David Caruso: Acting Genius Or Acting Hack?

When David Caruso did his first season on NYPD Blue he was praised by critics for his exceptional acting and intense performances. And when I went through DVDs of the first season and the few episodes he made during the second season, his performances were works of dramatic art. They hold up quite well.

Caruso then left for a movie career which fizzled and his name became synonymous with an actor who gave up a sure thing due to his ego and paid the professional price. But Caruso got a rare second Hollywood chance to be a major star and took it and ran with it as the lead character on CBS’s CSI Miami.

However, now there has been a shift. Caruso is under attack in some quarters on the Internet, where Internet writer critics say he now forgoes real acting for a basic technique: he talks slowly, softly, sometimes averts his eyes from the other characters and puts on his sunglasses and delivers what some consider to be corny one-liners before commercial breaks. Two things can be said: (1) Caruso’s acting definitely has fallen into a pattern. (2) Some may feel he sold out or has lost his acting chops but his show remains a ratings powerhouse.

These two factors may be like apples and oranges. But just watch this YouTube montage of Caruso on his show. Do you see a pattern? And does it make him a less effective and more affected actor or a more skillful one?

H/t Methodshop.