CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The First Season Blu-Ray Review

Posted by Randy Harrison on 05.12.2009

After more than eight years and two hundred episodes, CSI comes to the high-definition DVD format for the first time. Will Grissom fans be happy, contrary to the paltry standard release of 2003, or will they still be left wanting more?

Beginning in October of the year 2000, CBS began showing a gritty, grisly mystery/detective program named CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Set amongst the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, the series followed night shift supervisor Gil Grissom and his team of forensic scientists who used their analysis of the evidence to help solve crimes in and around the city. Despite being one of the most popular shows on television for nearly a decade, CSI has often been a lightning rod for controversy and criticism, including from most police, who have argued that the show portrays an unrealistic image of how police solve crimes and how forensic teams fit into those investigations. Lawyers have also argued that that it puts legal teams under more pressure to find multiple sources of irrefutable forensic evidence to help support their cases. Parents have also been one of the more vocal critics of the show, citing the violence and gore that is usually associated with the murders and autopsies that take place during the program. As for the show's Las Vegas location, besides providing some sizzle to compliment the scientific steak, producers have repeatedly mentioned that Las Vegas was the choice because the city's crime lab is the second most active in the entire country. CSI has managed to weather that criticism, remaining in the top five in the ratings for every season since its debut season (which placed 10th overall). The first season of CSI was released on DVD in March of 2003 and with the rise in sales and production of Blu-ray DVD players and titles, it's only natural that one of television's most popular shows would be due for an upgrade.



CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The First Season


Cast of Characters:

Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders
Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown
George Eads as Nick Stokes
Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle
Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows
Paul Guilfoyle as Jim Brass
Robert David Hall as Dr. Al Robbins
William Petersen as Gil Grissom


The Shows:

The majority of CSI's first season is spent developing the characters as very early on we find out that Grissom is very much against office politics, Warrick has a former gambling problem in his past the comes back to bite him, Catharine used to work as an exotic dancer and that Brass is very much against having to deal with the crime lab when he's trying to work a case. All of these points are hammered home from the get-go, but are fleshed out further and more in depth as the season rolls along. All of these characters, along with Stokes, Sara and Sanders, give deep and meaningful performances with some especially powerful moments like Stokes weeping when staring down the barrel of a gun during a midseason episode. While there are some portions of the show's first season that feel a little tacked on and make it feel a little less compelling compared to the third and fourth seasons when all of the actors really hit their grooves with their characters and the writing tightend up a little bit, there are very little complaints when it comes to the stories as they tend to hold up even years later. Some portions of the first season including things like the grudge between Sara and Catharine, the seemingly constant "us against them" attitude of Grissom get to be a little unbearable at times as it seems like they're constantly sledgehammered at us, but it seems like it's more of a way to lay the groundwork for everyone so it can be forgiven.

Speaking of sledgehammers, the one point that comes up in nearly every episode and becomes almost a mantra for the series is the thought that "people lie, the evidence never does". Given that it's the basis for the show, I can understand them wanting to make sure that they get that point across, but at times it can be a bit tedious, especially later in the season when it feels like they're directing it a people who may be joining the show mid-season rather than people who have started in from the beginning. A couple of things that might be jarring for newer fans that haven't seen some of the older episodes are the somewhat rudimentary technological devices used by Grissom and his team (at least compared to current technology) and the actual visual look of the show. These days, the show is heavily populated by dark blue, purple, and black hues. These early epsiodes are almost a bit more realistic as certain scenes in the crime lab, primarily those in the pilot and further into the season in the crime lab as there are a lot of whites and flourescent lights used that are practically non-existent these days.

While it may seem like I'm being overly negative on the first season, that isn't the case at all. The writing for the show is very focused and unburdened by some of the things that creep in in later seasons like character's personal problems or the need to try to outdo or top previous seasons or cases. What you end up left with is twenty-three episodes that feel a lot more real and a lot grittier than in following seasons. The lines of believability are stretched, even in this first season, but it is done with a bit more precision. The flashy visuals that someone would expect from a show produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and set in Las Vegas are there in spades and they help to provide the icing on the cake that is the writing and acting in the majority of the first season. Part of what makes CSI so watchable is that while each episode is very much stand-alone and very rarely features any carryover, there are subplots that carry throughout the season and even through individual episodes that help provide layers of depth to the characters and stories that make them interesting to watch even after nearly a decade. Those deep subplots carry on today, even if at times the main storylines for the shows seem to be far beyond the reach of reality.

All in all, the main feeling you're left with at the end of the first season is hunger. Grissom and his staff have the hunger to find even the smallest trace and use it to construct a full case to help solve a crime, shown numerous times as Grissom surveys a crime scene with the same type of wide-eyed wonder you might see from a kid in a candy store. In the performances by people like Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle and George Eads, you see the hunger in the excitement of being involved in a popular, cutting-edge show, something that feels like it can be missing at times these days as they've all fallen into comfortable patterns in their roles. Most of all, someone watching the show is intrigued by the potential shown as the season progresses and are left with hunger to see more of these characters, this technology and the stories that tie them both together. When you add in some quality guest-starring work from people like Dakota Fanning (before she hit it big) and James Avery (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), the season feels fresh and exciting much like it did when it originally hit the airwaves. While you can feel yourself begin to burn out a bit if you watch too many of the episodes back-to-back on the DVD (I made it up to seven before I felt a little squirrelly at one point near the end of the season), you find yourself having to force yourself to stop watching because if you don't, the characters and stories keep you wanting more. A great stand-alone season for fans who want to get into the show from the beginning and a welcome reminder for fans of today's series of just what it was about the show that made it such an addiction to begin with.


The Presentation:

As an owner of the original season of CSI on regular DVD format, I felt like there wasn't much that could be done to them to make them look better on Blu-ray, but I can safely admit that I was wrong. With 1080i High Definition picture in 16:9 widescreen and 7.1 DTS-HD sound, the new Blu-ray release looks tremendous and adds even more sizzle to the splashy Las Vegas strip shots and lab work shots that serve as the series' definitive visual look. While it serves to look much better than the original release from 2003, there are problems where skintones look a little darker or off-tone and shadows that were still able to be seen through in standard definition are left murkier and darker to render smaller details unrecognizable. The problems with the up-convert from standard to high definition don't end there as there are numerous points during the season where there's almost too much going on at once and the show goes from looking crisp and sharp one moment to pixelated and fuzzy the next. Where the visuals come up a little short at times, the audio is top-notch, allowing the dialogue to shine, even at times where it feels like it should be engulfed by the atmospheric and background muddle of a crime lab and police office. The show's soundtrack (including the signature song by The Who, "Who Are You?") benefits greatly from the increase in audio quality as the lyrics of the songs used go from being part of the noise of the song to being accented and emphasized without making them overwhelm the other aspects of the music. While I found myself having to move the volume dial up and down numerous times during my watchings of the first season on standard format DVD, I rarely needed the volume button watching this set as only the barest of whispers are lost in the stunning audio track.


The Extras:

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in the fact that there is only one commentary track (for the pilot episode) as I was expecting a little more in terms of alternate commentaries on a Blu-ray release. While things may seem to be lacking a little in the special features compard to most Blu-ray sets, this is still light years ahead of the bonuses included in the first season's standard format set, which featured next to nothing with archaic menus and non-existent bonus material. The special features on this one are presented in both standard and high definitions with a lot of them serving as exclusives to the Blu-ray release and I will note which features are presented in which format and which are exclusive to the new set as I touch on them.

Unaired Pilot (HD, 47 minutes):

This is a longer, unaired version of the original pilot episode with a couple of short scenes added into the mix. This is exclusive to the Blu-ray release and also features the aforementioned lone commentary by director Danny Cannon. While not as entertaining in terms of charisma, Cannon provides plenty of thoughts on the cast, the production, the differences between the aired and unaired versions of the pilot, as well as his thoughts on the two deleted scenes that accompany the pilot episode. It's not anything that will set the world on fire, but it would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on the show as the season progressed, rather than having him talk about nearly an entire season during one episode.

Rediscovering the Evidence (HD, 28 minutes):

This feature is a newly-produced retrospective with a lot of interviews with all of the key players in the cast. Rather than just focus on the first season, it features cast and crew talking about their memories of the show in general while seeming to be caught off-guard by how popular the show became and the response that the show has generated seemingly since its debut. Fun to see some of the cast "out of character", but for the most part they're pretty much the same as we see them during the entire first season.

People Lie but the Evidence Never Does (SD, 19 minutes):

This one was a re-hash from the original 2003 DVD release of the first season and while it was fun to watch then, it seems to pale in comparison to the new retrospective documentary and feels like it's a lot more geared to the promotion of the show, rather than a celebration of its accomplishments. I guess that's what happens when a feature is produced in season three and a feature is produced years later.

Commercials and Episode Promos (SD, 15 minutes):

This is mainly commercials and the standard previews for each episode and while it's a neat bit to have, it would perhaps have been a bit more fun to focus on the commercials

Deleted Scenes (HD/SD, 10 minutes):

This collection of cut and extended scenes exclusive to the Blu-ray release seems fine, but there's nothing here that feels like it's a big loss because it was cut. It's not like there are any huge revelations or alternate endings that were cut, so while it gives a bit more dialogue and the odd moment by way of the extensions, it feels like the cuts were rightly made when you're done watching them.

Gag Reel (SD, 4 minutes):

Much like any other gag reel, this one is a solid piece of business and focuses almost as much as the chemistry between the various major characters as it does on the flubs and flaws. This is Blu-ray exclusive as well, and a fun four minutes that gives you a chance to see people tasked with being nearly constantly serious a chance to cut up, which is always a treat.


Final Thoughts:

While there are some slight problems with the visuals in the upgrade from the standard definition set to the hi-def version, all of those are easily overlooked when you factor in the massive increase in audio quality as well as the huge amount of special features compared to the original release. While the show wasn't quite as good quality-wise as it would become, the seeds are being sown in this first season and it's easy to see why the show became as popular as it did as quickly as it did and why it's still one of TV's most-watched programs week after week when you look at the work done in the first twenty-three episodes.

The 411: Stacked next to the current crop of Blu-ray releases, this one might seem a little thin, but for CSI fans who have been starved for a more complete first season set this one hits all the right notes. Seeing a show known for its visuals in HD-quality widescreen is never a bad thing and this set is no exception with the fine audio advances serving as icing on the cake. Strongly recommended for fans of the show, new and old, as well as for people who may have fallen out of the show in recent seasons as things devolved into the bizarre and attention-grabbing stories at the expense of the characters.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]