Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2075 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-09-06
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 520 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
CSI: Miami follows the same super-successful formula as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Fortunately, this instantly popular spin-off established its own unique identity from the start. Like Gil Grissom's motley crew, the Dade County criminalists of CSI: Miami solve murders using forensic science. Unlike the Vegas crew, however, they're cops with the power to arrest, their coroner talks to dead people, and almost everybody speaks Spanish. Sometimes their crime scene is a swamp, sometimes a resort hotel. Either way, the skies are always sunny, the gators always biting. Real-life Florida resident David Caruso--playing Lt Horatio Caine, the head honcho--is joined by Khandi Alexander (NewsRadio) as coroner Alexx Woods, Emily Procter (The West Wing) as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, Adam Rodriguez (Roswell) as underwater recovery expert Eric Delko, and featured player Rory Cochrane (Dazed and Confused) as Tim "Speed" Speedle--though Cochrane wouldn't become a full-fledged cast member until the 12th episode ("Entrance Wound"). Kim Delaney (Caruso's former NYPD Blue cast mate) features in the first few episodes, but left after the tenth, reportedly due to a lack of chemistry with Caruso.

Just as CSI has made the most of its location with stories about showgirls and casino owners, so has CSI: Miami exploited its surroundings for all they're worth. Like its parent show, CSI: Miami quickly became a US ratings powerhouse and was followed by CSI: New York in 2004. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
A crime series based in Miami. Horatio Caine the head criminologist in the team and his crime scene investigator colleagues crack multiple cases using evidence left at the crime scene.

Customer Reviews

An excellent spin-off of C.S.I.
I've been an avid viewer of the original C.S.I. (Vegas) for over 6 years now and have seen every episode, so I'd consider myself a pretty big fan of the series, however I've never tried out either of the series' spin-offs (Miami & New York) so I've now decided to give the Miami series a go and purchased this first DVD boxset. Having the series coming out in half-series box sets is great for a tester, although now it means I'll have to fork out more cash for the second half as I absolutely loved these first twelve episodes.

I'd already been introduced to Horatio Caine and his team of CSIs a few years back in an episode near the end of series 2 of C.S.I. Vegas, which was also Miami's pilot episode, so I was vaguely familiar with some of the characters, but when beginning to watch this series from it's proper start, I'm now getting to grips with all the characters in a bit more depth and they are now starting to feel like regular characters that you care about their backgrounds and what happens to them from episode to episode.

The filming, script, characters and the cases are very similar to the Vegas series (obviously) and is very stylishly done. Having new locations on the sandy beaches and in luxurious beach houses makes a nice change from the deserts and gritty casinos and hotels from the strip of Las Vegas. Although at times it's hard not to miss Grissom and the gang. There's also more gore in this series and the autopsies can sometimes be a bit much, but then again C.S.I. has never been the kind of show you can watch whist eating your dinner.

Well, so far so good then with C.S.I: Miami. I'm glad I expanded my horizons and chose to branch out from the confines of C.S.I. Vegas as there are some top quality episodes here with a great cast and some very memorable and enjoyable cases. I look forward watching the rest of the series and one day may even try out C.S.I: NY.

Very good Crime Scene Investigation spin-off
As a fan of many crime based dramas from NYPD Blue and Law & Order to The Shield and Homicide: Life on the the street, the first few episodes of Crime Scene Investigation had me hooked. When I first heard about the spin-off version based in Miami, I wondered what the point of it was, what would change? However, in CSI Miami, not only are the characters different (the excellent David Caruso as the central character- he was also in NYPD Blue Series1 before Jimmy Smits replaced him) but the setting allows for unending alternatives to the basic format. From the deserts and casino world of Las Vegas to the swamps and coastline of Miami, the acting is fantastic throughout both shows, as is the direction. The graphic scenes in which the camera zooms into someones bullet wound or the other bizarre nether-regions of their body, are all still there, and all just as morbidly fascinating. The crimes are also just as intriguing and thought-provoking. The characters personal lives, however, are not covered in much detail as they are in the original CSI (Warrick's gambling, Nick's friendship with a hooker, Catherine's relationship with her child and ex-husband etc.) as the focus turns almost entirely to that of the crimes. While some say that merely adds to the show, I am one of the detractors, opting instead for the combination of both character definition and the action of the show. Personally I do not believe these have to be mutually exclusive. This, however, is the only fault of CSI Miami, and the only reason why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

Worth the £15.97?
I bought this after hearing from friends that the Miami episodes were better than the originals set in Vegas and being an avid fan of the originals I thought I would give it a try.

Having now watched the series I was surprised to see how closely they attempted to set the cast in accordance with that of Vegas, almost every character in Miami has someone that can be directly compared to a Vegas character. Perhaps they thought why change a winning formula but the simple fact is that the cast are not as good, by this I mean that the on set chemistry is not there, or at least to the same extent. The depth, interest and quirkiness of the main characters is missing. Possibly my expectations of the cast were to high, as after a second viewing they are not bad, in fact as television goes they are pretty good (well most of them).

I was concerned that they would run out of storylines however, the set of Miami is excellent and provides enough opportunity for different plots and ideas to keep me interested. Another difference to the original series is the amount of and importance placed on scientific aspects to finding the solutions, again this is reflected in the two central characters Grissom or Caine. If this is a good or a bad thing depends on person to person, for me this science aspect was the thing that really made CSI Vegas stand out from the other crime/police shows and captivated me.

In its own right this is a good series, with an attractive set and some good storylines but it is always going to be compared to the original series and for me it falls short. I bought this box set for the reduced price and it is definitely worth it, especially as there is not too many other good quality shows on television...