Over the course of its fifteen years at the vanguard of television, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” garnered a massive following. The decade and a half that followed saw an explosion of criminal procedurals on television, but “CSI” managed to stay ahead of the pack by taking a novel approach to the genre.
It had the standard elements of a traditional entry, but it also wasn’t afraid to explore new methods in an effort to stand out among its many contemporaries.
To a large extent, “CSI’s” cast was responsible for the show’s continued popularity and success. The creators of the show were able to incorporate new cast members as the years and number of seasons passed since regulars would eventually quit the Las Vegas Crime Lab for various reasons.
In addition, the show was able to find the humour in a situation when it arose. After all, the mental toll of investigating horrifying crimes over and over can be considerable; from the point of view of both the characters and the spectator, some comic relief is always welcome.
This scene from the second season of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is often cited as the show’s funniest overall.
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The Best One-liner of CSI Season 2
During the events of “CSI: Las Vegas,” Season 2 Episode “Bully for You,” the Las Vegas Crime Lab investigates the murder of a high school student. As they dig deeper, they find more and more red flags, and for a while, they think they have the murder pinned on a teen called Dennis Fram (Dublin James).
His proximity with the school toilet at the time of the shooting, however, has led detectives to focus on a different, more likely suspect. Gil Grissom (William Petersen) asks, summing their entire predicament in one unexpectedly comical quote: “Do you ever smell a fart and end up blaming the wrong guy?”
Whether on purpose or not, Petersen as Grissom on “CSI” produced some truly hilarious quips throughout his tenure. This, combined with the fact that he was such a pivotal character on the show, made his departure in 2009 a bitter pill to swallow for longtime viewers, as evidenced by the fervent reaction to the show’s post-Grissom era.
The birth of the “CSI: Vegas” spin-off in 2021 allowed Petersen the opportunity to reprise one of his most recognisable roles. “It’s like riding a bike; you just get right back on. We got a tandem, and we know how to do it,” TV Insider reported in 2021 that he had discussed his plans to reprise his role as Grissom and reunite with Jorja Fox’s Sara Sidle character.
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It’s not surprising that “CSI” wasn’t exactly a comedy. This show is of the crime procedural variety. However, there is no harm in using comedy occasionally. One such example is the immortal line spoken by Gil Grissom in the second season episode “Bully for You.”