by DeBorah Pendleton

Created on: January 04, 2009

Why I Love/ Hate CSI: Miami

I love watching the CSI: franchise. I'm going to miss Grissom and I love the stern leadership of Mac Taylor but there is something about CSI: Miami.

During the show I find myself on pins and needles as Horatio and his team race around gorgeous Miami in their Hummers filled with the latest forensic technology. There seems to always be an aerial scene in which a lone Hummer is racing across some deserted stretch of highway that seems to go nowhere.

But when the show goes off, I find myself angry, let down. Often times, I'll turn the set off and leave the room mumbling, "Unbelievable!" then race back for snippets of next week's show!

It's definitely a love-hate for this show.

The reasons why I love CSI: Miami:

1. The setting: I've never been to Miami but I know because of this show there is a part of my heart that longs for the sand, the sun and the beaches. Not to mention the houses and the condos! I look forward to the crime scenes because the victims seem to always live in some spacious, stucco house or a glass and steel condo on the beach. Even the low-lives live on streets with well-manicured lawns!

2. The characters: Horatio Cane is the fearless leader with the mysterious past and lost loves. He's aided by a team that's loyal but each seem to have a secret or passion that threatens to tear the team apart each week. Good stuff!

3. The technology: Each CSI: spin-off takes advantage of the latest technology but not like Miami! These guys not only have the mandatory aluminum cases filled with bottles and do-hickeys but their Hummers are filled with printers, scanners and touch screens that pop out like speakers! Cool!

That being said, here's why I hate CSI: Miami:

1. The setting: Come on! I've never been to Miami but does every one live in either a big spacious house with expensive furniture placed sparingly in rooms with huge windows or sun-filled condos overlooking the beach? Even the hospital rooms are separated by gossamer curtains that move gracefully in the breeze!

2. The characters: Horatio barely utters five words at a time. He dresses in black while the rest of the team dresses in night club attire complete with white pants, pastel tops and ties and heels. They all seem so one dimensional and shallow that sometimes you wonder if you're watching an old cartoon from the early nineties. The original coroner was the only one who showed any human emotion but that too lacked believability.

3. The technology: What happened to good, old fashioned police work? Any lead comes from one of their expansive computer databases or from a timely cell phone call. What's more unbelievable is the fact that it takes them literally only one day to solve two crimes! Even though the show is pure fiction, it would take that long to fill up the Hummer, race back across the highway then return to the office to catch one of those glorious sunsets.

I know, I know; I shouldn't watch the show if it's so frustrating! But it's so frustratingly good I can't help it! It's like the Law & Order franchise... wait, don't get me started on that!

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