From Forensics Mag:
It’s very rare to find television writers who blatantly disregard the staples of forensic science. But for the most part, the nuts and bolts of analysis is simply not dramatic. Analyzing slides. Entering data into a computer grid. Checking boxes and writing up reports. That is not entertaining. That is tedious, important hard work most audiences are not interested in watching as they unwind at the end of the day. What is interesting however, are the results of that hard work. This is precisely why over a commercial break, weeks or months of painstaking forensics and research can be summed up by one tight line of dialogue. “We analyzed the DNA … it matches the victim’s brother!" Just like that. Countless, painstaking hours of work gets compressed and accelerated for the result so the storytellers can literally cut to the chase.
This is largely why so many shows skip over the realities of forensic science and monotonous police work. Why cornerstone network procedural crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Law & Order or Criminal Minds do not aspire to educate viewers on the specifics of the scientific process. They are formulaic structured animals where the heroes have less than fifty minutes of screen time to solve a case (and probably grapple with a personal crisis no less). These types of shows aspire to be grounded and truthful enough so that the viewer will be entertained. And in most cases, the writers are not trying to belittle the amount of painstaking work real-life professionals do, but merely aspiring to entertain audiences by using the same tools.
Crime shows tend to establish their own distinct set of rules and guidelines when handling forensics and police procedure. Compare for example, Law & Order SVU to Elementary. Both are modern day network cops shows set in New York City, yet they tackle forensic science and police procedure extremely differently. In most cases showrunners (and or studio or network executives) overseeing the creative aspects of the narratives will have their own personal tastes that determine how generic or how concise the science must be explained. Some showrunners will cast aside aspects of forensics and cop work while others will insist on drilling down into specifics. (Read more.)
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