CSI, Too fake?

If I wanted to watch crime solving that was true to life, i'd watch a documentary!
I think CSI does what it can to be as realistic as possible, whilst fulfilling its major remit- entertaining people.
So no, I dont think it is too fake. I think it can be far-fetched at times, but I like that!
 
Too true, Solitaire. There's a show on some channel (discovery, or something like that) called Forensic Files (I think that's the title) that shows real life CSIs solving crime. If people want to watch that sort of thing (and I have if I came across it when nothing else was on), then there ya go. But, CSI is for entertainment purposes mostly and being that it's a scripted fictional tv show, it comes with what is known as dramatic license. :lol: :) However, they have said many a time that many of the cases they deal with on CSI Vegas are based on actual cases that the CSI consultants have worked. The one that sticks in my mind most is "If I Had A Hammer" where they went back to Catherine's first case, where they found new evidence all those years later. That was based on a true story. :)
 
I read aways back that the majority of cases are based on 'true life real stories' for instance "Fur And Loathing" S/4, there are actually a group of people who participate in this type of activity, and some kidnapped victims also came from actual case files, etc. It's the way our team re-inacts them that makes it so worthwhile, thus the top rated show of all time:thumbsup:
 
I'm studying Forensics, and I know that in the show(s) they do show/say the names of similar machines and techniques that real life forensics investigators use.

However, the time it takes for a DNA or chemical analysis in the show is greatly exaggerated. It takes far longer than a few second/minutes for a complete DNA analysis to be completed, likewise for a chemical analysis or drug interpretation. However, they only exaggerate the timings for entertainment purposes.

Plus, real life CSIs should wear protective clothing before entering a crime scene, not regular clothes. They should have material covering their shoes, hair, hands and clothing. In CSI, they only wear gloves and their usual clothes.

I have also seen clips where the characters pick up things before photographing them. This would never be done at a real scene. The scene is documented by photographs first, before anything else.

CSI tries to portray real life forensics investigators, and it does it's best. But yes, a few bits and pieces are exaggerated a little bit for entertainment value, after all they need to solve a crime in under/just about an hour. It can takes days, weeks, months or even years to solve a real crime. They have based some episodes on real cases, which is good of them :)
 
I wouldn't call it fake. It's entertainment and sometimes things need to be exaggerated to make something more entertaining. As someone above pointed out, if you want to see something realistic then a documentary is the way to go. CSI is a good representation of forensics imo.
 
Well, I guess it's his/her opinion if they think the show's too fake. But I've heard a lot say they exaggerate it too much and that got me worried because I am so convinced I want to choose forensics as my career. I am mostly inspired by the show. I watch all 3 CSI's and if what I'm seeing is as "fake" as they call it, then maybe I'm getting the wrong idea? Maybe I'm expecting too much from the CSI world? :shifty: Should I, like, forget the forensics idea thing and move on?
 
I think if you're interested in forensics, you should look into the career and see what's really involved - if you're still interested, that's great, but if not that's understandable too. It doesn't hurt to look into it and see if it's something you'd like to do. :)
 
My opinion on the CSIs with this is that they do their best, but they need to make it more interesting. I don't have a problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is when the science is obviously off. Just little things bug me. It has to do with chemical formulas. I'm in Chemistry so I notice if concentrations are off. That bugs me because I'm in the class. But I don't think it's too fake because of that. I agree that some things are fake, but that's only because of suspension of disbelief where they have to compress things because of time.

The only time the word 'fake' really enters my mind is just when they take leaps in logic. I don't think time has anything to do with skipping adding A and B together to make C. However, I still enjoy the shows. They are for entertainment.

Also, this whole "too fake vs not fake" argument is about personal preference.
 
Faylinn, thanks for the insight. I really wanna see how CSI's work in real life, but in my country, I really don't understand how it works. :lol: I mean, I see them on TV and it's like, they look like cops who learned a thing or two about crime scene investigation. I almost lost it when I saw a supposedly "CSI" handling pieces of a bomb with no gloves on. And he was on TV! Broadcasted all over the nation! :wtf: I have no future of being a CSI here.:(
 
Hi all...former uni.

I do enjoy the shows, mostly as a "flight of fancy." I don't think the shows are in any way "fake." The science is real, the commitment to impartiality is real, and the process is real...most of the time. However, the shows (Miami in particular) do take certain liberties. .

1. Despite the face that Horatio is a Lt. on the MDPD, despite his excellent marksmanship, and his knack for getting at the truth, he would never be the first into a hot crime scene. Any number of uniformed/specials would go in first, followed by the lead detective, then the CSI/ESU, whatever you want to call them. Also, a CSI would not identify himself as being from the "Crime Lab," he would, in most states, be legally required to identify himself/herself as a police officer. Almost no one would know what that meant, increasing the probability of a serious confrontation (you are taught that identifying yourself as a police officer increases your control over a situation and helps to diffuse tension).

2. I have never seen a crime lab with anything other than white cinder block walls and fluorescent lighting. Maybe some anatomy posters on the wall.

3. While I think Eva, Melina, Marg and the rest are lovely women, that type of attire on a crime scene is Hollywood only. And "scruffy" Speedle would be reprimanded for his clothing choices. Most crime techs wear body suits and shoe coverings. They look more like surgeons. And any police representative out in public would wear a uniform or a tie.

4. DNA tests don't take 5 minutes. I know that's creative license for the show, I'm just pointing that out.

5. If a police department anywhere in North America had Hummers for anything other than SWAT, they would be flooded with job applications. A Chevy van is more common. When I started in 1994, crime techs drove their own cars and expensed the mileage.

6. CSIs are never left alone in a room to question a suspect. They might be present to show the detective the salient evidence. LV gets this right more than the other shows--Brass is almost always involved in the questioning, Grissom just helped tie up the loose ends.

7. The detectives in all of the shows are pretty believable. The homicide investigators I knew were always hard-working, no-nonsense people with good common sense. There were no Sonny Crocketts in Homicide. You don't get any pretense from Flack, Brass, or Tripp.

To call the show "fake" is rather misleading--it's Hollywood. It's supposed to entertain us. It's no more fake than "ER" was fake, or "MASH" for that matter. I say just let go of reality for an hour a week and enjoy yourself.
 
all freakin tv is fake!!!!

the writers for the CSI shows are making it look sexy like Indiana Jones makes archaeology look dangerous, exciting, and adventurous (lets not even get into the millions of ways that Indy would get into trouble for not documenting his finds and giving them to museums without proper documentation).

saying "24" looks real is like saying everything on "Alias" was in no way fake (lets take into account how many times each character "died," all the technology that was used, and Sydney saving the day every time).

i saw this avart once that said "fantasy is so much better than reality".... well it's true. if had to see the CSIs in tyvek suits and not questioning the suspects it would be boring. everything on these shows is done so the viewers get to like the characters and get to know them and hey ladies lets face it if we could not see some of the hot men wearing nice clothes (or none at all!) on these shows they would not be that interesting lol.

i had an issue with CSI:NY and the one ep from this year where they go into an apartment that hadn't been gone into since the 1930s and the place looked great and all the furniture brand new.... much much much licensing on that b/c the furniture and paintings and books would not have been in great shape all locked up in the heat after all those years. but hey it's tv.
 
i think it's a tad unrealistic at times, but hey, it's entertainment tv, it's not meant to be totally real. as someone else said, if you want the real deal, watch a documentary.

i like that they try to get things as right as they can, in terms of the procedures etc, but obviously they have to stretch things for entertainment purposes. if they went by the real life time lines of csi work (and let's face it csi:ny never goes by the real time lines of anything!) then every case would last for weeks and we'd all get bored of waiting for dna results. they have to do what they can to fit everything into a snappy 40 minutes. and if that means stretching the truth a bit, then so be it.
 
I think 'fake' is probably the wrong word to use in this situation.

It's not wholly realistic (not that I'm a forensic expert or a government agent or whatever Jack from 24 is) but it's a drama, a work of fiction, and not a documentary. As fascinating as I'm sure forensics is, would I have watched 10 seasons of 'reality'? Probably not.

For me the downside to shows like CSI isn't that they are unrealistic, it's that some people grow to believe that's how things really do happen and consequently, juries now expect the police and law enforcement agencies to be able to work Grissom-esque miracles with evidence and the like.

As with pretty much all TV, you need to suspend your sense of disbelief and enjoy some good storylines (most of the time...) and some good acting.
 
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