We love violence

The "CSI" franchise is getting the credit/blame for turning prime-time television into one big gore fest.

There's certainly merit to the argument. There's no disputing that the original "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" took the art of special effects, make-up and computer-generated effects to a new level on series TV, not only realistically portraying the aftermath of horrific crimes but realistically re-creating the crimes themselves. In slow motion. And, often, in several different permutations as the investigators work through various theories.

Of course, the original "CSI" led to two spinoffs — "CSI: NY" and "CSI: Miami." And the success of those shows has turned CBS into a veritable warehouse of crime dramas, with shows like "Without a Trace," "Cold Case," "NCIS," "Close to Home," "Numb3rs" and "Criminal Minds."

Other networks have gotten into the act. Fox's "Bones" and "Killer Instinct" are very much in the "CSI" vein. (The word "rip-offs" comes quickly to mind.)

And you could argue that since the era of "CSI" ratings domination dawned, shows like the "Law & Orders" have gotten more violent and more graphic. Of course, you could also argue that the trend toward graphic footage began on "ER," which was spewing blood and guts long before anybody ever thought of "CSI."

Anyone who was surprised by the Associated Press report released earlier this week that noted a huge increase in violence on television hasn't been paying attention.

"During the last week of September, there were 63 dead bodies visible during prime time on the six broadcast networks. That's up sharply from the 27 bodies counted during the same week in 2004," AP reported.

Who's to blame for this? Rather than look to TV, we ought to look in the mirror.

If this stuff wasn't attracting tens of millions of viewers every week, it wouldn't be on the air. We like violence and blood and guts. Heck, we love it.

And that's not a matter of opinion. All you have to do is look down the list of the top-rated shows on TV and it's obvious — No. 1 "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"; No. 3. "Without a Trace"; No. 5 "CSI: Miami"; No. 7 "NCIS"; No. 11 "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"; No. 12 "CSI: NY"; No. 13 "Cold Case"; No. 17 "ER"; and No. 19 "Criminal Minds." That's blood and guys all over nearly half the 20 most-watched shows in America.

Television is like anything else that's marketed to American consumers — it sells what we're willing to buy. If none of us paid for junk food, fast-food joints would go out of business overnight.