Romance on CSI:NY--A Bad Idea?

I'm the type who wouldn't mind any romance on a procedural show as long as it is tastefully done and it doesn't overpower the rest of the show. In this case, D/L is such a prime example of how not to do romance on such a show. Yes, the writers were pretty much inconsistent with how they portrayed the entire D/L thing. The will they-won't they game was so exasperating and tiresome, to the point that it got so boring. Plus, Lindsay using Danny as a prop didn't help.

I agree with Fay that I'd rather see the writers develop and focus on the non-romantic relationships on the show. Such would be so compelling to watch. It really sucks how such badly written romance can tarnish a really good procedural show.

I agreed with him.

As much as I am a D/F fan I don't watch a crime/forensic drama show to find out who is sleeping with who... there are so many shows out there dedicated to that I do occassionally need a break from it.

I agree with the people who have already said, it's the bonds and friendships built that should be explored. Some of the best stories lines, comedy and emotional moments in CSI:NY have come from just friendship. I'd rather see those explored, more Stella and Mac, Danny and Flack, Danny and Lindsey, Hawkes and Adam, I don't mind who they want to show but stop with the "luuurve", I dip into fandom, I dip into the sexual/romantic relationships outside of the show, to have a laugh, to read the Fanfic I want to read and so on.

Not everyone wants to see Danny get it together with Flack (fair enough), not everyone wants to see Flack hook up with Stella (although it would be hot!), not everyone wanted to see Danny get it together with Lindsey, not because they wanted Messer for themselves but because that is not the reason people watch a crime/ forensic drama. You want the core characters to have personalities, to laugh, fight with and against each other but to achieve that doesn't mean they have to sleep with each other.

Girlfirends/ Boyfriends most of the time in these drama's are plot devices (although i'm not sure Peyton was a plot device, apart from maybe to soften Mac) and yes it is annoying when we get another creepy Stella boyfriend but at least you know it's not going to take over a season for the non fans of it, if the writers do it badly, you shrug and say "Oh well they'll be gone in 3 episodes." When a relationship starts between series regulars and core characters, the problems starts. You won't please everyone, it takes over episodes, cuts down on time that could be given to boost others (namely Hawkes) screen time and character development.

For me the D/L ship wasn't handled well, it was poorly written and managed to alienate the fans who were not invested in or interested in the relationship. It's a shame, as it meant, a core character was used as a plot device to develop a character who should have been been developed outside of a new relationship. It did a diservice to both Danny and Lindsey's characters, and unfortunately now the TPTB have not cleared up the soap opera storyline people are losing faith (not me I have to say) in a strong character who many of us have loved since he appeared on our screens. Although I also thinks that weighs heavily on if you think there was a relationship in the first place.

If they can't write it in a subtle and discreet way, and perhaps (here is a new idea) make it a functional relationship, they should stay away from it and leave it to Fandom to create ships.

How about writing some more plausiable crimes TPTB? Recently I've been wondering when Sam and Dean Winchester were going to rock up?!?

CSI:LV for instance, went well in the ratings during it's initial seasons without any love angles. The show purely revolves around forensics. that's it. later on they put emotional angles and the franchises even had much greater fan bases and big audience shares. Adding dramatic angles, yes, they are great helps to the shows. But add romantic angles between detectives won't be helping much. The producers and writers should be aware of these or else it'll be their bitter downfall later on.

As much as I love my own "ship," I have to say Matt Roush hit the nail on the head here — and I think this is true for all the CSIs. I understand the shows have been on for awhile and they're trying to "spice things up" or whatever, but at what cost?

It seems all three CSIs may be sacrificing that "family" feel within the team just to boost ratings. In particular, I think back to the early days of CSI:Miami, when the whole team worked as a unit and personal problems affected the entire team. Now on Miami, there's a lot of emphasis on romance and not enough on team unity and friendships. A romance affects the whole dynamic of the team, and I personally don't think it's a good thing. (Neither do a number of law enforcement agencies — hence fratenization rules like the one Stetler recently imposed on Miami).

I'd much rather have camaraderie than romance — that's what made CSI (particularly CSI:Miami) unique to me. We don't need another "Grey's Anatomy," we need a good crime drama w/characters who all care about each other (or dislike each other, but for GOOD reasons).

It's cool to have "little hints" that characters like/care for each other, I love that stuff, but when it gets pushed to the next level, it can become awkward and off-putting. In the end, I would suggest leaving the ships up to the fans' imaginations.

With all these crime dramas on TV nowadays, the viewer has to have a reason to tune in other than the fact that it's a crime drama. How does one pick one CSI over another to watch? Usually, it's b/c of the characters - we've grown fond of them, we like the interaction and chemistry the team has, etc.

So when friendships take a back seat to romance, I think it really hurts the show. I don't think the CSI writers know how to write a romance properly — just look at what's going on with the whole Danny/Lindsay thing. Ultimately, it seems to cause a lot of bad feelings among fans. It's also hard to sustain a romance b/c you never know when one of the people will leave (ie: Sara) or how long the show will run for. So you run the risk of that romance becoming "stale" after awhile, or of having to write around it after you established it b/c the actor left.

I think the CSI shows should stick to what they do best — interesting crimes that involve the main characters and get them interacting. I'd rather see playful banter and friendly comfort scenes than all this drama about "will they/won't they."

I voted in the middle.
First off, I don't normally come into the NY or Vegas threads, so I was unaware of everyone's theory of D/L. As just an average viewer of the show, I took them as still together, but subtle, up unitl this last epi anyway. The "cheating" took it to another level, one that I absolutely do not enjoy watching on a Crime show...nor do I enjoy for 2 main characters to be front & center of the episodes.
I think it all has to do with how the characters & the romance is written. to me, it has to be good chemistry, it has to fit the characters & who they are, & it has to lay in the background!!!
Two main characters will never cut it on a romance level. I would much rather see friendships evolve & if we want to imagine that our favorite couple go out after work, throw back some tequila & go home together then that should be left up to us & our fluffy imaginations.
Truth is "shippers" don't populate the entire fanbase of any of the CSI shows. Id love to see results from those average fans who don't come to message boards ...ones who aren't as ate up as we are I can only imagine they look at everything completely different than most of us here.

I voted 'in the middle' because I have seen romances on procedural shows that have been done rather well. I suppose everyone differs in which ones they like and which ones they don't.

But I really can't argue with this bit from Roush at all:

The producers want to provide emotional hooks to keep the viewers engaged beyond the routine whodunit, but then the writers discover there's no way to please everyone depending on where they take these relationships. The result: angry backlash.

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Case-in-point, the crazy letter Roush got:

Question: I am writing to express my complete revulsion over last week's episode of CSI: NY, "Right Next Door." I am shocked and appalled by the complete character assassination of Danny Messer and the disrespectful treatment of the Danny/Lindsay relationship. I have been a loyal fan for more than two years, and I am horrified by these events. I'm amazed by the writers' ability to completely eviscerate a character and a relationship that has been in development for over two years. The soap opera angle that this Danny/Rikki storyline has taken turns me off. It has cheapened any worthwhile storyline that the episode "Child's Play" provided and has completely ruined the character of Danny Messer. I used to have faith in the writers' ability at creating and developing the characters. It was the best thing about CSI: NY and what truly set it apart from the others in the franchise. I didn't watch for the mediocre crimes, but for the character development and the personal relationships on the show. However, last week's episode completely negates years of wonderful writing. I do think that Anna Belknap gave an absolutely flawless and heartbreaking performance, so I'm truly disappointed that I can no longer support this show and will be unable to see her perform each week. — Christina, California

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"Revulsion," "shocked and appalled," "disrespectful"? And, oh yes, this person is so consumed by the relationship between Danny and Lindsay that she can't even tune in to see an actress she claims to admire. If canon relationships attract viewers like this, who are unwilling to see weather the ups and downs of a drama--and anyone who watches TV knows that drama is what keeps people watching--maybe relationships between central characters are best left to fanfiction.

Top41 said:

"Revulsion," "shocked and appalled," "disrespectful"? And, oh yes, this person is so consumed by the relationship between Danny and Lindsay that she can't even tune in to see an actress she claims to admire. If canon relationships attract viewers like this, who are unwilling to see weather the ups and downs of a drama--and anyone who watches TV knows that drama is what keeps people watching--maybe relationships between central characters are best left to fanfiction.

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That fangirl letter made me want to scream out it's a show for godsakes! These characters are characters they are not real but people have taken it so personally what happened in last weeks episode, that they will not watch the show anymore because a"romance" has fizzled out? If that's the only reason some people have been watching NY then that's just really sad. So I don't think romance is a good thing when it becomes the vocal point of a show and that is seemingly all people care about.

I voted in the middle. I don't mind seeing some romance on a procedural/drama, but only when done intelligently and realistically - and of course, tastefully usually helps But I almost never enjoy seeing it between the main characters, unless it was introduced right from Day 1, not a hookup somewhere down the line to bolster ratings or to satisfy a small but vocal and persistent fan base...

Stella having a boyfriend like Frankie? (Erm, without the psycho-drama part, of course) That's great. Mac asking the woman in the diner out at the end of S1? Awesome! (Although I liked Mac/Peyton too, but Peyton wasn't a main character). Danny referring to his girlfriend "Cindy" in S2 when she left a msg. on his cell phone? Terrific. Flack/Angell having an ongoing light-hearted flirtation? I love it! Once again though, Angell isn't a main character, so personally, I don't consider it as distracting as something going on between 2 Main Characters. To me, that almost Never works. Didn't work at all for me when they did it on another CSI, either.

I agree with the posters who have previously mentioned that they'd prefer seeing more friendships between characters, rather than romance. When Friendship starts taking a backseat to Romance on a crime/procedural show, then something is wrong... :wtf:

Honestly, I love romance. :lol:

The bottom line is though... it must be done right. You're not suppose to jeopardize characters with the relationships - you're suppose to make them be a part of another person, and not have their entire lives revolve around this.

Despite that romance is something I love seeing on screen - I do not need to see it 24/7. It needs to take the backseat once in a while...

I voted somewhere in the middle. It's nice to see characters engaged in romantic relationships, it's nice realistic, just as long as the romance in the show doesn't become the primary thing. This is still a forensic crime drama. In my humble opinion the writers should be more concentrated on the relevance of the cases, and the difficulty of them, and put much more heart into it to make it more difficult for the viewer to catch the killer before the CSIs actually do. If you ask me, CSI:NY lately went a little over the board with the lovey-dovey stuff. As much as I love Jacqueline Pinol's Rikki, and as much chemistry as I see in the Danny/Rikki pairing, everything went a little bit over the top.

I agree with some people here (I don't know who said it actually, I apologize, I was reading and I started to write so i don't forget my ideas) that the emotional stuff can be put in friendships: Danny and Flack, Flack and Stella; family Danny and Louie (that was a beautiful episode), Mac and Reid, Adam and his father, Flack and his father. There are so many things out there that are waiting to be explored

i voted "somewhere in the middle". i think that because TPTB made NY a bit more personal than the other two they rushed relationships. with Vegas and Miami we got to know the individual characters more before they all started hooking up. with NY we still don't know too much about each character and each one has a lot of stuff to work out personally. the show should just take a break from the 'ships, slow it down a bit and work out the characters a bit more, make them more credible (and i mean the whole cast too i'm not just talking about Danny and Lindsay).

i like all the ship drama and all the bantering but sometimes it just doesn't need to be soo much. it feels like too much too soon with NY. at this time on Vegas during their season 4 we were just getting the hint that Grissom and Sara really liked each other and had something going on.

Grey's Anatomy relationship drama should be kept on Grey's Anatomy. sometimes i can barley handle the show itself let alone when other shows start to follow in it's path.

I'm all for a bit of romance but sometimes it takes over the show and that's just wrong. I agree that the emotional stuff can sometimes fit much better into friendships. I love the Mac/Stella friendship and I love the D/L friendship/bantering/fun. All this drama in the past couple of weeks is a bit OTT for me.

There a great many votes in the middle here. As I said previously what seems to be important are:
Who is the couple?
How they be being portrayed?
Are they believable?
How's the chemistry?
How much of the show does their story take up?
And as one poster said, it has to be done right!

If you look at some of the couples we've seen so far people have varying opinions
Grissom and Sara: Good Pair! Would have liked to see just a little bit more of them together in private moments.
Danny and Lindsay: Hard to say. I haven't kept up with CSI-NY as well as I have kept up with CSI-LV or CSI-Miami. Some think the portrayal of the two hasn't been very good at all.
Calleigh and Jake: Right now this is the only couple related action on this part of the franchise. All we know right now is that the two are seeing each other secretly and in violation of a department policy. We really haven't seen the two interact together outside crime scenes or in private moments. Some like the chemistry. Some don't. Personally I think the writers should have built more on the two but they haven't.

I do not think we'll see any of the core characters come together. Like Mac and Stella, Grissom and Catherine, or Delko and Calleigh. I see these pairings as "jump-the-shark".
Some have tended to see romantic relationships with coworkers as a taboo and apply it to the shows. The problem is that it really does happen and it happens a great deal. How things go is another matter all together. I don't recall any place I have worked that DID NOT have at least one dating couple. Sometimes you have to take love where you find it.