Question

Oh yes, I too hold my hand high and confess...(sigh) I watch them all. The new and all the repeats. I'm amazed how up to date their stories are. Like you say, ripped out of the headlines.

I'm also an avid watcher of all but the NYC CSI shows. Vegas and Miami CSI are very interesting. The only problem I found is that when writting a 'crime' story I tend to want it to be done in one hour. (strange...huh?) I think it reflects our fast life style or short attention spans. I had to put two stories togather to make my book a length that would fit for a possible sale. (just the facts...mam etc.)

With the events of the times we live in now I see lots to do a 'take' on but am not a good enough writer to get them done with speed. My hat is off to those that have that 'art' ability.
P.S. Don't wait till you're ready to retire, start that story now Brady. (wink)

I don't watch Law and Order, The Practice or CSI. Seen a few episodes from each every now and then, but I do admit that when I see the previews for the ones "ripped from the headlines" it irritates me. I think it depends on the case, but to me something like the Lacy Peterson trial is far to touchy a subject to be exploiting on a show. I know the only reason they make these real-life cases into television scripts is because they'll gain viewers, and I think that's just scum.

Of course, it does depend on the case, and the length of time that has passed from the case to the air date of the show... Months could pass but sometimes it still feels like they've whipped out an episode two weeks after the main event broke news.

Fiction can still be interesting, and sometimes it's more tasteful to just leave reality alone.

I don't watch TV much, but I do watch the Law and Order shows. I also watch all the variations of Animal Cops.

Law and Order, CSI (all of them), Forensic Files, Body of Evidence--I watch them all.

Joanne

I watch Law and Order (the original version) faithfully and the others on occasion. It's interesting to me how careful they are, in their 'ripped from the headlines' episodes, to have significant changes in fact and/or legal issues regarding the case, so that it's more like 'inspired by' than 'ripped,' IMO. I'm sure the purpose behind the change is to minimize lawsuits.

I have used newspaper stories as a springboard for fiction. My first national sale involved Jeffrey Dahmer and a fictional hustler and I keep clippings or summaries of small stories, often tragic, in an Ideas file.

As a mystery reader, I've found I can't watch CSI for many reasons. Their scripts are full of mistakes that don't take a science-person to spot. The high-tech evidentiary stuff has been in books for years and therefore isn't new to me. The women dress unprofessionally (but are male-viewer friendly!). The zoom-in to get some shred of bark, hair, or fiber often reveals something easily visible to the naked eye. Last (and a biggie), no city in the world has the funding for all the equipment they use.

'Mr. Maryn,' who works in the legal field, shared this article: http://www.bafo.org.uk/tv1.htm --interesting, no?

Maryn

I'm an old cop (retired) and try to avoid watching COPS at all cost. (That's not blonde hair in the avatar pic. It's headache-white! LOL) I do, however, watch Law and Order religiously, and once in a while, I tune in to CSI. Good program.

I can't say that I've ever taken a story idea from a headline, but I have borrowed details from a news story on occassion. For instance, I might use a prosecutor's "hang 'em high, it's an election year" attitude, or use some current event to convey a contemporary time frame.