'CSI: Miami' star learns from failure
By John Kiesewetter
Cincinnati Enquirer
David Caruso finally gets it.
His sullen behavior and quick exit from "NYPD Blue" four episodes into the second season in 1994 wasn't the brightest career move.
David Caruso's film career never blossomed, but he has a golden opportunity as the star of CBS' "CSI: Miami."
"I don't think I could have helped but grow up quite a bit," the actor says.
Caruso returns to TV tonight with a golden opportunity. He's the star of CBS' "CSI: Miami," a spin-off from TV's No. 1 drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
At 9 p.m. Mondays, following CBS' comedy block, he could have a Top 10 show instantly. That wasn't so for his short-lived "Michael Hayes" drama five years ago, which struggled for ratings at Tuesdays against "Frasier" and "Home Improvement."
"While we all understand that I mishandled the 'NYPD Blue' situation quite handily, I've had a number of opportunities ... along with 'Michael Hayes' and now 'CSI' ... to grow up and realize what has been provided for me," he says.
Caruso's feature film career never blossomed after bolting from "NYPD Blue." While former partner Dennis Franz won four Emmys for "Blue," Caruso flopped with films like "Jade," "Kiss of Death," "Proof of Life" and "Session 9."
• 9 p.m. Mondays • CBS
"I've had nine years to think about it," says the actor, who had recently moved to Miami when "CSI" producers were searching for a spin-off star.
'CSI: Miami'
"I know there were a number of names being considered, and I just kind of fell into place," he says. "It was just a timing thing."
On "CSI: Miami" he plays Miami-Dade County criminal investigator Horatio Caine, a character not unlike his "NYPD Blue" detective John Kelly. Unlike the Las Vegas "CSI" lab rats, Miami's crime scene investigators are police officers.
"In Florida, all the CSIs start as police officers and they add science. In Las Vegas, it's the other way around. Most of them are private-sector people," he says.
Caruso, 46, sees a big difference between Kelly and Caine, one not apparent in the "CSI: Miami" pilot broadcast May 9 on "CSI."
"The Kelly character on 'NYPD Blue' is a heart-on-his-sleeve guy. You knew what he was thinking. Horatio Caine allows you to earn his trust, before he shares it with you," he explains.
Like him or not, anyone who saw the "CSI: Miami" pilot knows that Caruso is a powerful presence on the small screen. That's why producers have added Kim Delaney, another "NYPD Blue" veteran (after Caruso left) to the cast. She plays officer Megan Donner, a DNA expert whose trust in science leads to conflicts with Caine.
Producers say they liked the powerful chemistry between Caruso and Marg Helgenberger in the pilot. What they don't say is that Emily Procter, the polite Southern belle (Ainsley Hayes from "The West Wing") who plays ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, was no match for Caruso.
Ann Donahue, an executive producer on both "CSI" shows, pointed to Caruso and Delaney at a news conference with TV critics last month and said: "These actors are amazing. And they smolder."
They will continue smoldering, one of many differences from the original "CSI" formula. While the Las Vegas characters are introverted science geeks, the Miami officers are extroverts who go out to dinner and enjoy the South Beach nightlife.
"Everything is a secret with the (Las Vegas) casinos, and it's the opposite with 'CSI: Miami,"' says Donahue, who has written for "Picket Fences," "Murder One," "21 Jump Street," "China Beach" and "High Incident."
Adds creator Anthony Zuiker, a former Mirage Hotel tram driver: "In Las Vegas, you go to escape and not be seen. And in Miami, you go to be seen. We're going to work on those metaphors."
Most of the "CSI" action happens at night. "CSI: Miami" takes place in Florida sunlight, starting with a passenger jet crash into the Everglades in the fall premiere.
You could say the difference between the two "CSI" shows is night and day. You could also say that about the star.
