As it’s about to wrap up its 9th season, its easy to see why Anthony E. Zuiker s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is still one of the juggernauts of primetime TV. While its numbers may be a bit down after the departure of series regular William Peterson, midway through this past season, the series is still coming up with clever and interesting “whodunits” each week, and the shows mixture of sex and violence is still as sharp as ever. Going back to its first season though, its easy to see that CSI was perhaps a show that seemed like it was destined for success from the get go and managed to never look back.
Even in the series pilot episode, you can see how CSI was coming into its own very early. The casting of William Peterson was a particularly brilliant move for CSI, as his Gil Grissom was a character that was very much in the same vein as his portrayal of Will Graham, the investigator assigned to catch the horrible serial killer in Michael Manns awesome 1986 thriller Manhunter, the film adapted from the first of Thomas Harris novels featuring Hannibal Lecter, Red Dragon. While much more lighthearted than Will Graham, Grissom is a man of particular social ticks and often is seen as quite peculiar, though this is often times used much more for comic effect than it ever was in Manns film.
Still, Grissoms expertise in the knowledge of field of Criminal Investigation is one that is never disrespected on the show, and he is often seen as a father figure to the rest of the cast. We see him established very early on as a brilliant investigator, whose emphasis on evidence drives him to the truth more often than not. Right off the bat, we see him at work looking into a possible suicide, and whether or not he can determine whether or not its possible that the victim ended up shooting himself. The storyline actually goes on to be one of the most compelling in the shows history and ends up having ramifications that last for seasons, but its here that you realize what a special character this really is.
The pilot is also able to establish the rest of the cast quite well, giving us rough sketches of characters that would be delved into deeper and deeper as seasons progressed, such as Gary Dourdans gambling addict Warrick Brown, Marg Helgenbergers single mother Catherine Willows, and George Eads everyman Nick Stokes. Series regular Captain Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) is also introduced as a complete hothead, one that is actually thrown off the team; though as this season progresses he becomes more and more sympathetic, and also becomes the shows pit bull, showing up as the LVPDs muscle when a harder edge is needed to bring in a suspect. Again, its amazing how well the show was able to work out the kinks in its formula and its characters so early on in this pilot episode.
As the show progresses from its original episode, CSI becomes even more refined, as a surprise death to a character becomes an important story arc, and unnecessary cast members are whittled out while eventual series regular Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) is brought on board. Also seen in this season are some recurring characters that would go on to become CSI veterans, such as fan favorite Doctor Al Robbins (Robert David Hall) and rookie lab tech turned eventual CSI Team Member Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda), both of which make substantial impressions with their characters. Its actually a little odd in these early episodes not seeing cast members that youre used to seeing week in and week out, all the while marveling at relationships that seem to be in the testing stages get thrown out as characters leave the show.
It doesnt take long, though, for the kinks to get worked out and the show to get a full head of steam regarding its formula. Episodes such as “Unfriendly Skies” and “Fahrenheit 932” have the show running on all cylinders, and I especially like the former because it deals with the team working an odd crime scene with no time to spare, which is when theyre usually at their best. Not even bothering with two different storylines as the usual episodes do, this installment has the whole team working overtime on a sort-of modern take on Murder on the Orient Express, as a homicide on a plane has to be solved in 12 hours or the moving crime scene will make its departure. Making for some really compelling TV, the mystery keeps unfolding with the shows usual twists, and we also get some nice character work Grissom and Sara, which of course would blossom as the show progresses.
Finishing off with a really strong finale, this first season of C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation shows just how marvelous a start this series was off to. Cutting the fat off early and figuring out exactly what makes this show tick, creators managed to make a terrifically flashy murder mystery series that is still going strong. While theres no substitute for the time it takes to really get to know your characters and therefore really start to care about them, this first season sets you off in the right direction for doing just that and manages to entertain the heck out of you in the process.
While this cleaned up transfer for the Blu-ray version of this first season looks terrific, dont expect it to look as good as the later seasons do in High Def. You can tell that the seasons transfer is nice, but doesnt have the same “almost movie quality” look that the current seasons are able to pull off. On the other hand, this still looks wonderful compared to those old DVDs and TV broadcasts youve been watching this show on. The original DVDs didnt come in widescreen, like the show is broadcast in, so its nice to finally get it here. This is one of the flashiest shows on TV and if youre a fan and a High Def buff, this is a good pickup.
Unaired Pilot – This is a “Directors Cut Version” of the pilot thats on this set, with the same video and audio quality of the rest of the episodes.
Unaired Pilot Audio Commentary – This Commentary by the episodes director, Danny Cannon, is really nice overall. He talks about the differences between the version of the episode that aired versus the one on this set, how the show has managed to stay strong after all this time and goes in depth about the cast. Not a mind-blowing track, but one that will keep you entertained.
Rediscovering the Evidence – This Featurette is in HD and goes a little less than half an hour, but is packed full of interviews. Key cast and crew members talk about the shows success during its run, and its nice to hear how fond theyve been of the experience. I especially like the opening story by show creator Anthony E. Zuiker, who goes into detail about seeing a TV movie, which inspired him to do a show in forensics, which became a pitch after Jerry Bruckheimer liked some of Zuikers work and offered him some TV opportunities. This is a nice feature for fans of the series, and a tribute to a remarkable show.
People Lie but the Evidence Never Does – This Featurette from the original DVD release is not as good, but does feature a lot of interviews. Presented in standard def, this is an extra that is pretty throw away.
Commericals and Episode Promos – These are actually kind of helpful if youre trying to figure out which episodes on this set that youve never actually seen before.
Deleted Scenes – 10 minutes of deleted footage.
Gag Reel
BD-Live
For Blu-ray owners that are fans of this show, this is almost a must have. You get a terrific season of CSI and get to see the show at its genesis, before it became the polished, murder mystery machine it was to become. The picture quality is one of the biggest reasons to own this set, as the show is presented in HD and in Widescreen for the first time on home video. With a nice selection of extras, this one is an easy recommendation.
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CBS/Paramount presents CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete First Season. Created by: Anthony E. Zuiker. Starring: William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, and Marg Helgenberger. Written by: Anthony E. Zuiker. Running time: 6 minutes. Released on Blu-ray: May 12, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
