As a DVD set you will have a chance to listen to audio commentaries on seven episodes as well as enjoy a short stint of featurettes on the seventh disc that delve into the making of the show, the casting, the atmosphere and the use of New York as a crime scene. Of the bunch, the commentaries are the major asset here as would be with any first season, things are always fresher the first time you hear them.
Overall I whole heartedly recommend this DVD to anyone with the extra funds. For some reason the "CSI" sets seem to carry a price tag about ten dollars above most television shows, but I guess when the audience is buying why not charge more?