Kenneth Fink Movies

Several Southwestern police departments -- 20,000 members strong -- converge in Nevada to compete in a desert relay race. With victory in their grasp, contestants Grissom (William L. Petersen), Catherine (Marg Helgenberger), and Nick (George Eads) come upon a body lying on the side of a road. It turns out that the victim was another runner, a Los Angeles police officer. And back in Vegas, Sara (Jorja Fox) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigate an apparent murder-suicide -- and this time, both of the victims were cops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a section of town festering with drug dealers and addicts, an immaculately dressed, seemingly wealthy man is found murdered in his car. As Grissom (William L. Petersen), Nick (George Eads), and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigate, two interesting facts come to light: the victim was not robbed, and he was in the neighborhood for a definite purpose. Across town, another body is found stuffed in a tire in an auto junkyard. At first, Sara (Jorja Fox) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) assume that the heavily made-up victim was a transvestite. Ultimately, it turns out that the dead man was dressed in a clown costume...but why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The mummified body of an old woman is found in the victim's closet. It was clearly no accident, and the woman was clearly alive when she was entombed. As Grissom (William L. Petersen) investigates, other CSI members look into a case involving a break-in, a teenaged girl, and a rape -- a case that has more in common with the aforementioned death of the old woman than first meets the eye. Likewise linked are two separate investigations conducted by Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan), both involving the same weapon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A human eyeball, found in a raven's nest, leads the CSI team on a hunt for evidence which ultimately yields a dismembered female body in a landfill. But while the clues are there, the suspects or not -- unless one counts that divorced man with two children. And in another development, an autopsy on car salesman Fred Stearns, who apparently has died of a heart attack, is rudely interrupted when Stearns turns out to be still alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Some dangling plot strands left over from season three of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation were tied up in season four; others were not, and of course, new complications ensued throughout the latter season's 23 episodes. Facing surgery to correct (or at the very least forestall) his hereditary hearing loss, CSI team leader Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen) emerged from the operation somewhat better off, though his hearing was still not 100 percent. Struggling to overcome the death of her husband and relieved that injuries sustained by her daughter were not fatal, team member Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) nonetheless faced several other crises, not least of which was the discovery that unsavory casino owner Sam Braun (Scott Wilson) was her biological father; a hefty check given to Catherine by Braun for her indirect assistance in helping him beat a murder rap also caused a great deal of soul-searching on her part, not to mention an embarrassing situation when she came up for her annual departmental review. And the already seething tensions between Catherine and her fellow CSI'er Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) were exacerbated by decisions made from the top pertaining to job assignments and promotions. Sara's inner demons threatened to overwhelm her by the end of season four, culminating in a drunk-driving charge that figured into the season-ending cliffhanger. The regular cast remained intact, though there were hints that at least two of them would be gone before season five began due to contract negotiations. New to the series was Xander Berkeley as Nevada sheriff Rory Atwater, who was prominently featured in at least one episode that, in true CSI tradition, was "ripped from today's headlines." Some critics carped that the series' storylines were more gratuitously kinky than in previous seasons, with episodes involving modern-day vampires, a cult of fur fetishists, and the like. Also, there were those who felt that the personal problems of the major characters tended to impede the investigations to an excessive degree. But most viewers didn't mind, as witness the excellent ratings posted by CSI throughout season four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fifteen years after being convicted on evidence provided by then-rookie forensic specialist Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), John Mathers (Victor Bevine) is scheduled to be executed for the murder of three college coeds. At the very last moment, Mathers gets a stay of execution, thanks to new DNA evidence. Already faced with the possibility that she condemned the wrong man, Catherine gets another shock when a new murder matching the M.O. -- and the DNA -- of the earlier killings takes place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entered its third season still riding high as network television's top-rated drama program. There was, therefore, no need for CBS to change its time slot, nor to make any major cast changes. There were, however, two significant additions to the cast lineup. A romantic interest was created for series regular Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) in the form of Hank Peddigrew (Christopher Wiehl), a handsome paramedic. Also, the recurring character of Detective Lockwood (Jeffrey D. Sams) was seen on a more frequent basis. Both of these characters, however, would be effectively disposed of by the time season three was over, with the demise of Lockwood leading to a powerful season finale. In addition, the off-and-on domestic travails of the CSI's Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) were intensified when her husband was killed and her daughter seriously injured. The season's most significant story development involved CSI head man Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen). After a few instances in which he noticed that he was experiencing a hearing loss, Grissom was diagnosed with otosclerosis, a hereditary disorder which threatened to culminate in total deafness. As the third season's final episode drew to it conclusion, Grissom was undergoing surgery to correct this problem -- with the result of the operation remaining unresolved until the beginning of season four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A body covered in lye is found in a Las Vegas park. Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Sara (Jorja Fox) try to build a case on what is left of the rapidly decomposing corpse, but it isn't easy. Meanwhile, Nick (George Eads) wrestles with an even more baffling mystery: It seems that the body of a hiker has been found in the middle of the desert -- and the victim had died of drowning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The CSI team is called in after four monks are shot to death at close range while worshipping in a Buddhist temple. As Grissom (William L. Petersen) looks into this possible hate crime -- and also advises Sara (Jorja Fox) to be more respectful of the dead than usual -- Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) dolefully reopens a homicide case in which her best friend was killed. It seems that the man convicted of the crime has sworn on his deathbed, and before the cameras of a TV news program, that he is innocent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A bomb goes off in the lobby of a Las Vegas office building, resulting in several casualties. Investigating, Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) zero in on a security guard with a working knowledge of explosives. After going to bed with the hooker he has befriended, Nick (George Eads) is the primary suspect when the woman turns up dead -- and Eckley (Marc Vann) has the unenviable task of determining Nick's innocence or guilt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A severed head is found in the trunk of car on the day that the CSI is to be evaluated by the Vegas police. Not long after, a headless body is found in the desert. Could there be a connection? No: the head and body are most decidedly a "bad fit" -- and apparently not even from the same species. Elsewhere, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigates when his friend James (Samuel L. Jones III) witnesses a murder while in juvenile detention. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of several government-espionage series unveiled during the 2001-2002 TV season, UC: Undercover detailed the exploits of the Special Operations Group, an elite five-person team answerable only to the Justice Department. Using up-to-date technology and advanced martial arts skills, the Group was dedicated to tracking down and capturing supercriminals and terrorists (though several episodes dealing with the latter were toned down in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy). Described by several observers as the Wiseguy of the early 21st century, the series found its regulars adopting all manner of disguises and new identities in order to infiltrate the illicit organizations which they'd targeted for extinction. Originally cast as group leader John Keller, Grant Show was replaced in the second episode by new leader Frank Donovan (Oded Fehr); other regulars included Jon Seda as Jake, Vera Farmiga as Alex, Bruklin Harris as Monica, and Jarrad Paul as Cody. Executive produced by Steve Salerno (one of the writers of the movie hit Armageddon), UC: Undercover began its weekly, 60-minute NBC run on September 30, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide