The CSI Universe has inspired a fanbase every bit as devoted and fierce as the Trekkies and Star Wars geeks. If you’re a fan (and most likely you are), then you’ve likely gotten involved in little games of geek-knowledge one upmanship with your fellow fans. “Did you know that…?” “Oh yeah, well did you know that…?”
So here we hope to arm you with a few little tidbits that should have you well equipped to stump your friends with during the commercial breaks the next time you get together to watch an episode…
10- CSI once did a crossover with the sitcom Two and a Half Men.
Yep, as silly as it sounds, there was an official, in-canon crossover with the Charlie Sheen sitcom Two and a Half Men. The funny thing is, it wasn’t bad. Both series featured a crossover episode, with Sheen and company discovering a corpse on Two and a Half Men before appearing for a brief cameo on CSI. Look up the episode “Two and a Half Deaths” for CSI: Crime Scene Investigations, and “Fish in a Drawer” for Two and a Half Men.
9- CSI takes place in the Tommy Westphall Universe
If you haven’t read up on the Tommy Westphall Universe, do yourself a favor and look it up. The theory is that much of American television takes place in the mind of Tommy Westphall, an autistic child from the series Saint Elsewhere. The series turns out to have all been a fantasy of Westphall’s for the series finale, and by proxy, every show that can be linked to the series by crossover can likewise be placed within the boy’s imagination. This includes M*A*S*H*, Friends, Seinfeld, and even ALF.
8- CSI was inspired by Discovery Channel’s “The New Detectives”
When Anthony Zuiker got his first movie script into the hands of CSI producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Bruckheimer immediately asked him if he had any ideas for a television pilot. Stumped, Zuiker went to his wife for inspiration, who turned him onto the non-fiction series The New Detectives, about forensic experts using DNA to solve cases that had gone cold for lack of evidence (or lack of technology to analyze the evidence that had been there all along). Zuiker took to the streets with real life crime scene investigators and immediately realized he had a great concept on his hands.
7- CSI is categorized as science fiction
The science of CSI is slightly inaccurate. Not because they don’t do their research, but because many of the gadgets and methods used on the show have yet to actually be invented. The upside is that the sci-fi tech of CSI has actually inspired real life advancement of crime scene tech, much as Star Trek had done for computer and communications technology.
6- Grave Danger set a record thirty five million viewers
By bringing Quentin Tarantino on to guest direct the May 19th 2005 ep, CSI managed to tap into an unexploited potential viewerbase: Movie buffs. The geek to geek cross polination paid off, and the resulting viewership was twice what the second place show had ranked that night.
5- Eight thousand dollars in gifts and stunts were devoted to keeping Jorja Fox on CSI
In the summer of 2007, rumors had begun floating around that Jorja Fox would be leaving the cast of CSI. When this news hit the internet, a bunch of fans organized mass protests in the form of chocolate covered insects being delivered to CBS with the message “CSI without Jorja Fox bugs us!” One dedicated fan arranged for an airplane to fly over Universal Studios repeatedly, bearing a banner reading “Follow the evidence, keep Jorja Fox on CSI!”
4- CSI has resulted in lower conviction rates in some areas
This is a good thing! Thanks to CSI, jury members these days are typically a little more savvy about the need for forensic evidence. As a result, if the prosecution cannot provide sufficient forensic evidence to prove the guilt of the defendant, the modern jury member is much less likely to vote to convict. This is called “The CSI Effect” and has made a positive change in how cases are presented and decided in a court of law.
3- CSI: Miami is the most popular television show in the world
A recent study of twenty different countries showed that, across the board, CSI: Miami is the show getting the highest viewership across the world. Additionally, in the US alone, CSI: Crime Scene Investigations has been in the top ten of the Nielsen ratings ever since its inception, and the show ranks third in DVR playback ratings with an average three million viewers an episode.
2- The CSI videogame was managed by series creator Anthony Zuiker
Most video game tie-ins, they just hire the cheapest video game studio they can find and make a quick buck. Zuiker chose to take a hands on approach, working closely with the game developers to make sure that the game kept the same feel of the show in style, dialog and story. The result? CSI: Crime Scene Investigations feels just like playing an episode of the show.
1- There is a Japanese comic book based on CSI
Yep, probably the quirkiest piece of CSI swag you could hope to get your hands on. The manga was written by Sekou Hamilton and drawn by Steven Cummings and released by Tokyopop. The story focuses on a group of teenagers working at the Las Vegas Crime Lab as interns, attempting to solve the murder of one of their high school friends. See if you can find a copy at the nearest bookstore to surprise your friends with.
Gil Bronson writes about how to apply to forensic science colleges.