Day: October 4, 2021

“CSI” — a hit that almost wasn’t — returns

CBS’ notion seems logical: Want a new hit? Just freshen up an old one.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” debuted back in 2000. A sometimes-chaotic world met some calm, science-based crimefighters.
And now? “The world, weirdly enough, is even more topsy-turvy than it was in 2000,” said Jorja Fox, who starred in the original and returns in “CSI: Vegas,” debuting at 10 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 6).
The new show brings back William Petersen and Fox (they’re shown here), as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, who married and retired from the “CSI” world … until an emergency brings them back. Other originals (Paul Guilfoyle and Wallace Langham as Brass and Hodges) also show up. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 6: “CSI” returns, two shows end

1) “CSI: Vegas” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. Six years after “CSI” ended – and 21 years after it began – it’s back. There’s a new name, a new lab and a new set of regulars. Still, the others are also there: We see Brass in the first scenes, Grissom in the final seconds. Sidle (shown here, second from left) is busy; Hodges will be key in the weeks ahead. The newcomers are fairly interesting, with the always-great Mel Rodriguez as the chief medical examiner. They solve a case-of-the-week way too easily, leaving more time for a tangled, ongoing case. Read more…

Best-bets for Oct. 5: Rita conquers time; “La Brea” doesn’t

1) “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It,” 9 p.m., PBS. At 5, Moreno moved with her mother from Puerto Rico to Long Island. She took dance lessons, was on Broadway at 13, signed a movie deal as a teen … and endured stereotype roles. The exception was “West Side Story”; she won an Oscar, vowed to wait for good roles … and didn’t do another movie for seven years. She survived that (and a toxic romance with Marlon Brando) and is still working at 89 (shown here). It’s a great story. Read more…