Prosecutors and judges despise the TV show
CSI and their ilk because of the false expectations these shows set in the minds of jurors. In a similar vein, Buzz Aldrin recently lashed out at science fiction writers for the public's lack of interest in real space exploration, as compared to the Star Trek variety.
Some reading:
The CSI Effect: Fact or Fiction http://yalelawjournal.org/2006/02/thomas.html
On television, if the CSI people do their job right, the jurors will have little choice but to convict. In real life, the false expectation of plentiful scientific evidence can create a bias in the jury if this issue is not properly addressed at trial. The investigative techniques portrayed on CSI are not always available or even reasonable. Yet almost eight out of ten Maricopa County prosecutors believe that jurors are disappointed in the lack of forensic evidence presented at trial.
ldrin Slams SF's Effect On Space
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=57491
"I blame the fantastic and unbelievable shows about space flight and rocket ships that are on today," Aldrin said in an interview during an ice cream party held by the National Geographic Channel at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., this week. "All the shows where they beam people around and things like that have made young people think that that is what the space program should be doing. It's not realistic."
Then there's that incredibly goofy show,
Numb3rs. That it actually won the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science speaks volumes of the quality of movies, cartoons, and TV shows that depict scientists, mathematicians, and engineers in real life.