You may not know Anthony E. Zuiker’s name, but you know his show.

Zuiker’s the man behind “CSI” and its two spin-offs. He’s responsible for updating the police procedural and making phrases like “blunt-force trauma” commonplace.

On Thursday, the “CSI” creator visited Everett for a Bridgeways fundraiser. He’s working on a new show about mental illness and wanted to support the nonprofit adult care center.

Before the event, he spoke with us in the lobby of the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at Comcast Arena, touching upon Joe DiMaggio, violence on TV and the CBS show.

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Q: “CSI,” the biggest show on TV, attracts roughly a tenth of the U.S. population each week. Still, that’s a far cry from when “Dallas” would draw half the nation. Can that type of success be repeated?

A: I believe that the only thing that won’t be replicated is probably Joe DiMaggio’s hit streak. That’s impossible. The business is changing. I do believe there will be more successful shows out there than the “CSI” franchise.

Q: The show has become so popular that it’s triggered something called the CSI Effect — the TV show is said to complicate criminal prosecution, with juries expecting greater forensic evidence. Thoughts?

A: Laymen jurors like you and I, walking into a courtroom, now do have pre-existing notions of what forensic science is. … The bad part about it is that some people take the show so literally they feel you need a mountain of evidence to convict, that you need a chain of evidence from A to Z and without that, there is no conviction. People need to be reminded that “CSI” is a television show.

Q: Would you feel responsible if a trial was lost because of the show’s influence?

A: Anything that becomes this popular is going to have some level of negativism to it that can backfire. Do I feel bad about any individual case that might go the wrong way based on someone taking the show too seriously? I sympathize with that. I don’t take responsibility for it.

Q: “CSI” also has been a target of the Parents Television Council for its violent and sexual content. Do you worry about what you’re putting out there?

A: The council — they have a job to do and I respect that — but I think they should respect that at least our show is trying to solve a mystery, which is different from gratuitous violence or gratuitous sex for the purposes of shocking the audience. I think we draw the line pretty clear. And also when you’re the biggest show in the country, and the biggest franchise in the world, it also makes for a big fat easy target.

Andy Rathbun

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