# Why all this damn pretentious singing on crime shows. Who started this crap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519 "2003-12-12T03:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/1 "2003-12-12T03:46:50Z")
It’s everywhere now on cop and lawyer shows, and Miami CSI is practically a night at the opera at this point. Do people really like these Madame Butterfly style overtures while the dead body gets pulled from the ground? Why are they doing this annoying and pretentious nonsense? ---
**Author:** ![SanguineSpider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SanguineSpider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanguineSpider)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/2 "2003-12-12T06:35:17Z")
They want to shock you? Culture clash? A dramatic moment signaled with the proper dramatic music? They want to spoon feed you the proper mood, I guess. Tragedy… ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/3 "2003-12-12T13:28:37Z")
I think Jerry Bruckheimer has something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/4 "2003-12-12T13:42:20Z")
Anybody ever see _The Godfather_? Of course, back then it was original and effective. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/5 "2003-12-12T15:12:08Z")
I think for _CSI: Miami_ it’s a case of “well, what else do we do here?”. You are getting scenes of the characters doing lab work and the like. There isn’t any dialog (or much other sound for that matter). You could just leave dead air on the soundtrack but music of some type is probably a better choice. Also, remember that _CSI: Miami_ owes more to _Miami Vice_ than the original _CSI_ and _Vice_ had its share of music too. (Remember “Smuggler’s Blues”, for example?) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/6 "2003-12-12T17:32:01Z")
I blame Cop Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-all-this-damn-pretentious-singing-on-crime-shows-who-started-this-crap/218519/7 "2003-12-12T17:43:31Z")
Damn you Captain Amazing! I hate it when people get in before me and steal the bit I was going to do…