Last night, I watched the CSI episode that introduced the characters of the new CSI: New York. I was mightily unimpressed. But the most irksome thing about it was that it was set in New York! Don’t we have enough crime shows set in and around New York at the moment?
I’m not a huge fan of either current CSI series, but I do watch them sometimes. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the original series is that it’s set in Las Vegas. Vegas has tons of inherent possibilities for dramatic situations, and it certainly hasn’t been overused as a setting yet. Miami is a little less exciting, and it’s been done more, but it still has a lot of untapped potential. But New York? Meh. Don’t get me wrong–New York is my favorite city, and I’m really looking forward to the fourth Law & Order series, but I think the third CSI really missed the opportunity to do something interesting and different.
So, what other U.S. cities do you think might have been a good choice for CSI and why?
I would have loved to see CSI: Twin Cities. I have no idea how police jurisdiction works there, so it might have to be set in either Minneapolis or St. Paul. But then, jurisdictional issues could make for some interesting plot points. They could take a cue from the movie Fargo and make use of the stark contrast between the city and the very rural parts of the state. Also, the weather could be used to make things more “complicated.”
I don’t know much about Minnesota, but as far as I know, its culture is deeply rooted in its Scandinavian roots. Could you imagine the investigators trying to do a crime scene and being constantly interrupted by Olgas trying to feed them hotdishes. (I’m sure I got that wrong, but you know what I mean.) It would sure be different.
Fargo kind of made light of Minnesotans–I’m not suggesting that CSI: Twin Cities do that. But I am suggesting that Minnesota’s unique, and would be a great place to set a show.
Detective: Did you analyze that sample we scraped off the wall?
Ole: Preliminary analysis suggests that it’s lutefisk.
Actually, they were considering CSI: New Orleans, which I think would be a superior choice. I guess it’s image is too similar to Las Vegas and Miami, but there’s hasn’t been a cop show there since Bourbon Street Beat.
New York is already the home of at least four cop shows right now, so why choose it for another? They’re in danger of running across Lennie Briscoe (especially now that he’s unemployed) or Andy Sipowitz.
God, anywhere else would have been preferable. I love me some police procedurals, but between NYPD Blue, Without a Trace, and Law and Order, I’m saturated with New York. I don’t even really like New York to begin with.
The best part about CSI is Las Vegas, I agree. The best part about Cold Case is Philadelphia. In fact, I’m unsure of a better match of crime theme/setting than that show.
You need a big enough population to have multiple murders without damaging the population (like Cabot Cove, ME), and a diverse enough population to have interesting crimes. Las Vegas nailed this with the tourist industry, and Miami’s done well with ethnicity.
I have no problem with the Twin Cities. New Orleans might be a little too much like a cross between Miami and Las Vegas. What about CSI: Austin or CSI: Seattle or CSI: Richmond?
Upon preview, I thought Briscoe was going to Law and Order Four: The Bloodletting?
I saw the title of the thread and was coming in here to suggest CSI: New Orleans. It has the Mississippi River, which often turns up corpses from crimes which occurred at various points north. It has the swamps and Lake Ponchartrain, well-known dumping grounds for murder victims. It’s a hot wet climate, which makes for interesting decomposition. There is gang activity in the city proper, and legalized gambling, and a significant organized crime presences. It’s known for debauchery, yet it’s one of the most Catholic cities in America. Mardi Gras! Weird accents! Anne Rice devotees! Above-ground cemeteries! What’s not to love?!?
Here in Wyoming we have one crime lab for the entire state that travels from Cheyenne to Yellowstone and everywhere in between. Why set it in one city, try CSI Wyoming or CSI Montana , endless possibilities there. I had one potential murder case in a tent in the middle of the National Forest 40 miles from the nearest road where the crime lab was concerned about the body attracting Grizzlies - now that’s drama, and based on a real case I was involved in.
I’d like to see a version set in NYC or LA, but fifty years ago when the technology for CSI was a lot less advanced (It seems like such a cheat when they pull science-fictioney machines out of a hat; don’t these police departments have budget constraints?). I’d also like to see a LAW & ORDER set in the late forties/early fifties; they could call it LAW & ORDER: BEFORE MIRANDA.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out which Who song would get used for the New York theme. (And on the main topic, I’m sick of New York, since I can see it from my house–I would have liked to see New Orleans or San Francisco.) The best I’ve come up with is “A Legal Matter.”
May I recommend CSI: Pottstown? We’ve got everything: proximity to “the city” (Philadelphia); the Schuylkill River; a scarily popular biker bar; a quoit club; an Aryan Nation outpost right up the street from my house; road rage over parking spaces; killer Canada geese; and plenty of misguided tourists who end up there, thinking they are going to the Yeungling brewery (which is actually in Pottsville). I’d even nominate myself to be the head writer. There are lots of horrible demises I can imagine for my “neighbors” (especially for the one who keeps letting her dumbass kid pick all my damn roses!).
I think it should have been CSI:Toronto - major multi-cultural city, have to deal with the we’re-south-of-Detroit crap and all, cheaper production costs. It would have worked.
CSI: Chicago! - big city, eclectic neighborhoods, public transportation, the LAKE, the river, the dunes, cold, hot…plenty of things to keep them busy for several years.
I’d love CSI: New Orleans too.
CSI: New Orleans may have worked, but I think the creators were concerned (perhaps rightly) that it may have seemed too similar to CSI: Las Vegas, ie, wierd touristy people and freaks who come into the city, that sort of thing. In fact, I like the OP’s suggestion: CSI: Twin Cities would be excellent. The contrast of a down home Midwestern city and violent crimes would be excellent. In that gist, perhaps a real Southern city, like CSI: Richmond, CSI: Memphis, or CSI: Atlanta, just for the contrast of violent crimes and down home Southern values.
