NYC Commish: CSI:NY Is Faux N.Y.
-- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/1/2007 12:09:00 AM
Are Without a Trace and CSI: NY the TV equivalents of those knockoff Rolexes for sale on Canal Street in Manhattan? New York City Commissioner Katherine Oliver seems to think so.
As head of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, Oliver has used tax credits and expedited permits to persuade TV and film producers to shoot in the Big Apple. In an interview with B&C last month, she called out the two CBS series for continuing to pass themselves off as gritty Gotham dramas while shooting in Los Angeles.
"It’s frustrating to see shows set in New York that are not made in New York," Oliver says. "Something like CSI: NY spends maybe five days a year here. You can see that it’s a fake New York."
The Brooklyn-born Oliver adds that true Noo Yawk shows, like NBC’s Law & Order franchise, have an energy that you just can’t reproduce on a backlot in Burbank.
Producers from Trace and CSI: NY did not return calls for comment. Should they decide to spend a little more time in New York, however, we know a guy who can get them a great deal on a Rolex.
