THIRSTY FOR MORE??. Review on New Detective, The Case Studies

People, no matter their ages, have their own secret pleasure or passions of which they are guilty. Some love certain types of food (mostly desserts) while others will gladly and quickly lose themselves in a good love story (movie or book).

A friend of mine gets lost in one of the home shopping networks on TV and another thrives on an afternoon of watching soap operas. Mine is bit more out of the ordinary.

Be warned! This is MY GUILTY PLEASURE!

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How I love the DISCOVERY CHANNEL!

This channel has a unique blend of various subjects all done with the finesse and structure to make things even as gory as cadavers interesting.

From dinosaurs to home decor, this channel has it all. Most of the home decor shows are on during the day so, unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity to see many of them. But nighttime, however, is another story.

One such series on this awesome channel is National Geographic Explorer. That show takes you on trips all around the globe - to adventures you'd never dream of.

And speaking of adventures, Animal Planet is another adventure. On this show, you'll learn about dinosaurs, alligators and other creatures that live beneath the sea. You'll meet Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin and Nigel Marven - all of whom will introduce you to these marvelous creatures that, with us, co-inhabit our planet.

Should you be interested in how the FBI becomes involved in and solves crimes, then the FBI Files is for you.

(While these shows vary in subject, the shows themselves are repeated throughout the day. That's good because should you miss it, you can always catch your favorite show at a later time.)

There are just so many great shows I could mention but if I did that, I'd have no room to mention MY FAVORITE.

I have a secret passion, a GUILTY PLEASURE that might make others squirm. It’s a passion that gives me great pleasure – a great pleasure in learning something new and different.

On Tuesday nights, I’ll turn on the Discovery Channel at 8:00pm and until 10:00pm, sit back and enjoy the learning experience of THE NEW DETECTIVES. (Yes, other favorite shows are on at that time, but I’ll tape them for another day.)

THE NEW DETECTIVES is a show where real-life forensic scientists are called to examine the dead – often finding evidence of foul play. While the bodies of the dead supply their own clues to their demise, there are always bits of evidence lingering just beyond the sight of the human eyes.

For instance, in one episode, the charred body of a man was found in a burned building. At first glance, it appeared as though the death was caused by the fire but upon further examination by the forensic investigators, it was proved the man was shot and the fire set to cover up the murder. Now having a crime scene, the forensic investigators delved further to identify the deceased and catch the killer. Not an easy task! Things could and often do get worse.

Many times, instead of bodies, what is found is no more than a handful of bones – human bones. The forensic examiners are now facing the difficult challenge of reconstructing the remains as accurately as possible, putting a human face on nothing more than a skull in order to produce an image that might be recognizable to the general public. Once this is achieved, DNA samples are taken, and a full examination of the bones is made to determine the cause of death.

What makes this show so amazing is that it teaches that insects play an important part in learning how long someone has been dead. DNA can be retrieved from areas of the body other than blood. Example, did you know that you can collect DNA samples from the ashes of a cremated body?

This show will include actual file footage taken at a crime scene. The people interviewed are the real crime scene investigators and pathologists, not a group of actors. The bodies seen in the various clips of file footage tapes had at once time been living people. (Yes, the re-enactments are done by actors but the file footage is the real thing.)

The CSI series staring William Peterson is a great show but only the tip of the iceberg when demonstrating forensic science. It’s a series that I watch faithfully every week, but THE NEW DETECTIVES is what inspired CSI and many of the cases seen on CSI are taken directly from actual forensic case files.

So, should you find yourself interested in the real deal of forensics and not inclined to have a weak stomach when it comes to dead bodies, watch THE NEW DETECTIVES.

As gory as this may seem, it’s a great pleasure of mine of which I am guilty. I love finding out how things work – and that includes the science of forensics.

If you're THIRSTY for knowledge, watch DISCOVERY CHANNEL. YOUR THIRST WILL BE SATISFACTORILY QUENCHED!