'CSI: Cyber' Premiere News: First Episode Gets 10.3 Million Viewers
"CSI: Cyber," the newest member of the "CSI" crime procedural franchise premiered with solid numbers last Wednesday, March 5 on CBS. It had 10.3 million viewers watching, with the other shows in other networks trailing at 5.28 million viewers only. Some television critics are speculating that this may be the case because it is the first episode and viewers are eager to see how the show will perform.
The new series, which is a spin-off from the original crime procedural show "CSI: Las Vegas," is about an FBI Cyber Crime team that deals with illegal activities that happen online and "play out in the real world" of crime. It stars Oscar awardee Patricia Arquette as Special Agent Avery Ryan, a Ph.D. cyber-psychologist and head of FBI's Cyber Crime Division. Her team includes Senior Special Agent Elijah Mundo, played by James Van Der Beek of the Dawson's Creek fame.
The series' first episode entitled "Kidnapping 2.0" was about a series of baby kidnappings that were perpetrated through the use of baby video monitors which the criminals hacked in order to gain access. Some TV reviewers were quick to comment on how much the show can cover in terms of topics related to cyber-crime.
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"Once the show covers all the big topics, it will probably have to repeat various basic premises with different combinations of compromised devices," one reviewer wrote for Slate. The review also cited how problematic it is to show cyber-crime monitoring as something action-packed and not boring, which means the show has to put in the usual "chase scenes, sniper attacks, underwater rescues, and suspect interrogations" to "keep things moving."
Despite these limitations, critics were also saying that the show may still be a hit, as much as the other CSI shows that came before it.
Cast members who were interviewed prior to the premiere noted that the series debuts at a time when cyber-crime is prevalent and is affecting people in real life. In a report in Fox News, Arquette said that viewers are "going to pick up some tips [from 'CSI: Cyber'] along the way about how to be a little more careful."
"CSI: Cyber" airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on CBS.
