'New York' Gets Personal

See Also: 'The Box' Episode Guide

The scientists take center stage.

The third member of a successful franchise, CSI: New York is well into its fifth season. Starting last year, the writing team decided to add more personal storylines and freshen things up. As revealed in "The Box", one such storyline involves Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) and Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) discovering that they're going to be parents. (Belknap is pregnant in real life with her second child.) The storyline "gives Danny a good reason to become a little bit less erratic and more mature and more focused," Giovinazzo shared with TV Guide. For Lindsay, executive producer Pam Veasey said the pregnancy "will bring new depths to her character. She's always been the Montana girl in New York, but this gives her a new sense of family. We'll see her relatives, and we'll see a beautiful new connection to Danny."

In the next episode, Danny will propose to Lindsay. Belknap didn't reveal what Lindsay's answer will be, but she said, "I know Lindsay is being sensible since the pregnancy came on so fast, but when we did the scene I kept thinking, 'Oh Lindsay, he's being so adorable. Just go for it.'" Whether or not Lindsay says "yes" right away, Veasey said marriage is definitely in the future for the pair. "Just don't expect a big wedding with bridesmaids and groomsmen," she added. "That's so not Danny and Lindsay."

The soon-to-be parents aren't the only team members with personal storylines coming up during season five. Another character-driven arc involves Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) and was introduced in "The Cost of Living". In the episode, a man who works for the Greek embassy attacked Stella. "It's always been my hope that we'd be able to reveal more about Stella's life outside work," Kanakaredes explained, "and since I'm so proud of my Greek heritage, I thought, 'Hey, let's go there.'" The storyline will continue, and Kanakaredes is also penning an episode about stolen Greek artifacts that may become the season's finale.

Other characters have personal situations coming up as well. A big episode for Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) is on the way, as is a story that brings back a woman from Dr Sheldon Hawkes' (Hill Harper) past. Don Flack's (Eddie Cahill) sister Samantha (Kathleen Munroe) will also be returning, and her alcoholism will continue to be an issue for the siblings. Craig T Nelson has signed on to play Robert Parker, a publishing magnate and nemesis for Mac in three episodes.

At its heart, though, New York will remain a forensic procedural. "We'll always be a whodunit and how-did-they-do-it show," Veasey explained. "But if we can open up windows on the human side of these characters, it makes it more sexy and adventurous for everyone. Plus, we'll always have Mac standing tough behind these cases." Kanakaredes said that the viewers deserve to know more about the characters. "What's amazing is that after a hundred episodes, it feels like we're just starting to get to know them," she said. "In many ways, these characters have never been more alive."

The original article is from the December 8 issue of TV Guide, which has Kanakaredes, Belknap and Giovinazzo on the cover. (Thanks to 1CSIMfan from TalkCSI for the heads up.) The information about Nelson's guest appearance is from Reuters.

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