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Welcome to The
official CSI: New York
"Cast and Crew Views" Interviews
ANTHONY ZUIKER/ CREATOR AND EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER
On season three:
AZ: Season
three is an important year for us for so many reasons. For the first time,
we are firing on all cylinders. The key to the success is that everyone is
in the perfect position to do what they do. Our writers focus on the city
and the science, and we’ve finally got our stuff together. The fans are
coming in droves and the show looks great.
Season
three, for the actors, is a dream come true. They want different layers for
their characters.
CSI actors share the
stage with a piece of evidence because the show is very formulaic so when
you step outside of that, or work symmetrically with that, you have happy
actors and a better show.
On Mac and Peyton:
AZ: We wanted to go
deeper with the character of Mac Taylor. We gave him a love interest and a
nemesis. When Claire [Forlani] first got to the set she said “I’m ready,
I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” She was very excited. She allows Mac to
be warmer and more intimate, and that became a hit with our viewers
instantaneously.
The key
was to put that character in a position where she was working alongside Mac.
We wanted her to be in the thick of things; where she would solve crimes
with Mac as opposed to some girlfriend out of the work place. We wanted the
love interest part, but we also wanted there to be conflict in work
situations so we could bring it to a deeper level.
On selecting Eddie Furlong to play Shane
Casey:
AZ: We compiled a list of actors that could hold their
own with
Gary,
but still be edgy and fun. It was a short list and at the top of the list
was Edward Furlong. He became the nemesis Shane Casey. His back story was
that his brother was put in jail and killed unlawfully and Shane comes back
to seek revenge on the CSIs.
On “Hung Out to Dry” Episode #304:
(A
serial murderer who leaves his victims in coded t-shirts is on the loose.
The team struggles to decode his mythological clues and put their main
suspect behind bars.)
AZ: There
was this guy who owns EDOClaundry.com, EDOC backwards spells code. If you go
to the website you will see that he and his wife design t-shirts with codes
on them with no instructions. One of the shirts has two lions on it and if
you look closely you will see that it says “all lies” and if you put it
inside out it says “nothing to hide.” If you go on to the website and type
it in you are led through somewhat of a murder adventure. That concept along
with Eddy Furlong made for a great episode.
On “Raising Shane” Episode #311:
(When
Hawkes is framed for shooting a bartender and then later sent to prison, the
team takes to the street to set their investigator free. A surprise visit
from Shane Casey later explains the death of a man at a peep show and Hawkes’
compromising situation.)
AZ: Our
most popular episodes put our characters in an element of danger, and there
are no higher stakes then when you are accused of murder, especially if you
are a CSI. The case of mistaken identity has put Hawkes in the pressure
cooker, and it looks like he may be put away for life. This gives the actor
a formula to step outside what we usually do, with him being a scientist.
The team gathers around him to seek a positive conclusion.
On the fan’s response to the show:
AZ: The fans response for
CSI: NY
is you are on the right track. We had growing pains in season one, but our
fans waited on the sidelines. In season two, we redid the show. We turned
some of the lights on and they started to come back. We have a lot of stuff
planned.
On Danny and Lindsay:
AZ: There is something
in her past that gravitates her towards Danny. The way that Anna alludes to
her past is very compelling; her portrayal is jaw-dropping. What happened in
her past has caused her to be a CSI, and you will come to understand that in
the end of the season.
On Melina’s storyline last season:
AZ: As
writers we look forward to when we write the Emmy-type episodes for the
actor. Last year, we wrote a very big vehicle where Stella’s boyfriend hides
in her house and attempts to shoot her. We brought that emotional baggage
into season three, and there is one episode where there is a woman who was
involved in a typical situation in terms of a shooting and she’s
traumatized. Obviously, Stella would be interested in this case because
she’s been there and then as the story begins to turn Stella becomes
surprised and offended because she was duped. This storyline will get deeper
at the end of the season.
On the way the show looks:
AZ: We
have chopped up bodies, bodies that are hung; we’ve done so many things in
the last years dealing with death that you have to think of new ways to
surprise the audience. You have to push the envelope gore-wise,
special-effects-wise and forensics-wise because it is part of the evolution
of the franchise. It’s important that we stay one step ahead. As we go into
the forefront of television, it’s our responsibility to lead the charge.
How has CSI elevated the export industry
of television?
AZ:
If you talk to anyone at CBS they will tell you that the winners pay for all
the losers. Obviously,
CSI as a franchise is
a winner. Not only is it financially important, it’s important to the
integrity of the medium. Television used to be a second-class citizen before CSI came along
in terms of the way it looks and the quality of the actors that are willing
to go into it. And now with William Petersen, Caruso and Sinise- these
A-class stars that are coming to the small screen- it’s changed the face of
entertainment.
I’m thrilled to have created a franchise this big. In
England,
our shows are in the top five and in Canada
they are performing well. You can’t think about it too much because you get
freaked out about it. What warms our hearts is that people are entertained
for that hour. We are in the transportation business; we are transporting
people from one reality to another where they can forget about life for a
while. Entertainment in these times of turmoil is a very important commodity
for the viewing public both here and abroad.
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