'New York' Keeps Going

[CSI Files]

The man behind <I>CSI</I> talks about the Big Apple, then and now.<p>This week, <I>CSI: New York</I> reached the 100 episode mark. Co-creator and executive producer <font color=yellow>Anthony Zuiker</font> said going forward will mean trying new things. "People have seen the snapshots, they've seen the re-creations, they've seen the flashbacks, they know what DNA is, this is nothing new," he explained to <A class="link" HREF="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/index.jsp">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. "So we can't replicate what we've done in prior years and expect that to bring us to the promised land."<p>"The fine line is, how do we evolve the franchise visually, storytelling-wise, character-wise to where it feels as if it's just as fresh as when it first came out, while at the same time not abandoning all of the stuff that makes the franchise great?" Zuiker continued. He also addressed the reason why <I>New York</I> had some trouble in the first season, which he said was due to the style he created for the show.<P>"It had been my idea to go darker, more rough and raw," he said. "I was a brand-new showrunner, and I was forgetting the biggest rule of television; I was writing for myself instead of for the audience. The turning point in the success of the show was [CBS president and CEO] <font color=yellow>Les Moonves</font> saying, 'We're no longer going to live in a subterranean world.' Now it's beautiful, multicultural, expansive and there are 8 million people on the island. The second we did that -- turned some lights on and saw the actors' faces -- the audience came back."<p>The original interview is from <A class="link" HREF="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/interviews_profiles/e3ia94c7ef2006ea33d0dcaa6e7ab900560">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.<center></center>

 

[Faylinn]

multicultural

My response to that: :lol:

I was forgetting the biggest rule of television; I was writing for myself instead of for the audience. The turning point in the success of the show ...

Yes, well, success doesn't automatically equal quality.

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

multicultural

My response to that: :lol:

Don't forget and :wtf:. I guess having Sheldon on the team counts as "multicultural" to Zuiker.

I was forgetting the biggest rule of television; I was writing for myself instead of for the audience. The turning point in the success of the show ...

Yes, well, success doesn't automatically equal quality.

No, it doesn't. Most of the time it means just the opposite. And if you look at the numbers (which I know you have, Fay) Season 1 was just about as successful as any of the other seasons. Why they keep acting like S1 had two viewers is just beyond me.

 

[Faylinn]

Well, numbers are everything - unless we're talking about season 1. Then people point out how TV has fewer viewers period, it's all DVRs fault, the internet, blah blah blah. I'm pretty sure some of the S1 episodes got 17 million viewers - even with lower viewer numbers all around these days, it's hard to argue that S1 was on the verge of being cancelled.

Of course, I'll never understand people who complain that you couldn't see anything because S1 was too dark - I had no trouble seeing everything, and they removed the blue filter by like episode 10 anyway. The morgue on the original CSI right now is darker than S1 of NY ever thought about being.

 

[DetHiggins]

"People have seen the snapshots, they've seen the re-creations, they've seen the flashbacks, they know what DNA is, this is nothing new," he explained

I actually think there could be more science. I mean you get the basics of everything. I mean really I think they could go more in depth because they could at least mention something about like what those new DNA machines do. Maybe even say something about the bases of DNA or EVEN what it stands for. Of course that's hard to do if they are talking to each other like equals, but still I'd like to see RNA mentioned (maybe it would spice up my Biology class a bit). I know it's a show, but still it isn't that hard to say something about a gene. Also a little tid bit is that the New York City DNA lab is the largest in the world I think. It's huge. Oh well... I love the show. Maybe it's taking Bioology that's making me do this...