The cast, executive showrunner, and producers of the new series CSI: Cyber candidly answered basic, blunt, and even brusque press questions about how this new series differs from the already-successful CSI shows.
Welcome to cyber-crime,” executive show producer Zuiker commenced with, “where everything is amplified. Everything is 2.0.”
On why the new show’s focus is on the internet, instead of a physical location:
Executive Producer Anthony E. Zuiker addressed the press without reserve, stating, “To do this dance, we needed it to be fresh. CSI: Cyber is fresh. Something new. CBS is all about relevance, all about authenticity, all about moving the medium forward.”
The actors on the panel, including recent Golden Globe-winner Patricia Arquette, chimed in as well. “This is like the Industrial Revolution — an explosion of the way we’re going to live our lives,” she said.
On how the show will reflect what is really going on behind our screens:
Mary Aiken is a cyberpsychologist who’s worked for the European Crime Center at Europol — and she also happens to be one of the show’s producers. Her rich and distinguished background offers the show what many other crime dramas cannot: “an authentic interpretation of cyber-crime.”
Patricia Arquette then posed a question to the audience. “We are at a dawn of a new time. What does this new technology mean in our lives?” Fellow cast member Pete MacNicol reminded us, “There are so many bad guys out there.” Charley Koontz also added, “Cyber crimes are terrifyingly random, which makes them all the more terrifying to victims.”
It’s alarming stuff, to be sure, but when Mary Aiken took the stage again, she made it clear that it’s not just about fear — it’s about taking action in the face of it. “We are not in the business of inducing paranoia. The show will encourage people to think about their digital exhaust… every contact leaves a trace.”