Early seasons were actually good

The cases were pretty interesting and gritty. Some episodes were really chilling. Many episodes dealt with the topics of rape and/or child abuse.


Later (as of around season four or so), writers just couldn't help but have Horatio say some "witty line" just before the credits, and those kept getting more and more ridiculous over the years. Also, some of the stunts that they had him pull were downright ridiculous (see the end of "Guerillas in the Mist" as the example). They also really screwed up his character by making him more of a vigilante later.


The locations also kept getting more and more unrealistic and phony as the series gone on. Almost every crime seemed to take place in an upscale neighborhood. Even the slums looked upscale. And almost all suspects/victims/killers seemed to be attractive, well dressed men and women in their 20s to 40s. In early seasons, the crimes really seemed to be happening all over Miami (put aside the fact that no single department would cover such large areas).

All the CSIs ended up going downhill after a while, with CSI:NY probably being the least affected, but CSI: Miami became a joke.