Anthony Zuiker Movies

The third entry in executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer's "CSI" (Crime Scene Investigation) franchise, CSI: NY was introduced as "MIA/NYC," the May 17, 2004, episode of CSI: Miami. Making its formal weekly CBS debut on September 22 of that same year, the new series starred Gary Sinise as Mac Taylor, head of the New York City crime lab, whose job it was to use the skimpiest of forensic evidence to track down murderers. A Chicago native, Mac had gotten his police job as the result of his bravery under fire as a U.S. Marine; and like most of major CSI characters, he harbored quite a few personal demons, most of them stemming from the death of his wife in the Twin Towers on 9/11. Taylor's team of forensic specialists included Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), an outspoken female cop who'd pulled herself up from a murky background (she'd been an orphan raised by strangers) and was the most caustic and outspoken of the CSIers; Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), Yonkers-born scion of a family of cops, who effectively bridged the gap between traditional and modern police methods and wasn't above bending the rules; Mac's protégé Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), who grew up in Staten Island as part of a suspected (and constantly under-surveillance) crime family, but who'd decided to operate on the right side of the law -- albeit on his own terms; Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper), a Harlem native who'd graduated from college at 18 and became a licensed surgeon at 24, but who felt out of place in the rarefied world of commercial medicine and opted for police work instead; and flirtatious, streetwise forensic analyst Aidan Burn (Vanessa Ferlito). The theme music for CSI: NY was that old favorite by The Who, "Baba O'Reilly." The series was created by Anthony Zuiker, Ann Donahoue, and Carol Mendelsohn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Introduced in May 2004 as an episode of CSI: Miami, the CBS "procedural" cop drama CSI: NY launches its first full season with 22 hour-long episodes. The opener, "Blink," finds NYC Crime Lab head Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his team of brilliant, iconoclastic forensic specialists hunting for a serial killer using clues provided by the perp's only surviving victim -- who has lost virtually all powers of communication. Later investigations involve a hungry rat who has swallowed vital evidence, a skeleton found by a tourist which may or may not be a hoax planted to throw the police off the trail of a real crime, and a grisly robbery-murder in Brooklyn in which the victims were systematically shot and smothered to death. Also, a police terrorist-response drill compromises the CSI's efforts to rescue a kidnap victim; a police horse may have to be put to sleep to retrieve an important clue as to the murder of the horse's rider; Mac's protégé Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) gets a bit too up-close and personal while hunting down a gang of young punks who kill for sport rather than profit; the team tries to determine if a somnambulist committed murder while asleep; three murders occurring simultaneously in three different boroughs might be connected; and the CSIers are forced to turn a mirror on their "own" when the chief investigator in a police-corruption case is murdered before making his findings public. The season ends with the episode "What You See Is What You See," in which Mac must choose to save the life of a shooting victim or immediately chase after the shooter -- a decision that triggers tortuous memories of the death of Mac's own wife during the 9/11 terrorist attack. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three people are killed in a car bombing outside a Vegas casino. One of the victims was the driver, who turns out to be a federal air marshal. Under pressure from the higher-ups to solve the case, Sheriff Atwater (Xander Berkeley) runs with the prevailing theory that the bombing was an act of terrorism -- but CSI chief Grissom (William L. Petersen) isn't about to hoist the red flag just yet. Meanwhile, Sara (Jorja Fox) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigate the murder of a woman whose husband is a popular Vegas singer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the slaughterhouse of the Meteor Meat Company, the arm of a murdered victim is found in a meat grinder. In the course of their investigation, Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) end up at the trendy restaurant where the victim had worked as a chef. Elsewhere, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sara (Jorja Fox) try to determine if a disturbed young woman named Jill Damon slit her wrists in a suicide attempt -- or if she was murdered. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Speeding motorist Alex Jomes pulls up in front of a casino, gets out of his car -- and dies as the result of the wooden stake driven into his head. It falls to Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Nick (George Eads) to track down the so-called "vampire killer." Meawnhile, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) follow the trail of clues when the five-year-old son of NBA star Tavian Tombs (Dwayne Adway) is kidnapped while Tombs is having an incredible run of luck at the gaming tables. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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, Rovi

Dentist Gus Sugarman is stabbed in the back of the head by a screwdriver while sitting in a crowded movie theater. Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) follow up two possibilities: that the killing was committed by an elusive red-headed woman and that Sugarman was not the intended victim. Elsewhere, the other CSI agents are stymied by the reams of contradictory evidence attending the death of teenager Timmy McCallum, whose badly beaten and bullet-ridden body was found in a warehouse where 100 rounds of ammunition were fired from every conceivable angle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) investigate when a wealthy couple, Calvin and Monica Newman, are found murdered outside the expensive Las Vegas house that they had hoped to sell. Suspicion falls on someone very close to the couple, as well as another person who at first seemed startled by the discovery of the bodies. Meanwhile, Sara (Jorja Fox) looks into the grisly death of teenage cheerleader Amanda Kirk, whose cannibalized body was found on a high school soccer field. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A spin-off of the immensely popular cop drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, this CBS series provided steady work for two former regulars from ABC NYPD Blue: David Caruso and Kim Delaney. Assigned to head the CSI unit in Miami ( whose jurisdiction included the beach, the Everglades, and much of "Alligator Alley"), ex-homicide detective Horatio Caine (Caruso) preferred to work instinctively, while the unit's brilliant DNA specialist Megan Donner (Delaney) was strictly "by the book." Others in the cast included Emily Procter as Southern-accented ballistics expert Calli Duquesne, Adam Rodriguez as underwater-recovery specialist Eric Delko, Rory Cochrane as streetwise investigator Tim Speedle, and Khandi Alexander as sharp-witting coroner Alexx Woods. Unlike their CSI: Crime Scene Investigation counterparts, who exclusively dealt in detection, the Miami operatives could make arrests. Reportedly, the casting of Kim Delaney obliged the producers to cut down the screen time of the series' other two female regulars, but that was typical in the big bad world of personality-driven television. CSI: Miami was pushed onto the CBS prime-time schedule amidst an enormous publicity blitz on September 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The influence of the popular action film The Fast and the Furious hangs heavily over the first episode of CSI's third season. Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Nick (George Eads) investigate when the mutilated corpse of Jace Felder, a champion in the field of illegal street-racing, is found at an abandoned desert airstrip. Meanwhile, Grissom (William L. Petersen) probes the death of legendary poker player Doyle Pfeiffer, who appears to have suffered a heart seizure during a high-stakes card game. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode served as the pilot for the spin-off series CSI: Miami, with David Caruso making his first appearance as Horatio Caine, Miami counterpart to CSI's Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen). It all begins when Las Vegas' former chief of detectives is killed execution-style after a party at his home. In addition, the dead man's young new wife and their seven-year-old daughter are missing. Ultimately the girl is spotted near Miami, obliging the Vegas CSI team to work hand in glove with Horatio Caine and his colleagues. Other soon-to-be regulars of CSI: Miami introduced herein are Emily Procter as Calleigh Duqesne, Adam Rodriguez as Eric Delko, Khandi Alexander as Alexx Woods, and Rory Cochrane as Tim Speedle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sheriff Mobley (Glenn Morshower) is among the guests at a fundraiser in a lavish Las Vegas mansion when a beautiful young woman is found dead in the swimming pool. The main suspects are the hosts, a young couple (Shawn Christian, Elizabeth Lackey) who are house-sitting for the mansion's owners. As Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) try to track down those mysteriously absent owners, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigates an apparent mob hit in a hotel's glass elevator. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi