Unusual characters are woven into the fabric of CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," but Thursday will be the first time the show's cast list includes a truck.
The final episode of "CSI's" fifth season, a two-hour extravaganza directed by Quentin Tarantino, has inspired a wealth of original content unavailable anywhere but on www.CBS.com.
The truck in question is the Mobile Analysis Unit, a new forensics vehicle designed by sponsor GMC specifically for "CSI," and starting Monday, fans can go online to join "CSI" co-star George Eads for a tour. A second video tour with "CSI" technical adviser Richard Catalani also is available.
"The forensic vehicle really is a mobile crime unit," said David Katz, CBS senior vp strategic planning and interactive ventures. "We're treating the Mobile Analysis Unit like a new character that's being introduced, so it will have its own profile and flash biography just like the regular members of the cast."
Most viewers already know that there is an extensive Web site devoted to the popular series, with lots of video and biographies of the characters as well as the actors who play them. A particularly interesting feature is the handbook, an interactive encyclopedia of the tools and terminology used on the show that often is cross-referenced to the specific episode in which the word occurred.
"The show really lends itself to having a robust Web site," Katz said. "The franchise is so important to us and lends itself so well to the experience."
Even so, this is the first time CBS has produced original content for the Web relating to a sponsor featured on "CSI."
The site also will offer a link to the GM Web site along with a sweepstakes fans can enter for a chance to win a Yukon Denali XL.
The online offerings will grow over the coming six weeks.
Among the exclusive video content on CBS.com will be interviews with Tarantino and the show's producers.
"There is almost as much video being rolled out as there is in an episode of 'CSI,"' Katz said. "This is 40 minutes of exclusive video created specifically for this Web experience and not available anywhere else."
In a technical first, Katz said that this is the first time the site has relied entirely on flash-based streaming rather than use RealNetworks or Microsoft's Windows Media technology. "We wanted to have a very cool, creative experience on the home page, and we think the user experience will be outstanding," he said. "This is the right opportunity to dip our toe in the water on that.
