I’m not much a fan of CBS’ crime procedurals (most of which are fine for what they’re doing but not my area of interest). I am a big fan, however, of Mr. Ted Danson. What to do, then, when Danson becomes the new “CSI” leading man? Well, at the very least I could take time to watch his first two episodes as new night shift supervisor D.B. Russell, and to be impressed – but not particularly surprised – at how easily he fit into the vibe of the show(*), played off of George Eads and Marg Helgenberger, etc.
(*) And, specifically, how quickly he and the writing for his character were able to bring back the slightly offbeat comic quality from the show’s early days with William Petersen. That sense of humor, as well as the insistence on always treating the Vegas CSIs as nerds, no matter how attractive they were, were two huge elements that elevated the original over the spin-offs. Glad to have that back.
All in all, I thought “73 Seconds” was a very good introduction for Danson/Russell. But then, I haven’t been a regular “CSI” viewer for a very long time. For those of you who are fans, how’d you feel about the new guy? I know the Laurence Fishburne era got mixed reactions; did this seem like a step up to you? And is there anyone who might start watching the show (or return to the show after an absence) just for Danson?