True Crime

A new reality show lets fans of forensic dramas try their hand at solving real-life murders.

On July 31, Spike TV premiered a brand new reality show whose premise will seem familiar to fans of the CSI franchise. On Murder, the viewers at home tag along as homicides are investigated and the truth is uncovered. But what makes this show different from the other forensic crime series on television? The cases are real, but the investigators are amateurs.

The contestants on Murder are only given 48 hours to walk through a crime scene to collect evidence, talk to a real coroner about cause of death, watch video of suspects being interrogated and ultimately figure out who committed the crime. Luckily for the families of the victims involved, they don't have to rely on the contestants being correct. All of the cases used on Murder have been solved, the crime scenes are merely elaborate reconstructions using dummies and the names and identifying details in the cases have been changed to protect the victims and their families. Rather than receiving a cash prize, the winners each week have a donation made to a victim's charity in their name.

How did the show's creators decide which real-life cases to use for the show? "We literally went through thousands of murders," said executive producer Kevin Lee. "It's hard to find cases that work well for the show because the vast majority are solved via confessions and eyewitnesses. These are whodunits solved via interpretation of evidence. We worked with local police departments, and they provided us with archival material to make sure it's accurate."

The premiere episode of Murder, "Hometown Homicide", was about the case of a man and woman shot to death in their bedroom. The crime scene reconstruction was painstakingly exact, and that's vital according to the show's host Detective Tommy LeNoir. "The crime scene is the alpha and omega of any murder," the 27-year law enforcement veteran said at a Spike TV conference. "You have to be incredibly meticulous and incredibly patient and incredibly tenacious. Where people in my profession make their biggest mistakes is when they start making assumptions and presumptions of what occurred."

The contestants on Murder are not immune to mistakes. In Andrew Lyons' review of "Hometown Homicide" for Media Life, he pointed out that "[a]s soon as the competitors come up with a theory as to what might have happened, something emerges to prove them wrong. The contestants were obviously picked for their strong-willed personalities, and there are the predictable ego clashes. Le Noir is wonderfully prickly, barely able to hide his impatience with his apprentices’ shoddy work."

Spike TV is re-showing the premiere episode of Murder on Wednesday, August 1 and Saturday, August 4. Check your local listings for air times. The episode can also be watched online. New episodes will air each Tuesday on Spike TV.

The official page for Murder can be found at the Spike TV website. Reviews for the premiere episode can be found at Boston.com, Media Life, Star-Telegram and Post Gazette.

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