"Cold Case" (2003) TV series 2003-????

Creator:

Meredith Stiehm

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | unknown

Release Date:

28 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Hope lives...because the evidence never dies.

Plot:

The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she's assigned "cold cases" -- older crimes that have never been solved.

Plot Keywords:

Philadelphia | Detective | Cold Case | Homicide | Crime Scene

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 8 wins & 23 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Dec. 27	2:35 AM	CBS	Jackals	#6.16
Sun. Dec. 27	10:00 PM	CBS	Mind Games	#6.18

Cast

Kathryn Morris	...	Lilly Rush (145 episodes, 2003-2010)
John Finn	...	John Stillman (145 episodes, 2003-2010)
Jeremy Ratchford	...	Nick Vera (145 episodes, 2003-2010)
Thom Barry	...	Will Jeffries (145 episodes, 2003-2010)
Danny Pino	...	Scotty Valens (140 episodes, 2003-2010)
Tracie Thoms	...	Kat Miller (92 episodes, 2005-2010)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | Chile:14 | UK:15 | Hungary:16 (some episodes) | USA:TV-14 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Dorris Place Elementary School - 2225 Dorris Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CBS Paramount Network Television

Trivia:

Songs played in each episode generally come from the year the crime took place, with some notable exceptions where the soundtrack features a particular artist or theme instead of a year: Season 6 episode "Wings" features the music of Frank Sinatra, Season 5's "Thrill Kill" features only Nirvana tracks, Season 4 featured episodes containing the music of U2 and Bob Dylan, Season 3 featured episodes containing the music of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, as well as the episode "Wilkommen" which featured music from "Cabaret", Season 2 had an exclusively Johnny Cash themed episode, as well as "Creatures of the night" which was set around the Rocky Horror Picture show theatrical phenomenon, and features music from the Film soundtrack.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Frequently, in various episodes, the detectives say that a gun is registered to someone (or that someone has no registered guns, or the like). There is no gun registration in Pennsylvania; it's prohibited by state law.

Quotes:

Nick Vera: What's wrong with my car?
Will Jeffries: Nothing if you like being single.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Chuck: Chuck Versus the Alma Mater (#1.7)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Nara

The best new dramatic series of 2003

A few years ago, I remember hearing stories about actual cold case squads, and how they successfully solved cases that went unsolved for many years. I was so intrigued by such stories that it soon occurred to me that it would be cool if there were a TV series involving characters solving unsolved crimes. To my knowledge, there wasn't one. But that has finally changed, thanks to this clever new show.

In my personal opinion, Cold Case is television's best new drama of 2003. What sets it apart from most other "whodunit" shows is that we see detective solving old crimes, rather than new ones (that, of course, is why they are part of the cold case squad). When characters associated with a given cold case are introduced, we get to see images of how old (or should I say young) they looked when the crime in question took place. When the case is resolved and arrests are made, we see an image of the murder victim (or victims). It's as though the deceased is actually seeing justice about to be done, and realizing that they can finally rest in peace, now that those responsible are about to get a long overdue punishment.

Cold Case may be dealing with fictional cases, but it just goes to show that there's no statute of limitations on murder. If you commit a murder, your punishment (whether in life, in the afterlife, or both) may be postponed, but it can't be prevented.

Since Cold Case is doing very well in the ratings, I am optimistic about its future. Hopefully, the show will go on for at least five or six years. I highly recommend this show.