SFist celebrated a birthday yesterday and was unable to post. Apologies. But the little gap in posting also gave us time to think some about the current state of television, and the conclusion we came to? We need more "Whodunnit?" "He dunnit!" "Howdya know he dunnit?" "'Cause I'm super-smart, that's how!" shows.

Actually, it wasn't us who came to that conclusion, it was the networks. How else can you explain the plethora of shows like "CSI" (1, 2, and 3), Medium, "Law & Order" (1, 2, 3, and 4), NCIS, Without a Trace, Monk, Cold Case, and Numb3rs? In all of these shows we have smart criminals and even smarter crime fighters. Eventually, the smart criminals are outsmarted and the show ends with the perp giving a speech that's the modern-day equivalent to: "And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you pesky kids!"

But don't get us wrong. We admit to watching and even liking a few of these shows. For instance, we can't get enough of Vincent D'Onofrio's kooky detective Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (AKA Law & Order 3). His Sherlock Holmes for the millennium can solve a murder just by looking at the knick-knacks someone keeps on their bookshelves. Yes, at times it's pretty ridiculous, but D'Onofrio keeps the show centered, and sometimes, if you think of it as a comedy, it can be pretty hilarious.

We want to avoid the obvious and not say that Medium is well-done, but we can't. It IS well-done, and that's what makes it rare. (Damn it! We did it again!) While the usual glimpses of grisly crimes and super-psychos are a staple of this show too, what sets it apart from the rest is the interaction between psychic Allison (played by Patricia Arquette) and her family. There's a very realistic lived-in feeling to this TV family. And Allison's husband Joe (Jake Weber) and their kids' reaction to her psychic moments are refreshingly nonchalant. The fact that we even get to see this super-sleuth at home is a rarity in a genre centered on the procedure and not the personal. Of course, her attempts to aid the D.A. in solving gruesome crimes is often met with angry resistance. But we'll forgive the show its need for some forced drama. This is network TV after all.

And lastly, we'll admit to trying to give the two CSI spin-offs a chance, but we just couldn't handle another second of that smug David Caruso, and CSI: New York's persistent gloom was a downer. We prefer our CSI served with a smirk, which is why the original Las Vegas-set show remains the best of the bunch. And David Letterman Top Ten Lists aside, we're still holding out for our very own "CSI: San Francisco." And we know just where the producers can look for some local inspiration!