Like other topics one of the things I’ve talked about more than once is the older and new revived CBS show CSI. Here too, I’ve written a few things about it because golly, it has some hard-hitting and interesting moments. More so in the early seasons when I’d imagine writers weren’t focused (as much) on the mentality of being culturally “accepted” and instead just telling a GOOD story no matter what that looks like. Just for fun and since I’m almost done with the original CSI run, I’m going to chat about my least to most favorite CSI characters. Just for funsies!
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The show follows a group of Crime Scene Investigators, the cases they encounter and the detectives they work the cases with. For many years, the team is led by Gil Grissom (William Peterson, who produced it even after no longer starring) and his second Katherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger). Later, after some shakeups, changes and some mistakes, D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) leads the team and later, after Katherine departs for a new job, his second Jules Finlay (Elisabeth Shue) joins the team, a woman who shares a past with Russell. Of course, the team is comprised of many other characters, but these are the primary leaders of the leadership variations that come and go.
Today I’m sharing the main characters from the many seasons (fifteen!) of the original series and which ones I like better and which ones I don’t like as well. I’ve also largely watched this without reading spoilers and it’s been SO fun to try and guess the character connections that crop up rather than know them all. Let’s jump in and meet some of the well-liked and loved characters from the 15-year series.
LEAST AND MOST FAVORITE ‘CSI’ CHARACTERS
Listing these from the least to most favorite characters
13: CATHERINE WILLOWS
Appears seasons 1 – 12; and again much later on | Played by Marg Helgenberger
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Catherine is a character I have a love-hate relationship with. I think she’s good at what she does, and I’d have zero issue with her being a boss as she strives to be and eventually does. However, I think she’s WAY too much sometimes. As a boss, she needs to reel in her temper and emotional play on the cases or in how she interacts with others. She’s intelligent, and has great potential. Additionally, I think she’s far too reckless and has that kind of “wild” side to her that she doesn’t want to tame and she allows herself a potential moral and ethical complication that’s wrong. Her approach to a relationship is also hypocritical.
12: DAVID HODGES
Appears seasons 1 – 15 | Played by Wallace Langham
Truth is, I do really grow to like David. Quite well. I think he’s a good guy who’s brain is so technical and smart (for lack of more eloquent words) that he doesn’t always know how to be tactful in some situations. Like Catherine, David is intelligent, he just doesn’t always know how to shut that off.
11: RAYMOND LANGSTON
Appears seasons 9 – 11 | Played by Laurence Fishbourne
I really liked this character when he’s introduced just prior to Gil’s departure. However I’m a little disappointed in the way he’s written out. This all leading up to the choices he makes. I understand the story line and get the why of the extreme, but it just feels like “too much.” This aside I admire his even keeled attitude and how very serious he takes his job and because of this, he’s thorough. I admire that most about him; his buttoned up first day is also fun!
10: JIM BRASS
Appears seasons 1 – 15 | Played by Paul Guilfoyle
Like so many characters, I like Jim. He’s not everyone’s type of character because honestly, he’s one of those “old fashioned,” tough as nails cop. He takes a kind of more self “justice” approach to his thinking which I think will rub many the wrong way. However, I also think his story, which doesn’t get a lot of play is SUPER interesting.
13 POPULAR ‘CSI’ CHARACTERS: MY LEAST TO MOST FAVORITE #CSI #GEORGEEADS #TEDDANSON #ELISABETHSHUE #CSICHARACTERS #CHARACTERSLIST #FAVORITECHARACTERS #TVCHARACTERS Click To Tweet9: JULES FINLAY
Appears seasons 13 – 15 | Played by Elisabeth Shue
Ah, Jules or Finn if you don’t want to be in trouble! Despite hanging out with her character for a while now (I’m almost done with the entire run of the show), I don’t not like her, but she’s also not a favorite. Like so many of the women, I think she has this men-suck kind of attitude and yet, she’s quick to have a fling with anyone who catches her eye. I’d like to see her have a bit more integrity, however, I do think her backstory is interesting to try and puzzle through! Additionally, I have to give her credit for how she handles a potential IA investigation. It’s one of the better stories about a teammate being in trouble I’ve seen.
8: WARRICK BROWN
Appears seasons 1 – 8 | Played by Gary Dourdan
If you’ve seen this, you know Warrick’s story isn’t the happiest one. He has more than one case of baggage he cannot kick to the curb and as a result it gets him in trouble more than once. Had he managed to kick these, which I think he does closer to the end of his run, I think his character could have been unstoppable. He’s good beneath the mistakes, and I respect that he respects how good his friend (and boss) was to him when really this second chance was a risk for more than just Warrick. I also appreciate that he does the moral thing in one of his story threads.
7: D.B. RUSSELL
Appears seasons 13 – 15 | Played by Ted Danson
Saying I like him is probably premature because I haven’t completed the series just yet. However in the role of boss, I like D.B. He has a past which I haven’t quite worked out yet (again because I’m not done yet), but I think finally I do have a grasp on some of the connections and where writers are leading it. I’m pretty sure my first guess is WAY off, so now I’m just seeing if my clue gathering pays off.
6: SARA SIDLE
Appears seasons 1 – 8 + off and on, and again in seasons 11 – 15 | Played by Jorja Fox
I do like Sara and can respect her emotional battles. They, to me, feel honest as Fox portrays them, and most the time, authentic to her character. Like Catherine, I think at times she does a few things that seem “off” for her and rather than be level headed, which she most often is, she goes off a little too easily.
5: MORGAN BRODY
Appears Seasons 11 – 15 | Played by Elisabeth Harnois
The daughter of a former lab boss turned sheriff, Morgan is a good seed character. I don’t agree with her assessment on men at times nor do I appreciate what she says about another character’s marriage, but overall, I think she’s a character easy to root on and for.
4: WENDY SIMMS
Appears seasons 6 – 11 | Played by Liz Vasey
A lab tech specializing in DNA, Wendy is a likable character who may have a smaller part than some of the characters but still makes an impression. She stands up for herself but it still compassionate and I like that about her. Plus, seeing her and some of the other lab techs get an episode spotlight here and there (along with making for more unique storytelling, too) makes things even more fun.
3: NICK STOKES
Appears seasons 1 – 14 | Played by George Eads
I think Morgan and Nick may actually be more on a “tied” scale (on this list) than anything. I have always liked Nick’s character; for the most part, he’s a good balance of gentleman and also… just a male. He’s kind to his female co-workers and because of the actor’s background, he has that Texas and Southern drawl which makes him, sometimes starkly, feel out of place compared to everyone else, in Vegas.
2: GREG SANDERS
Appears seasons 1 – 15 | Played by Eric Szmanda
I so like Greg. He starts as a kind of quirky and wild lab tech before earning his place as a field CSI. He works hard, and is earnest, with a love of old mob and Vegas history. He’s one of those good guy TV characters who also has a bit of a shy streak that makes him hard for anyone to dislike. Greg also seems like a character who was perhaps so popular, he became a permanent regular.
1: GIL GRISSOM
Appears seasons 1 – 9 | Played by William Peterson
If I had to guess, I’d say lots of people don’t like Gil (reasons I won’t get into because spoilers!). However I will say, as a boss, I do like him. I think he’s one of the more level headed characters on TV and as a boss, he’s a good character. As regards his relationship to one of the characters, well, I haven’t found out the full extent of that yet, so maybe when all that comes to light I’ll feel about him differently. However as it stands now, I do like him.
What about you? Do you like any of these characters? Who do you like best? How would you list your least vs favorite characters? Have you seen the show? Did you like or dislike it? Comment all the comments below. Let’s chat.
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Gil was always my favorite character, too, with Nick being a close second. I actually couldn’t stand Jules Finlay!
I have this love-hate relationship with Jules (and Catherine too). At times I like her, and other times, she does something that BUGS me. This was probably a little premature because I still haven’t finished the series fully and I’ve a feeling, there’s one or two more secrets I’m going to learn. :) I really like that Nick is more of a gentleman (mostly) and I think Gil is a solid, even keeled (which I LOVE) team leader compared to some I’ve met.
Older article, but I still love the show. This is tough… I’ve seen the whole series mutliple times, and it’s just hard to rank the characters when all of them have so many good qualities. To be honest, I think it was mostly a show that got better with time. Characters were a lot of that.
13. Ecklie. I’m so glad they decided to make something out of him. Good stories need a few a-holes, which he provides for very well, but he becomes so likeable later on.
12. Warrick. The troubled side of relatable. Warrick grows a lot, but unfortunately, the best part about Warrick is they did NOT mishandle his exit from the show AT ALL. If he really did have to go at all, that was powerful.
11. Ray. I am still TICKED OFF he didn’t end up staying longer, I was feeling his development. Totally agree his conclusion was a little much, but you can kind of feel that was ’cause he was leaving. Ray was involving. Exceptionally human.
10. Finn. She grew on you. Her outspoken “strong woman” act was too generic to take seriously, but she centered some of the show’s best moments. Also, that acting… Excellent.
9. Hodges. He’s another one I’m glad got to grow. It feels weird the first three years without him. Hodges is annoying in a good way for the story. For us, he just shows a little of the honest quirkiness inside all of us.
8. Grissom. Look… He’s the first lead. He made the show. He’s a unique person. I respect and root for him for those reasons. But if I said he was a big part of why I like CSI, I’d be lying. I think his “perfect-ness” feels forced, and a lot of his oddities are more off-putting than endearing. I’m still very glad things ended well for him.
7. Brass. Excellent guy. Easy to root for, but just not enough showtime to get super involved in. Also, props to the actor. He pulled out some range… When he gets to be funny, it’s funny. But when the real drama hits, it’s jaw dropping.
6. Morgan. She was one of the best “new characters” they eventually introduced. Her backstory was a little generic, but much more relatable than a lot of the over-the-top stuff they attached to some of the others. So well played…
5. Russell. Not only is Ted Danson a great actor, but he had a tough job to follow, and he does it well. The character’s life is genuinely involving, with all the family matters. He also carries the “weird” trope better than most. I cared about and respected Russell instantly when he started. He’s just realistic.
4. Catherine. She just isn’t going away. And I’m very glad about that. She’s an anchoring character. Her story quality varies, but she’s fantastic at the job and comfortable. Catherine’s at a tier where the job is her life, and that’s just admirable for this kind of story and the premise is depicts.
3. Greg. Greg’s growth is probably the most impressive. He probably has the least interesting story, but watching him climb the ladder is endearing. I frequently felt like he was underused. But what they do use is fantastic.
2. Sara. It’s funny how Sara grew to be such a big deal. But I think she earned it. Her story’s the most involving, it walks the line between Morgan and Warrick. To be honest, I wasn’t into the Grissom relationship for years, but by the end, I’m glad it turned out how it did. Puts a good note on the complete tale. Sara was one of the key players that kept me coming back for more.
1. Nick. Rather or not I like this franchise pretty much depends on what they do with Nick. He had the least personal story, but is one of the most impressive pieces of the show’s world. His growth details are subtle, but profound. He anchored some of the series’ best episodes, and if he wasn’t going to be the new main when the series ended, he ended up exactly where else he needed to be. I find I’m happy not knowing what happened after, because I’m confident it was good things. Nick’s arc summarized why I like the whole show. You couldn’t ask for a better outcome.
Thanks so much for sharing your characters rankings from CSI, Aaron! It was fun to read through them all. I agree that Greg and Nick both have less personal story or less “interesting” but I like them both SO MUCH. I actually wish Nick would have been given more of a story because otherwise his character kind of feels like someone who’s “there” but sometimes forgotten. Still he does get some powerful episodes and I too like the idea that his next chapter was more of an unknown so that we didn’t have to be possibly disappointed in the knowing of what came next. I too think Warrick’s story was well done. I never like when a character is killed off (I’d rather they leave if the actor is ready to move on), but this show did do well with Warrick’s story and I have to appreciate that.