CSI: NY had been rumored to be axed for quite a few seasons. The eighth season had only 18 episodes instead of 22 or more. It seemed like the show was being wound down. CSI fans were surprised when CSI: Miami became the first of the crime scene franchises to be canceled by the network. CSI: NY fans breathed a sigh of relief. However that relief turned to a gasp when the series once more didn’t get a full season order. Their fears proved true with the release of CSI: NY – The Final Season. The end had reached a series that was all about endings.
“Reignited” brings Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) on the case. He’s still recovering from his shooting injuries. But he won’t be stopped from poking around an arson site. Turns out the fire has all the earmarks of a recently paroled arsonist. Can this guy really be back in business? Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) plays a shady character that must assist Mac. Or is he setting Mac up for failure? “Where There’s Smoke…” expands upon Morrow’s involvement in the show. We get a good sense of what side of the match he’s working. “Unspoken” is an interesting experiment since the first half of the episode is nothing, but Green Day songs instead of dialogue. These were off their new records so it’s almost like one long video. Maybe they could have done an episode to find out who killed MTV?
“The Lady in the Lake” doubles up the workload when they drain a pond to find a murder weapon, they discover a body. “Clue: SI” is rather inventive with a serial killer who is choosing victims, locations and murder weapons based on the mystery board game. Sadly nobody from the Clue movie is involved. Would have been great to have Tim Curry and Michael McKean as suspects. “The Real McCoy” lets Mac take a day off. But can he really get away from crime in the city? “Command+P” has a plot that’s now being debated on the news. Turns out a gun used in two murders was made with a 3-D printer. Can they really trace it? “White Gold” investigates the death of a pizza maker. Graffiti artists are the immediate suspects. For this final season, there’s a last crossover episode involving the mothership of CSI. The action starts on CSI‘s “In Vino Veritas” with Mac arriving in Las Vegas. The action heads back to Manhattan with D.B. Russell (Cheers‘ Ted Danson) assisting Mac to close the case. “Today is Life” ends the series with Mac making a major decision about his future.
CSI: NY ends its run without bringing things to any sort of major ending. It’s not like crime has been stopped in the Big Apple. There will always be a CSI roaming the streets. And odds are high with 9 seasons and 197 episodes, CSI: NY will always be in reruns somewhere on the cable dial. Now we’re just done to one CSI on TV. Why won’t they investigate which network executive is a serial killer? Shame Mac isn’t around to uncover that culprit.
The Episodes
“Reignited,” “Where There’s Smoke…,” “2,918 Miles,” “Unspoken,” “Misconceptions,” “The Lady in the Lake,” “Clue: SI,” “Late Admissions,” “Blood Out,” “The Real McCoy,” “Command + P,” “Civilized Lies,” “Nine Thirteen,” “White Gold,” “Seth And Apep,” “Blood Actually” and “Today Is Life.”
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The cinematographers do a fine job giving the show a bit of a gritty feel so you don’t realize most of the show is shot in sunny Los Angeles. The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital to makes sure you hear the Green Day songs clearly. There’s also English and Spanish stereo mixes. The subtitles are only in English.
On Thin Ice (4:13) explores what it takes to put actors on ice. It took them six years to work the police versus firefighters hockey game into an episode.
Fireworks (3:28) breaks down a fire scene on the Paramount backlot.
Deleted Scenes are included for a few episodes.
NYPD Clue (8:45) praises two new writers who came up with the script that made a game of Clue part of the murder motivation. Shame they didn’t get hired before the last season.
CSI Crossover Episode “In Vino Veritas” is the first half that concludes with CSI:NY‘s “Seth and Apep.”
Vegas/New York Crossover (2:53) covers how Mac ends up in town. This isn’t that much of a logistical nightmare since both shows really get shot in Los Angeles.
A Day Off With…. (23:30) deals with how the characters spend their time off the clock.
Gag Reel (3:40) is a lot of snafus and tricks to get into the scene right when the camera rolls.
CSI: NY – The Final Season brings to an end another CSI franchise. The show does well for a final season by allowing Mac to get back to his work. The writers take a few extra risks knowing the end is near. The series shall be missed although you won’t have to miss anything if you have the DVDs in the collection.
CBS DVDs presents CSI: NY – The Final Season. Starring: Gary Sinise, Sela Ward, Carmine Giovinazzo and Anna Belknap. Boxset Contents: 17 episodes on 5 DVDs. Released: June 25, 2013. Available at Amazon.com.
