TV cop shows have done a real number on how people view forensic science as a whole. Real life forensic science is nothing like how it was shown on shows like Bones. Real-life forensic science is slow, and methodical, unlike the fast-paced, all-in-one detective work seen in tv shows.
The speed difference from real life forensic science and TV as stated is drastic. In the TV Shows DNA and results like fingerprints and gun ballistics in the matter of in-show hours, while in reality these types of results take weeks to years to be properly processed. Hours compared to years is a massive difference that really shows the unrealistic aspects of cop tv.
Another way cop tv drastically changes reality for forensic science is in the size/roles of the departments of the investigators. The shows have a small cast of characters who do the jobs of 100s of people. In real life CSI’s don’t do everything themselves. Detectives, CSIs, lab workers, medical examiners all work in tandem together doing each their own part, not just the show leads who have the skills to do everything( or worse they don’t even showcase it at all).
Analysts also are a real difference in how the evidence once found is interpreted. In real life there are several steps that analysts have to go through and understand in order to pinpoint unsubs correctly. They aren’t just given a single name, there can be hundreds of directions and possible options that they have to sort through to find the truth. Compared to the shows, most of the time the rapid fire evidence is always a 100% match to a single person who happens to be down the street doing their day to day task ready to be arrested.
Talking about being arrested, court scenes in a lot of these shows are also turned up a million notches. In TV shows, juries are presented with these absolute evidences every trial that leave absolutely no room for any reasonable doubt to be factored at all, while in the real world, the evidence for cases are often not so pinpoint but require logical thinking to be guided to a certain idea as lawyers both fight for the opinion of the jury.
I love cop shows, but once you go watch true crime on youtube or tv and see the serious difference between the two, it’s extremely hard to unsee.
