CRIME PAYS TV VIEWERS' PASSION FOR REAL-LIFE PROCEDURALS CAN'T BE CONTAINED.

Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer

If there were camera crews in biblical times, the faces of Cain and Abel undoubtedly would be as familiar as those of the Menendez brothers. The siblings might conceivably have starred in their own episodes of ``Forensic Files,'' ``Unsolved Mysteries'' or perhaps even ``Crime & Punishment,'' if the whole godless mess could be edited down to a swift hour of prime NBC real estate.

Through the centuries, murder, in fact or fiction, has remained an endlessly fascinating activity. Violent death is not just part of our daily lives in late-breaking news, it remains a fundamental ingredient of the entertainment churned out around the world.

On the small screen, the body count is rising in numerous true-crime programs that delve not only into the minds of convicted killers but also the daily grind of forensics detectives, medical examiners, cops, prosecutors, prison guards - and survivors. Cable networks including Court TV, Discovery, A&E and TLC now program nearly two dozen true-crime titles a week. The allure of the yellow crime-scene tape shows no sign of waning.

``Crime is the No. 1 thing people fear,'' said Barbara O'Connor, professor of communications and director of the Institute for the Study of Politics & Media at California State University, Sacramento. ``Even when crime rates drop, people are still preoccupied with their safety. True-crime programming offers something we rarely experience in our own dealings with the criminal justice system - a firm resolution. There's a degree of closure that most of us seek but don't get. The criminal process is often so lengthy and unsatisfying that to see it on TV where the right thing happens in an hour can be cathartic and reassuring.''

The cases that get repeat play on these real-life dramas are those that feature violent crimes toward women. As reflected in the extensive coverage of the Laci Peterson investigation, murder is examined continually on shows like Discovery's ``The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science.'' Producers say the failed relationships at the core of the crime is a major factor in high viewing among females ages 18 to 49.

``Our audience is more women than men,'' said producer Tom Naughton, creator of ``New Detectives'' and ``The FBI Files'' on Discovery. ``Our programs are often focused on violent crime perpetrated on women. These are stories of relationships gone wrong. And through the forensic science and technology used to solve these crimes, we show that truth matters. But we don't show the perpetrator - he's had his say by committing the crime.''

A steal at this price

There are two distinct types of investigative crime shows: programs that depend largely on dramatizations of events, and shows that mostly use evidentiary footage, news reports and recent interviews. With weekly production costs said to be in the $150,000 to $250,000 range, reality-based crime programs are cheap to produce compared to the $1-million-per-hour network dramas typically require. Additionally, video-verite shows like the long-running ``Cops'' have done exceedingly well in syndication.

Don't expect the bloodshed to stop.

``These shows tell a good story,'' said veteran TV newsman Bill Kurtis, anchor of A&E's perennial ``American Justice'' and ``Cold Case Files,'' who says the programs are morality tales at heart. ``You have the lurid crime itself, the mystery of solving it and the resolution of the bad guy going to jail. We almost went back to basics. There's no character development - it's just facts. We simply reflect the interesting plots of the real world.''

For a long while, Court TV essentially owned the investigative true-crime format. But in the last decade, other cable networks launched their own forensics and reality crime shows with the predictable result that the blood trail now leads to prime time. NBC's ``Crime & Punishment,'' an unscripted hourlong series that gives viewers a look at San Diego County prosecutors in and out of the courtroom, returns for a third season this summer. The program, which has the multicamera production values of a network drama series, is part of the powerhouse crime franchise of Dick Wolf.

``We like to think we have the same appeal as 'Law & Order,' '' said Kate Adler, a ``Crime & Punishment'' producer. ``These are not actors. The stakes are very high.''

Film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose ``Pirates of the Caribbean'' and ``Bad Boys II'' are among the summer's big-screen hits, has also been watching. His police drama, ``Cold Case,'' comes to CBS this fall after borrowing some of the low-tech style of true-crime TV.

``You've heard the saying about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?'' said Art Bell, executive vice president of programming and marketing at Court TV. `` 'Forensic Files' was on the air before 'CSI.'

We're glad they recognize this is a very powerful genre and that you can tell marvelous stories within this genre. The problem (for competitors) is they often don't know what tone to take with the material. They may drop out of investigative or court coverage, but we'll always be here doing it.''

The verdict is in

Court TV is having a good year, even without a gavel-to-gavel Menendez or Simpson trial (the network will broadcast the Robert Blake case with the next court appearance scheduled for Aug. 22). Based on ratings in the just-completed second quarter, the cable network scored a 0.9 household rating in prime time with 820,000 total viewers - its highest-rated and most-watched quarter ever. In viewers ages 18 to 49, Court TV saw an 18 percent increase.

Of course, Court TV would probably love to televise the trial of Laker star Kobe Bryant (they did cover last week's court appearance live from Colorado). Already, programs like ``Celebrity Justice'' have produced shows on the case.

The truth is, we've always been hooked on crime - before ``Quincy,'' ``Columbo'' or Sherlock Holmes, said Nancy Lavin, director of prime-time and daytime production for The Learning Channel. ``Everybody wants to peek behind the curtain and see what's really going on,'' she said. ``That's especially true of reality crime and forensic programs and dramas that take you behind the scenes, like 'The West Wing' and 'CSI.' ''

If fear is one reason people might tune in to something like ``Crime Scenes Uncovered,'' there are reassuring elements to be found there, too. Kurtis points out that he often marvels at diligent police work that retains minute traces of evidence years, even decades, after a case has grown cold.

``What amazes me isn't the number of perpetrators who get caught but the number who get away with it,'' Kurtis said. ``It's comforting to think that the act of murder eats away at a killer's conscience until he's driven to confess. But what usually happens is, an unsolved murder remains that way until someone on the periphery, like a family member or some sort of friend, turns him in.''

The forensics genre could also be having some unintended consequences. According to Kurtis, when TV crime shows explain in easily digestible terms how DNA found on a coffee cup or even a cigarette butt can lead to an airtight conviction, upstanding citizens aren't the only ones paying attention.

``We've seen interrogation tapes where cops offer the suspect a cup of coffee and it just sits there untouched for the entire police interview,'' Kurtis said. ``I think we might be having the side effect of educating the criminals about this stuff.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) PRIME TIME FOR THE TRUE CRIME

Tracing the steps of criminals has proved popular and profitable for TV

(2) A laboratory technician examines a vial of blood on TLC's ``Scene of the Crime,'' one of an abundance of true-crime shows on the air.

(3) ``These shows tell a good story. You have the lurid crime itself, the mystery of solving it and the resolution of the bad guy going to jail.''

Bill Kurtis

anchor of two true-crime shows on A&E

(4) NBC's ``Crime & Punishment'' looks at San Diego prosecutors as they prepare and try cases; its just-concluded second season featured John Philpott, right, and Officer Richard Barr.

(5) Court TV, with shows such as profiler Dayle Hinman's ``Body of Evidence,'' has just logged its most-watched quarter ever.

Box:

Crime all over TV