CSI - Season 2, Part 2

CSI has done for crime drama what Patricia Cornwell did for crime novels. Gone is the traditional clue hunt. Forget dodgy tecs in macs, or suave and sophisticated crime chases. Things just got technical and it's time to call in the geek squad.

Never before have boffins been portrayed in such a positive light. From Gil Grissom (William Peterson, on top form), as the slightly disconnected head of a crime scene investigations unit, with a penchant for creepy crawlies and a hearing problem that no-one but he knows about, to Sarah Sidle (Jorja Fox), one of his assistants, who puts the glamour into geeky, the characters are believable, well realised and undergo development throughout the series.

The plotlines are, essentially, formulaic, in that usually there are two investigations split between the main five investigators, Gil, Sarah, Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Warwick Brown (Gary Dourdan) and Nick Stokes (George Eads), ably helped and abetted by their 'lab rat' Greg (Eric Szmanda), coroner Dr Robbins (Robert David Hall) and bolshy policeman Capt. Brass (Paul Gilfoyle).

Although the episodes follow a basic formula, they are always inventive and rarely feel stuck in a rut. There is enough variation to hold your interest, while the nature of such a small cast means that there is plenty of room for development, while still maintaining a taut grip.

This series is a pleasure from start to finish, from a scuba diver caught in a tree to a runaway bus, the tension is sustained, while my particular favourite is Stalker, in which a woman is killed in a seemingly locked house.

There is a spin off to this series - CSI Miami - which doesn't travel well. Something is lost as it heads south. Stick with the original. It would be a crime not to.