CSI: NY (CBS)

common sense media says

Mature, captivating forensic whodunit.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this spin-off is just as violent and mature as the immensely popular original. While the behavior displayed by the CSI team is beyond reproach (with only a few minor infractions), the criminals' rap sheet includes assault, murder, and drug use.

Positive messages: The overall tone is gritty and casts the city as a dark and dangerous place. On the plus side, the series reinforces the importance of using teamwork, applied intelligence, and technology to solve complicated cases.
Positive role models: The CSI team is smart and well-intentioned, but the criminals are definitely bad role models, committing assault, murder, and other crimes. Males and females work together as respected equals.
Violence: The depictions of the crimes are often graphic and gruesome, as in all of the shows in the CSI franchise.
Sex: When sexual content appears in the show, it's usually related to a crime that has taken place.
Language: Words like "bitch" and "ass" are routinely used by suspects and witnesses.
Consumerism: Cellular phones are touted, as are their ring tones.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some of the criminal behavior is focused on drug distribution and/or consumption.

More on CSI: NY

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the science behind the show, using that to transition into conversations about what teens are learning in science class. Could what they're learning be used to investigate crime? Do they think science is something they'd like to pursue as a career? On another tack, how do teens feel about the crimes depicted in the show? Is the neat nature of the episodes' plots a realistic reflection of crime solving?

What's the story?

What's the story?

The third addition to CBS's hit CSI franchise, CSI: NY follows a team of five New York City crime scene investigators as they discover forensic evidence at murder scenes and interpret it to solve the crimes. In each episode, the team typically works on two homicides: one of which drives the main plot, the other a subplot that usually has some type of comedic or sexual overtones. Leading the team is Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), an introverted yet charismatic leader who lost his wife on 9/11. Reporting to him are four investigators, each of whom has a unique area of expertise outside of the typical forensic purview. For example, Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) has highly tuned street smarts that give him a trustworthy familiarity when he speaks with suspects and witnesses.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

CSI: NY is better-developed than its Miami counterpart, but not as strong as the original Las Vegas installment. That said, the characters are smart and edgy. And the show rarely leaves the viewer with a cliffhanger, making it a great choice for viewers who prefer all-inclusive episodes with no strings attached.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: CBS
Cast: Carmine Giovinazzo, Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes
Genre: Drama
Where to watch: CBS

This review was written by Elisabeth Chaney
 
 

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What parents & educators say

15

Most useful reviews by all members

Machete
adult
 
love it educational must see for the teens everything they see is in a pg13 movie

 
i love it
hi my hole faimly loves it i do also im a csi so dont put the show down

Joseph9261
teen, 16 years old
 
This show is the other two csi shows without the actors...
ITs exactly like the other two cept the actors seem like wooden dolls. No personilty what so ever. This is by far the worst of the csi: shows... It makes that evidence show look profeshinal. The content is just how CSM said it...

movie dude
kid, 12 years old
 
Great! I love it!
Awsome! The only CSI i dont watch is CSI Miami. Oh and its rated TV-14 not TV-PG. some bloody corpses and disturbing content but not as violent as CSI Crime Scene Investigation

 
Terrific Show!!
CSI: New York is the third show in the CSI franchise. It is a mature, intelligent drama with interesting and likeable characters and finds a nice balance between CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami. The cast of characters is infinitely more animated and enjoyable than the characters featured in CSI: Miami, coming nearly on par with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Gary Sinise plays detective Mac Taylor, a likeable ex-Marine turned detective/team leader. The rest of the characters are diverse, intelligent, and enjoyable. The team works well as whole, finding a nice balance between criminal investigation and forensic science, something which CSI: Miami has so far failed to accomplish; it also possesses a necessary sense of humour which Miami, again, fails to achieve. The cases portrayed are always interesting, the dialogue is snappy and mixed with an appropriate amount of humour and the characters are easy to like. This is an excellent show and is appropriate for those 15+ (a strong stomach is required for the more grusome forensic aspects).

simpo
kid, 8 years old
 
good show
goood show i can not watch it any more

lminroe23
teen, 17 years old
 
I love the cast. They are great role modles.

KayKayD
teen, 16 years old
 
Great For Older Teens and Adults
CSI NY is a realistic depiction of crimes committed and those committed to catching the criminals. It is violent. There are shoot-outs, bloody-gorey (EXTREMELY) crime scenes, drug use, alcohol misuse, buying of illegal drugs and weaponry, and strange sexual scenes, etc. However disturbing that may be, it's all about stopping it from happening. The role models are cops trying to stop the crime happening in New York City by all means, being good role models and giving a positive message at the same time. This series is an emotional rollercoaster; it contains heartbreak, love and happiness, anger, and an overall sense of strength. Great for people who will understand it. I do, but most kids younger than me won't, and will only be scared by it. My advice; wait until your kids are a bit older before you let them watch it.

Music4Life
teen, 14 years old
 
I LOVE this show sooooo much. It depends on the maturity of your kid if they can watch it or not, so know your kid.

novemberindia
kid, 13 years old
 
Really gory, some sexual content, alcohol, and drugs.
So I'll start with this: I'm a mature 12 year old. I started watching this series a few days ago- and I'm addicted. This TV show is great, but there are many things that parents should be concerned about: Violence- practically every episode is violent, gory, and graphic. Every episode shows a corpse. Often times, the corpses are not very kind to the stomach. I've seen bloody corpses, corpses with twisted bodies, corpses squashed to death and more. Sex- Many suspects and victims have weird sexual fetishes. Often times, sex scenes are pictured. There are some sexual references too. Language- the words a** and b**ch and more are often spoken, but the f-bomb or s-bomb hasn't been dropped. Drinking, drugs, and smoking- There is smoking, drugs, and alcohol shown/mentioned in many of the episodes. There are positive messages and good role models- detectives try hard to catch the people who commit crimes, and some characters are nice people who do good stuff. The main positive message is that people who do bad things should be punished, and justice should come to those who are victimized by them. So overall, the main problems are the sexual content, the graphic images, and the drugs and drinking. This is an awesome show with good messages, and I definitely recommend it to those who can handle the inappropriate content I previously mentioned.

MissMoonie223
teen, 15 years old
 
I "Heart" NY (CSI NY)
Great show, I've loved Gary Sinise since Forrest Gump (great movie) and not nearly as gruesome as CSI:Crime Scene Investigation (the original one set in Vegas) Gary Sinise's character, Mac Taylor, is a pretty swell role model. In one episode where Adam watches a girl get murdered and hacks a computer in order to help find her killer (whom they find regardlessly) Mac gives Adam a lecture and a three day suspension.

Wesnocs
parent of 11 , and 13 , 16 , 19 year old
 
Not Good Television! Too Graphic!
Another crime show that centers around strange murders. Too much sex, too much gruesomeness. Sorry, no one in our family watches this content, it's too graphic. From reviewing a few episodes though, I do note that the CSI are good actors and carry themselves well. I love the use of science to prove criminal acts, I just wish there was a lot less blood, sex and gore images.

blondesnowflake
kid, 12 years old
 
I am 11 and I've been watching this since I was 9!! It's fine for me and it's fine for my parents, but I guess it depends on how strict your parents are. There is occasional swearing, but never the f-bomb or anything horrible. As for sex, there is a lot of cases that have to deal with it, in fact I just watched one last night and there were club scenes with strippers, and in another one 2 of the main characters are shown having sex (nothing shown). Drinking/drugs aren't that bad but there are clubs shown with lots of alchohol/drug dealers but not horrible. Overall, the message is good, though. Basically telling tweens and teens not to do things against the law, and if you do, you WILL get caught!

x3panda
teen, 15 years old
 
GREAT SHOW
I love this show. I am 13 years old, but I have been watching the show since it came out in .. 2004? It is one of my favorite shows and some things may not be "age appropiate" for me but I still watch it and fully understand it. I think its great and if your mature enough you should be able to watch it at ages 11+.

 
A great "Whodunnit?" TV show....
I've always been a fan of Sinise and started to watch this TV show mainly because of him. After a while, I come to like it for the great script and acting. Leaves you guessing untill the very end. Best of the CSIs.

Jadenp
teen, 15 years old
 
Amazing, but iffy.
I have not seen very many episodes, just a couple. All that I have seen were amazing and captivating. Violence is graphic, but not over-the-top, language is fairly strong for TV. B***h, d*mn, h*ll, a**(**le), b***ard etc... sexual content is mild.

Ash20
teen, 16 years old
 
Must See
Well this show caught my eye the very first time I saw it. This show is very good, one moment you think you know the killer but then a newpeice of evidence pops in and it gets turned around. But there is a lot of vileonce. Usually just FBI agents shooting someone or the killer stabbing a person, but sometimes it shows a lot of blood and if you are a person who doesn't like blood then this probably isn't for you. Well the languauge isn't really that bad mostly just h***, a**, and B****. Well I would recommened this to anyone 10 and older.

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