"Concentrate on what cannot lie. The evidence..." -- Gil Grissom

Not only is CSI one of my favorite shows, but it is one of the highest rated dramas of the year.

CrimeSceneInvestigation (SeeAssEye)

Not since the days of the X-Files have Ive been glued to the television to watch forensic experts peer through microscopes and dust bathtubs for fingerprints. CSI is the breakout hit of 2002/2003 TV season. To viewers like me, that comes as no surprise. Intriguing plots combined with the offbeat atmosphere of Las Vegas, as well as an impressive cast, are drawing in an average of zillion viewers all over de world each week.

The series chronicles the lives of a passionate team of crime scene investigators in Las Vegas: Gil Grissom (William Petersen), the senior forensics officer who lives and breathes his job; Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), an ex-stripper and single mother juggling the job she loves and her daughter; Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan), a junior investigator who learns some of his lessons the hard ways; Nick Stokes (George Eads), whose charming manner goes a long way in aiding investigations, and Sara Sidel (Jorja Fox), the newest member of the team. Captain Jim Grass (Paul Guilfoyle) is a no-nonsense investigator who assists from his position in Homicide.

The show can sometimes be vivid in its portrayal of crime scenes; the camera zooms in on bullet wound on a cadaver on the autopsy table, or focuses on a severed leg pulled out a lake. However, death isn't all the criminalists handle: they tackle hookers who are mysteriously passing out, car accidents with missing drivers, kidnappings and thefts. Any crime where the proper gathering and dissection of evidence leads the police to a solution and an arrest.

A few bizarre tidbits tossed out from my observation on CSI:

· Gil Grissom, a 40-something supervisor described as "a cross between Mr. Rogers and Bill Gates, but has the intelligence of Albert Einstein." He supervised a team of "brilliant kids, ages 26 to 32, who carry badges, guns and get paid to solve puzzles for 10 hours."

· A criminalist is someone who uses forensic science to solve a crime. They're not criminologists, who study the nature of crime and criminals. They're usually civilians with a science background in biology, chemistry or physics. So our gangs, despite their quirks, are all highly educated in one aspect or another.

· A coroner is a public official, appointed or elected, in a selected geographic jurisdiction, whose official duty is to make inquiry into deaths under certain circumstances. A coroner does not have to be a physician.

· A medical examiner is a physician. They investigate (autopsy, etc.) when a person dies a sudden, unexpected or violent death.

· A pathologist is a physician trained in the medical specialty of pathology. Pathology deals with the diagnosis of disease and causes of death by means of laboratory examination of body fluids, cell samples, and tissues.

· A forensic pathologist is a sub specialist in pathology who examines persons who die a sudden, unexpected or violent death.

They'll be airing the new season of CSI in Astro tonite, I hope those who love the show like I do will not miss the first case for the brand new season J Happy watching folks!

P/S: Yes, yes, I do think Grissom is mature and sexy. The same way I look at Anthony Hopkins too. Grissom is indeed the chief character who brings out the zest for CSI.