Stephanie Bauer Interview with CSI creator Anthony Zuiker
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There probably isn’t a show that has influenced the perception of the public on crime-solving procedures than the CSI franchise. Stephanie Bauer was prepared and presented a calm, happy demeanor as she listened to Anthony Zuiker’s answers.
Having never seen the man behind the renowned television and books, I was surprised when he came out on stage in a black hoodie, black pants, tall Doc Marten style punk boots (maybe they were a high end Rodeo Drive brand, IDK), and black glasses. He used those glasses to impersonate David Caruso from CSI: Miami.
Getting His Big Break in Hollywood
The CSI show had plenty of false starts. As many writers trying to get their big break, Zuiker was working a day job at one of the studios. He came from a life raised by a single mother and estranged from his biological father. His mother worked hard in Las Vegas as a casino dealer then pit boss in a tough environment.
Zuiker’s story about his getting that big break is the one worth sharing because of how he was able to tie it back to his mother. When he made enough money, he went to his mother’s work and slid a check for one million dollars to her. “You’re done,” he told her.
She didn’t know what he was talking about and argued that she had to finish her shift. What did he mean, she was done? He told her again to look at the check—you’re done, you’re retired now (I’m paraphrasing). A year later, he able to do the same for his step-father who was working as a maître d’.
In 2006, CSI: Miami won the People’s Choice Award for Best New Series; and CSI: Las Vegas won for Best Ongoing Series. It was a pinnacle for Anthony Zuiker. He not only made it in Hollywood financially, but he was recognized for his achievements. He was on an emotional high. It didn’t last.
The day after receiving the awards, Zuiker got a call that his biological father died by suicide. Since Zuiker was estranged from this man, he was allowed to enter the crime scene donned in PPE the way actors would on set. He wanted to find anything that meant his father actually loved him. He had only seen his biological father six times before and on the seventh time, there was no photo, note, or trinket—that seventh what his father left him was a crime scene, in his words.
Zuiker admitted that crime scene investigators in Las Vegas are called CSA not CSI. Director Jerry Bruckheimer was the one to help him get his first police ride-along as a civilian. The ride-alongs were supposed to be one time for two hours. Zuiker was embedded with the LVPD for a month. He was asked to collect evidence which he described as “super scary” and remarked the real job is boring.
A real CSA, Liz Devine was one of the consultants on the show. She had to use an alias in the credits until she decided to leave her job of 15 years to work on the show full-time.
The CSI Effect
Zuiker addressed the positives and negatives the show has had on real court cases. People during jury selection (voir dire) and also once on juries expect DNA, hair, fibers, footprints, fingerprints, dental impressions, even paint and glue analysis to be easy and fast and incontrivertable. People on juries and survivors of crime expect each case to be a slam-dunk.
Writing Screenplays
On shows in the CSI franchise, Zuiker admitted they did things that were frowned upon at the time of TV show creation like recreations and flashbacks.
His screenplay tip: If you write too much, that’s not a good formula. Write 35% to show explicitly what’s happening—and the rest, allow the audience to figure out.
During the Q&A, I got in line quickly to ask if he would ever consider taking the police procedural genre to small towns. He smiled and said he is already pitching the idea of a woman who travels around to help small towns in investigations.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.