On CBS procedurals, cops can do no wrong

Los Angeles Times

From the NCIS franchise to the FBI franchise to the newly rebooted CSI franchise, law enforcement shows on CBS "play to our desire to believe in, or confirm our belief in, law enforcement as capable, reliable, idealistic, free from corruption and outside of politics or prejudice," says Robert Lloyd. "Where bad apples threaten to ruin the barrel they are typically cored and turned to applesauce by hour’s end, unless it’s a two-part story or a seasonal arc. (The real-world news appears to be split between stories about local, state and federal officers doing their jobs, sometimes in the face of pressure, or not doing their jobs, sometimes because of outside pressure, from without or within the department.) Indeed, their predictability is a feature, not a bug; these are shows for people who don’t like surprises, other than the usual jumping-from-behind-the-door and it-was-that-guy-all-along. At bottom, they are all about reassurance and victory over evil."