Season OneMurder, and its tale-telling aftermath, is the compelling subject ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Since it premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000,CSIwas a ratings triumph, spawning a spinoff (CSI: Miami)   and positioning itself for long-term success. As the first season   demonstrates, creator Anthony Zuiker's foolproof formula was established   early on, bolstered by a fine ensemble cast and requiring minimal   tweaking as the season progressed; its Las Vegas-based "criminalists"   eventually became "CSI" steeped in the scientific minutiae of forensic   investigation, but the series arrived essentially intact, with an   irresistible (and seemingly inexhaustible) supply of corpses and the   mysteries that surround them. Influenced by the graphic precedent of   movies likeSevenandKiss the Girls,CSImatches   morbidity with dispassionate methodology; viewers are so fascinated by   the investigative process that they're unfazed by intimate autopsies and   internal (i.e., digitally animated) views of traumatized flesh, bone,   and sinew.While keeping abreast of cutting-edge technologies,CSIcombines the ingenuity (and fallibility) of villains with the appealing   humanity of its heroes. CSI director and entomologist Gil Grissom   (played by series coproducer William Petersen) is introverted but   ethically intense; he's both mentor and moral compass for his   night-shift team, including a former stripper-turned-CSI (Marg   Helgenberger); a recovering gambler (Gary Dourdan); an eager ace (George   Eads) with room for improvement; a workaholic (Jorja Fox) who can't   always remain emotionally detached from her cases; and a chief detective   (Paul Guilfoyle) who's a necessary link to police procedure. LikeThe X-Files,CSIsupports its characters with feature-film production values, employing aRashomonstructure that turns murder into a progressively accurate study of   cause and effect. Script quality is consistently high ("Blood Drops" and   "Unfriendly Skies" are exceptional), direction is slick and   sophisticated, and the mysteries are complex enough to invite multiple   viewings. Despite a regrettable shortage of DVD features,CSI's inaugural season remains addictively worthy of its lofty reputation.--Jeff ShannonSeason TwoThe second season ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigationconsolidates  the show's well-deserved popular appeal, while beginning  to explore  (gently at first) beneath the slickly professional surface  of the  investigators themselves. Gradually we learn more about what  makes  Grissom and his astonishingly gifted forensics team tick, beyond  merely  that they are workaholics who seem to require no sleep at all.   The  show's trademark reveals of vital evidence--be it on the autopsy  slab or  under the microscope--add a fresh spin to what is, at heart, a  good  old-fashioned whodunit series. William Petersen brings the  requisite air  of antiquarianism to a character whose meticulous  demeanor and love of  order consciously inherits the mantle of Sherlock  Holmes (whose vast  collection of tobacco samples and bottles of  chemicals are the ancestors  ofCSI's high-tech crime lab). This  is a series in which  scientific evidence-gathering is elevated to the  status of a religion.  "When a tree falls in the forest, even if no one  is around to hear, itdoesmake a sound," affirms Grissom with the calm assurance of a yogi on the path to Enlightenment.And just whenCSIstarts to seem a littletoopat, just when the trail of clues seems a littletooneat, the show always seems able to throw a surprise or two at us:   perhaps there has been no crime after all; perhaps the evidence concerns   a completely different crime altogether; or perhaps, as in one brave   episode concerning brothers implicated in multiple murders, the evidence   simply isn't good enough to convict the right man, even when Grissom   knows which one really is guilty. As a result, every episode is simply   compulsive viewing.--Mark WalkerSeason ThreeNow firmly established as the top-rated television drama, by its third yearCSI: Crime Scene Investigationis a show positively glowing with confidence. Even when individual   cases seem either too contrived or too easily resolved, the   indefatigable night shift at the Las Vegas PD crime lab always look the   part, solving conundrums and discovering microscopic damning evidence   while, apparently, never shedding their own loose hair or skin cells all   over the supposedly quarantined crime scenes. In reality, Catherine   Willows's flowing blonde locks would contaminate any evidence she   collected, but in the world ofCSIonly the bad guys leave body parts behind--the CSIs themselves are so good they're positively pristine.The 23 episodes of season 3 on this five-disc set present more   deliciously bizarre situations for the problem-solving sleuths:   cannibalism, snuff movies, dwarfs, death while drag racing, bodies   falling from the sky, and various dismemberments all tax the team's   acumen. These are all double or multiple-case episodes, though in a   characteristic trick of the writing sometimes apparently unrelated   murders turn out to be connected (or vice versa, as in "Blood Lust," in   which a road-accident victim is not what he seems, and the death of the   driver at the hands of an angry mob is made all the more tragic). The   mix of genuine forensic science with the glossiest Jerry Bruckheimer   production values, plus the virtues of a good ensemble cast headed by   William Peterson's modern-day Sherlock Holmes, remains as compelling as   ever.--Mark WalkerSeason FourThe nation's top-rated program got back to basics for its fourth  season.  The personal lives of the Las Vegas crime scene investigators  would  take more of a backseat to the stories themselves: the victims,  the  cases, the criminals. After a successful operation, William  Peterson's  Gil Grissom has regained his hearing--and hisManhunter-era   beard--and is back in fighting form. "You're like your old self,"   Captain Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) notes in "All for Our Country." Just in   time, as he'll soon be promoting one of his staff to lead CSI, and it's   between Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and Nick Stokes (George Eads). He also   has a new politically minded sheriff with which to contend, Rory Atwater   (24's Xander Berkeley). The latter will make his first of   several appearances in "Invisible Evidence," while the results of   Grissom's lead CSI decision will be revealed in "No More Bets."That said, one CSI will enjoy a bit of a personal life this   season--Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), who'll begin seeing   nightclub owner Chris Bezich (Nicholas Lea, Krycek fromThe X-Files)   in "Early Rollout." The other CSIs, particularly the re-energized   Grissom, will remain as married to their jobs as ever--although the   latter's unspoken interest in Sara will be tested in "Butterflied."Other episodes of note include "Feeling the Heat," with Stacy Edwards and Arye Gross, "Jackpot," with Henry Czerny andRe-Animator's Jeffrey Combs, and the instantly infamous "Fur and Loathing," which was written by Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight)   and centers on the death of a "furry." As Grissom explains to Willows,   "furries" are a "tribe of people who prefer to interact as furry   animals." Stahl also penned "Getting Off," about the death of a clown,   and continues to come up with some of this still-groundbreaking series'   most colorful scenarios.--Kathleen C. FennessySeason FiveRelaxing at the top of the Nielsen ratings,C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Fifth Seasonstretched its legs a little to wander into the more grisly, more   disturbing, and altogether more personal. "Down the Drain" showed the   first overt romantic moment--in the form of a near-kiss--between   Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan),   which was discussed at length in the commentary and behind-the-scenes   featurette as "a big moment." After that tease, the series pulled back   and plunged into some of its most disturbing crimes yet. In "King Baby,"   a wealthy, middle-aged murder victim turns out to have lived as a  baby,  complete with adult-sized nursery; in "4x4," a personal trainer's  face  is eaten away from the inside out due to toxic mold in his house;  in  "Compulsion," a teen boy kills his younger brother for revealing  that  the older brother wets the bed.The biggest change in this season  is an HR one: new director Conrad  Ecklie (Marc Vann) splits up the team,  making Willows a shift  supervisor and causing friction between she and  Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox).  He also adds a new member, Sofia Curtis (Louise  Lombard), to banter  with Gil Grissom (William Petersen)'s team. The move  doesn't dampen the  show's pace, as most cases break the team into  twosomes anyway. But it  does add a new villain in Ecklie, all politics  and PR versus Grissom's  heart to protect his team. Meanwhile, other  cases dig deeper into the  personal demons of Sidle and Willows; and the  season finale, a slam-bam  two-parter handily directed by Quentin  Tarantino, focuses on the  kidnapping of Nick Stokes (George Eads),  buried alive with fire ants.  This episode, the most emotionally charged  yet, brings the entire team  together and shows why it's still the No. 1  show on television.--Ellen A. KimSeason SixA perennial Nielsen ratings topper,CSI: Crime Scene Investigationshows no signs of losing creative momentum in its sixth season. The 24   episodes are taut, fascinating, and gruesome; that killer combination   fulfills the promise this CBS series has shown since its inception. In   its sixth year, the show delves into the characters' personal lives more   so than in previous seasons, adding more dimension and truth to the   roles. We see the looks exchanged between head investigator Gil Grissom   (William Petersen) and his underling Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and learn   the true nature of their relationship. Catherine Willows (Marg   Helgenberger) works on a case involving her estranged father that may   land him behind bars. And partially in response to Nick Stokes' (George   Eads) kidnapping last season, Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) impetuously   marries his girlfriend, much to the chagrin of Catherine. The personal   vignettes are never at the expense of the twisted cases, which include a   murder attempt on a fading Vegas beauty (Faye Dunaway), siblings   affected by hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth), and the return of   Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) in a startling episode penned by author   Jerry Stahl (i>Permanent Midnight. But the season's most compelling   storyline features straightforward detective Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle),   who is embroiled in a shootout in a poor, Hispanic neighborhood. The   racial tension between the police and the residents is thick and   menacing, and no one is sure who is in the right.The main problem withCSIalso is something that can't be  prevented. In order to clue viewers in  to some of the complicated  procedures the investigators are undertaking,  the characters habitually  explain to each other why they're performing a  certain test or  checking for other components. They're scientists and  already know why.  The special features include audio commentary on six  episodes. One of  the most interesting (and funny) featurettes is the  sound editor  explaining how he utilizes vegetables to enhance autopsy  scenes--and  then later uses the leftovers for snacks.--Jae-Ha KimSeason SevenThe seventh season ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigationis as  solid  as any of the series' previous years. The stories are strong, the  actors  share potent chemistry, and the characters are believable  because they  are flawed human beings. This year,CSIdelves into  the  complicated romance between head investigator Gil Grissom (William   Petersen) and his underling Sara Sidle (Jorga Fox). The two are  reticent  to let their colleagues in on their relationship, and the  season finale  offers a gasp-inducing prospect of their future together.  Earlier on,  though, there's even a bit of a triangle when Sara learns  about Gil's  prior romance with dominatrix Lady Heather (Melinda  Clarke). The  normally steely Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger)  faces her own  dilemmas when she wakes up in a motel room, unsure if she  has been  sexually assaulted. And fellow CSI Greg Sanders (Eric  Szmanda) finds  himself the victim of a gang beating after he witnesses a  brutal attack.  In a nice homage to the Who--whose song "Who Are You"  serves as the  theme song for the series--singer Roger Daltrey makes a  guest appearance  in an episode called "Living Legend." Daltrey portrays  a man who may or  may not be responsible for a series of modern-day  murders--even though  he reportedly had died in the 1970s. The Who  frontman, who has some  acting credits under his belt, is perfect  playing an enigmatic (and  possibly crazy) man who is never quite what  he seems. Throughout the  season, Grissom and Co. are plagued by a  serial killer who taunts the  CSIs with clues left at the scene of the  crime, whose calling card is a  series of painstaking miniatures  replicating his atrocities. The season  finale deals with the Miniature  Killer going after one of the CSIs.  Whether the investigator lives or  dies won't be known until the eighth  season, but it's a breathtaking  finale befitting this quality drama.--Jae-Ha KimSeason EightThe eighth season ofCSI: Crime Scene Investigationbegins  with  the answer to the previous season's cliffhanger: Yes, CSI Sara  Sidle  (Jorja Fox) survives. But fans of this top-rated crime procedural  won't  be able to breathe a sigh of relief. By the end of the 17   episodes--which originally aired during the 2007-2008 television   season--two fan favorites will be gone. This year,CSIexplores   the complicated romance between Sara and head CSI Gil Grissom (William   Petersen). But the storyline is weaved in so well with the gruesome   cases that their relationship is never overpowering to the viewer.   Though the show was truncated due to the Writers Guild strike, the flow   of the series doesn't lose any momentum--not even with the loss of cast   members or even episodes that center on peripheral supporting   characters. Fellow CSIs Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nick   Stokes (George Eads), and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) return to help   solve seemingly unsolvable cases. But not all of the best moments   involve whodunits. Some of the most compelling vignettes revolve around   Warrick, who is battling a nasty prescription drug addiction as he  tries  to navigate his way through a messy divorce. Longtime fans of the   series may remember child genius Hannah West (portrayed chillingly by   Juliette Goglia), who helped get her brother acquitted of a murder   charge in season six. She is back after her brother is once again   charged with homicide. Sara--who had wrongfully believed that Hannah was   just an innocent little girl--finds herself unable to distance herself   from this case. There is a crossover ratings stunt episode with Jack   Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) visiting from CBS' other dramaWithout a Trace.   While both LaPaglia and Petersen are formidable, there really isn't   room for both of them on one show. And let's face it, Petersen's our   guy.--Jae-Ha Kim