CSI Miami: Season 2

Miami was the first breakaway for the CSI franchise and, despite a strict formulaic structure, the new team seemed looser, more real than the push button predictability of the Las Vegas prototypes, with David Caruso's sensitive leadership contrasting well against William Petersen's arrogant camp.

Season 2 has (thankfully) dropped the convention of running two stories in tandem and Caruso has been working on Horatio Caine's trademark mannerisms - the precise extraction of dark glasses from face, the hands on hips stance, the lowering of head to one side when speaking intimately - and has become even more the dominant force and moral arbiter, to the point of instantaneous sainthood.

Of the others, there appears less of Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), which is a pity since he had become an essential ingredient in Season 1, and more of Calleigh Duquesne (Sally Procter), the glam gun expert with the annoying voice, who was in desperate need of hands on experience after being treated as eye candy first time round.

The ever-wonderful Dr Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander), the in-house pathologist who treats corpses with a degree of kindness that would be exceptional even for the living, is left pretty much - with the exception of one episode, when she has an outside job - in the lab and the lugubrious Speed (Rory Cochrane) continues to look fed up, while doing his job slowly and efficiently. The new girl is Yelina Salas (Sofia Milos), Horatio's brother's widow, and the story of repressed passions between herself and St Caine continues to run. Also, in the wings, passively hovering is Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo), Horatio's brother's ex-partner, who has the hots for Calleigh. This subplot is nothing but a tease.

The stories are the usual mix of absurd, far fetched, fascinating and surprisingly astute. This being Miami, those involved in murder tend to be rich and influential, which brings Caine's political skills into play, not always successfully.

Private lives, as before, are taboo, with the exception of Horatio's dead brother's legacy. It turns out that he wasn't a good cop gunned down in the line of duty, but up to his neck in corruption and drugs, which makes it even more important that St Caine remains ethically untouchable.

Aficionados will be lulled into a sense of security by the new season. Caruso's performance has become even more stylised and, for many, sympathetic. Fans of CSI (Las Vegas) will continue to be rude, but those with open minds can rest assured - it's business as usual, with a definite confidence boost.