CBS head honcho Les Moonves is playing it safe with predictions about this fall's Wednesday night showdown between newcomer CSI: New York and veteran Law & Order, but he's confident in both the show and the CSI franchise.

At the Television Critics Association press tour this past weekend, Moonves, CSI creator/CSI: New York showrunner Anthony Zuiker and New York stars Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) and Melina Kanakaredes (Stella Bonasera) were on hand to promote the second CSI spinoff, which debuts on September 22nd. The group fielded questions about rivalry with Law & Order and recent comments from Law & Order creator, Dick Wolf (story), who declared CSI a franchise while maintaining Law & Order is a brand.

According to Zap2It, Moonves isn't necessarily betting on CSI: New York trouncing the fifteen-year-old Law & Order. "CSI: New York is not going to beat Law & Order," he said. "However, CSI: New York is going to do better than we've done in that time period in decades, so it's very exciting to be able to attack that."

Though he noted Law & Order's declining ratings, Moonves also praised Wolf. "I think Dick Wolf is one of the greatest producers in the history of network television, and I think 'Law & Order' is a spectacular show," he commented. "I think clearly he showed that he's a little worried about the 'CSI' franchise by those remarks.There's also a rating thing that's going on. CSI is going up; the 'Law & Orders' are going down." While all three Law & Order shows were down in the 2003-2004 season, CSI: Miami posted gains over its previous season. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was down slightly, by a couple hundred thousand viewers, but still maintained its position as television's most-watched drama.

The Globe and Mail reports that Zuiker's comments were much more demur. CSI's creator said he believed there's more than enough room for both CSI: New York and Law & Order. "There's no such thing as competition, just good company," Zuiker commented. "There's room for two successful shows in the same time period."

With two successful CSI shows already on the air, part of the challenge for New York comes from within, as the show will strive to distinguish itself from its predecessors. New York will delve into its characters' personal lives a bit more than either of the other CSI shows do. "We're a forensic procedural drama at heart, but the execution of this show will be slightly more character-driven," Zuiker said. "We're going to get to know these people; how they do this for a living, and why they do it."

Sinise is looking forward to the process of learning about the characters and the different forensic procedures New York will tackle. "We want to keep moving in a direction that will take us away from the first two CSI shows," he commented. "It's up to the writers and actors to determine where these characters go in the next few months. We're still feeling it out, but it's good to have the CSI name behind you going in. It's a nice starting point."

Kanakaredes, meanwhile, noted that she's been doing her homework by talking with New York City's chief medical examiner, Charles Hirsch. "He was amazing," she said. "Dr. Hirsch told me, 'In any crime scene, there's one unbiased witness and that's the decedent. And we as forensic pathologists have the privilege to interview that witness.'...The show is about these people who deal with death on a daily basis. They're the ones who help give closure to the family members of crime victims. These guys are heroes."

Zuiker promised that the forensic procedures on New York will be different from those on CSI and CSI: Miami. "Believe it or not, there are different forensic procedures in how to do things in Las Vegas, Miami and New York," he said. "Those differences are going to play a major part in our show."

In addition to presenting thought-provoking forensic science on a weekly basis, New York will be keeping another CSI tradition. Like its predecessors, New York will have a theme song from The Who. In New York's case, the song will be "Baba O'Reily," a 1971 single.

To read the original stories, please visit Zap2It and The Globe and Mail.

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