The Great CSI Crossover That William Petersen Never Would Have Agreed To started last night, as CSI‘s Laurence Fishburne went to CSI: Miami to watch David Caruso do his sunglasses-and-murmur thing up real close.
Fishburne’s Ray Langston didn’t show up until almost mid-way through the hour, but by the three-quarter mark, he had already adopted Horatio Caine’s low-volume, no-contractions, pregnant-pause style:
“Horatio, I am not leaving until we solve this thing,” said Langston.
Horatio moved in close, facing Ray sideways, as he does with all human contact. “And that,” he said, taking a pause during which Jay Leno could have delivered an entire monologue, “… is good news.”
The overarching crime case involves a nationwide human-trafficking ring that coerces young women into prostitution and then sometimes kills them. Langston was called in from Las Vegas when a victim from that city turned up in Miami.
Upon greeting Langston, Caine says Ray should say hello to Catherine Willows for him: “Tell her when you see her that I’m sorry about Warrick Brown.”
Jeez, for such a caring cop, Horatio is awfully slow in writing sympathy cards, isn’t he? Didn’t Warrick die about two years ago?
These little attempts to tie the franchises together were strained, but maybe fans of Miami didn’t mind. Me, I watch the original CSI, but Miami has dropped off my radar: Too much orange in every sun-dappled scene, too much moss growing on David Caruso’s dialogue before he delivers it.
What did you think, CSI viewers? Will you be following Fishburne’s Langston as he moves on to CSI: NY tomorrow night?
i try watching miami every now and again if there isnt anything else on, but caruso’s “acting” just turns me off completely. maybe longtime fans can prove me wrong, but in the brief moments i tolerate watching, horatio never seems to deliver lines and perform an action at the same time.. and not just something complicated, like spontaneous curbside surgery.. but stuff like walking… or moving. its like his brain can only process one thing at a time. like a goldfish or something.
with the exception being the sunglass removal technique. horatio’s go-to to convey anger, sadness, pleasure, regret, vengeance, and likely orgasm.
Spot on assessment Alex!
Crossover story lame at best. Also yet again the CSI doing test to figure out blood splatter and what type of weapon by now wouldn’t someone have recorded their research and turned it into a searchable program online. Or is this just a favorite dramatic timewaster by the writers?
I don’t regularly watch the CSIs, but was pulled into the hype of the cross-over shows. Can somebody explain to me why Horatio kept calling Ray Langston “Dr. Ray”? I get that he’s a doctor and he told Horatio to call him Ray, but, really — “Dr. Ray” just sounds childish. Or mocking. But, as I say, I don’t really watch. Maybe calling him Dr. Ray was in line with Caruso’s character. And maybe not decking him after the first time was in line with Fishburne’s.
totally agree! it made me think he was a dr on sesame street!
Yeah, the “Dr Ray” bugged me too as did the Med Examiner swooning like a groupie… I got sucked in for the crossover, but was instantly reminded why the original is still the best of the bunch! imo
I can’t watch Lawrence Fishburne in this role. I like LF in other things, but he just rubs me the wrong way here.
LF was okay for me in the role….when WP was still on as Grissom…once WP left couldn’t take the show or LF…
In my opinion Caruso should leave, and bring a real actor.
Langston is turning out to be the dullest crime solver ever!
The series has jumped the ‘credibility shark’ for me. To believe that Las Vegas would send Fishburne’s rookie and not quite competent Ray Langston to solve a major crime in lieu of any of the CSI’s with more experience is unbelievable.
Besides, people aren’t tuning in to CSI for Laurence Fishburne – he’s no William Peterson.
Ray was actually promoted at the beginning of the season, he is not a rookie any longer. I agree he isn’t a William Peterson, he has his own style, and while we may miss Peterson I don’t think you should totally disregard him. I enjoy him on the show and think he adds another great character.
I completely agree…if anyone would have gone it would have been Nick or Catherine…CSI started going downhill for me when they pulled out the Grissom/Sara storyline and then went bellyup when WP left…now I’ll watch CSI NY, and maybe CSI if there isn’t anything else on (don’t get me started on CSI: Miami…Caruso’s detective wouldn’t last 10 minutes with a real CSI team down in FL)
Check out this youtube video of endless cheesy Caruso one-liners that lead into the credits. Hilarity.
In the first episode of this season of CSI: Miami, there is a hostage situation. Horatio, dons a flak jacket and prepares to enter the room that is holding the gunman. Horation enters the room with his hands raised. In one of his hands, is his sun glasses. At that point, the show jumped the shark, big time. Is there anyplace that Horatio goes that he does not have his sunglasses with him? Yeeesh!!!
It was also a turn off at the beginning of last night’s episode when Horatio decides to help the woman with the missing daughter. The generic cop tells the woman in a somewhat irate voice that he cannot help her at this time and suddenly, there is Horatio with his calm, expressionless voice saying that he would help her. Ugh!
I love it!
csi: miami is a horrible, horrible show. the only reason i suffered through it was because it’s related somehow to the vegas story this week. other than that, i usually avoid it. david caruso over-acts enough for all three series’ actors combined. and the constant split-screens and visual effects are nauseating. keep it simple like vegas. no gimmics or over-the-top sequences necessary. never again, miami. never again.
I do not watch CSI Miami b/c of Caruso. He is awful and I am not sure why he is still on the show. He brings down every scene he is in and makes all the other actors look bad as well. Fire him already!!!!
I love all 3 CSIs. Miami probably being my favorite. I really like all the characters. David Caruso wasn’t always my favorite actor, but I like the character of Horatio. I think he plays the character they way it was meant to be played, while also bringing in some of his own personal self. The character of Horatio is a very caring kind of person. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to work for boss like that.
My wife likes David Caruso because he was kind to Rambo.
Ditto Nina.
I also don’t think people watch Miami for the ‘realism’ of it. I think they watch it for the glitz. I just recently started to watch it, because it was on A&E. I never have watched CBS in my life, so I had no idea it was even on. I have just bought all of the episodes and caught up on the whole thing. I’m not impressed with some of the writing on the show-like how many of the shows open with a guy and a girl on the beach/park/wherever-making out, then find a dead body- but it’s their personalities that captured me. Sure a lot of it is lame, but it’s entertaining, and sometimes even humorous.
I don’t, and have never cared for Caruso, but I like the character he is, even with all his quirks. I just chuckle at him.
Having said that, I have no intention of watching the other CSI’s, as the ones I have seen are too ‘dark’ for me. As in visually.
Most of the time, after all of the ‘players’ have been introduced, I know who the killer was. So it is predictable as well.
I do hope that the writers don’t stray too far from the character’s though, because I don’t think the forensic aspect of the show will hold the attention of the viewer too long. Even though that was the intention of the show, I think this show became more about the personal lives of the characters. That was one big issue I had with this crossover episode this week. They seemed to get away from the characters. And I do miss Delko already. Maybe he’s not that great of an actor, but his personal life was a contrast to all the other characters. And I really likes Speedle too.
Oh well, I will continue to watch it now, since I can follow the past.
I LOVE CSI:MIAMI DC IS A GREAT ACTOR SO R ALL THE OTHERS. I WISH THE ACTOR THAT PLAYED DELKO WAS STILL ON HE IS SOOOOO HOT!!!!
Since Grissom left – I don’t regularly watch CSI, so this really didn’t apeal to me at all. I’ve said it before – Caruso plays Horatio like a surf board with feet, way to stiff.
I’ve never cared for Miami either. The original at least feels like it takes place in a believable world. Miami is so damn sleek and glossy and over-saturated I don’t buy it for a minute, with a lab that looks like something out of a scifi movie and characters who act more like cops than scientists.
If you knew their backdrop you’d know that they are cops first, then CSI’s. According to the writers/directors. And by the way, I live close to Miami, and yes, it is that ‘glossy’ on the waterfront, where they shoot. Of course they don’t shoot in the ‘depressed areas’, but the only show I know that does that is ‘The First 48′.
Yeah but i don’t like it how they show the Miami skyline then try to get away with filming it in los angeles