A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

VERY DIRTY VEGAS: As I've previously noted, CSI is one of those shows I rarely watch, but tend to enjoy when I do. With Grey's and Office in reruns, I DVRed this week's episode to see how the Petersen/Fishburne handoff has gone, and I'm less than impressed. Part of Petersen's charm was that he (and most of the rest of the characters) were unabashedly weird and geeky--something that the spinoffs generally lose. Fishburne, on the other hand, is just so definitionally and effortlessly cool that the show loses a chunk of the geek appeal (the dropping of Sara Sidle, who was similarly geeky, and her replacement with generic perky girl, doesn't help). While L&O is receiving a creative boost, largely by playing up serialized elements that have never been the show's strong suit (in particular, the McCoy campaign for DA, and the interesting quasi-paternal relationship between McCoy and Cutter), this other warhorse has taken a step back.