For many viewers, we can’t deny that this criminal investigator was a heartthrob. It was probably because of Messner’s serious, on-the-job attitude and his playfulness. But we all knew that Messner was a bad boy, the kind with his heart in the right place. Messer was the quintessential bad boy. He came from a rough background and grew up in the shadier side of the city.
But nonetheless, he was a committed crime-scene investigator and showed real heart on more than one occasion. Too bad, “Montana” – better known as Lindsey – snatched him up. Yet, true to his bad boy nature, Messner struggled with commitment. In the end, he came right. Messner pulled up his socks and straightened himself out, showing his true colors and dedication to his family.
Melina Karakaredes — Then
You will remember this actress portraying Stella Bonasera who was the assistant supervisor for the dayshift team for the New York crime lab. We grew close to Bonasera as despite her petite build and deep golden locks, she packed quite the punch and was quite tough on her crew. Though she was quite a force to be reckoned with, she knew how to take a joke.
Bonasera tends to have a great handle on her job except when it comes a bit too close to her personal life. We must admit that this character’s personal life is full of ups and downs including boyfriends who take her hostage. It was sad to see the actress’s exit in Season 6 as Melina Karakaredes brought an interesting dynamic to the cast.
Melina Karakaredes — Now
You will have seen this actress around before, even before her days on “CSI: NY," Karakaredes made a name for herself on TV with the TV drama “Providence." “CSI: NY” did not miscast this actress when they gave her a Greek and Italian background. The actress’s full name is Melina Eleni Kanakaredes Constantinides, as she is of Greek descent.
She also speaks Greek fluently. In fact, Karakaredes might be currently preoccupied with rediscovering her Greek roots as she recently starred as Ariana in the anime series “Blood of Zeus.” Though she only starred in two episodes in this anime, if you are hoping to catch more of Karakaredes, you can catch her in the medical drama “The Resident.” Like in “Providence,” it looks like Karakaredes is back playing a doctor.
Carmine Giovinazzo — Now
Carmine Giovinazzo brought bad boy Danny Messer to life. Like his on-screen character, Giovinazzo was also raised in New York. Before his big break with “CSI: NY,” Giovinazzo had a promising career in baseball. He had earned himself a baseball scholarship with Wagner College. Sadly, after suffering a back injury, he had to quit and turned to acting.
Since “CSI: NY,” Giovinazzo’s career hasn’t really taken off, but he starred in the 2022 film “Breaking” and made an appearance on the TV series “Batwoman.” He is also a musician, with an episode featuring one of his songs. You might actually know this actor’s ex-wife, Vanessa Marcil who has starred in “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Las Vegas.” Sadly, the couple was not married long as they got divorced in 2013.
AJ Buckley — Then
Who can forget the sweet, but slightly insecure lab techie? AJ Buckley portrayed the lab techie, Adam Ross – one of the most loyal members of New York’s criminal investigation unit. Adam spends most of his time in the lab and most of the time being petrified of his superiors. Despite being intimidated by his coworkers and stammering through much of his work, Adam is a capable lab techie and is crucial to the investigation.
Though Adam’s main jurisdiction is the New York lab, he every now and then accompanies his colleagues to the crime scene to help them with evidence collection or reenactments. While Adam is one of the minor characters making up the NY CSI, we learn more about him as the seasons progress, including his love life.