Friday in Las Vegas

Sgt. Friday, that is.

I've been watching CSI since its beginning, and enjoying it, but it just dawned on me why. Of course I dig the gruesome procedurals of homicide investigation, and that the regular cast of characters sometimes rise in interest above the familiar cop cliches. But mostly I liked the quiet professionalism exhibited by Gil Grissom. As played by William Peterson, his laboratory investigator is calm, controlled and dogged. But only this week did I come to feel that Peterson's performance is derived from Jack Webb's great Sgt. Friday.

Friday wanted the facts, "Just the facts, M'a'm." Grissom wants only the evidence; he claims that the evidence speaks for itself. On Thursday's show, when he reveals his smug opponent on a courtroom witness stand presented psuedo-scientific evidence, the culprit is read his rights and put under arrest for perjury and obstruction of justice. As he is taken away, he snarls at Grissom, "You are the reason for this!" Grissom calmly replies, "I sincerely hope so." Dum da dum dum, dum da dum dum dahhh! I only needed the engraving hammer to fall to feel back in the good old Dragnet days.