09 March 2009, Singapore – Come April, two delectable, high-brow crime thrillers will return to AXN, with the first and exclusive premieres of the latest seasons of Damages and CSI: NY.   In Season 2 of Damages, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) now has the legal world under her stilettos after her unprecedented victory over corrupt billionaire Frobisher (Ted Danson), but underlying murderous currents may likely undermine her moment of glory. Crime-solving gets personal in CSI: NY Season 5 when the discovery of a murder victim left in the kidnappers’ wake point fingers to one of the CSI team members.  Murder is definitely the crime-of-choice this season, in New York.

Damages Season 2
Tune in to a brand new season of Damages when it premieres on 6 April, exclusively on AXN. After clinching the Golden Globe and Emmy awards for her riveting portrayal of cutthroat veteran attorney Patty Hewes, Glenn Close is back to show off her acting prowess. This season, she’s reunited with William Hurt after their last collaboration in 1983’s The Big Chill. Hurt appears as Daniel Purcell, a brilliant scientist with an intriguing piece of personal history with Patty. He comes to her for help in a domestic murder case, which soon spirals into a tangled conspiracy involving powerful and sinister businessmen.

Not to be outshone is Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), Patty’s bright, ambitious young protégé who was thrust into the ruthless, back-stabbing world of high-stakes litigation last season (and lost her beloved fiancé in the process) and has now returned hardened and cynical. What do you do when you believe your boss has made an attempt on your life? Why, take revenge of course, by colluding with the FBI to put her behind bars. “You just want to arrest Patty Hewes,“ Ellen mocks the FBI agents, “I want to destroy her.”

Ellen has much on her plate, with another of her arch nemesis, Frobisher, coming back to life after surviving his near-fatal gun shot incident in last season’s finale. As the one who murdered her fiancé, Frobisher is a prime target in Ellen’s revenge plan, executed with some unexpected help from Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant), a mysterious loner who befriends Ellen in a grief counselling session.    

Indeed, as the Los Angeles Times proclaims, the convoluted relationship dynamics, the scheming characters and the brilliant acting makes the new season of Damages “a siren song of television to which, we, our beloved multitasking forgotten, can only surrender once again.”

CSI: NY Season 5
Not to be missed is the equally gripping CSI: NY Season 5 which premieres first and exclusively on 21 April on AXN. Following last season’s cliffhanger finale, this season starts off explosively as the manhunt for Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his abductor continues, after he was taken hostage at a bank heist. The mystery deepens as Mac comes to consciousness in a submerging car, with a dead driver next to him (who’s coincidentally not the abductor) and with no recollection of how he got there!

The premiering episode for this season in the US performed brilliantly with 15.55 million viewers, an astounding 22 percent leap as compared to a year ago. The pulse-pounding premiere sets the tone for what is to come for the rest of the season – with their high-tech forensic technology, the CSI: NY team will crack cases of deadly viruses, a murder at 30,000 feet, an explosive armoured car robbery and a crime scene that …disappears! Meanwhile, as they continue to make Manhattan a safer place, life changing decisions are effected for the team as Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) experiences her darkest moments; Dr. Sheldon (Hill Harper) copes with personal betrayal. Adam (A.J. Buckley) takes on career changes and Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) progress into another phase of their relationship. Most importantly, which team member was implicated in the discovery of the murder victim left in the kidnappers’ wake?

Season 5 takes it further with a touch of Hollywood glitz with special guest stars in upcoming episodes, such as real-life celebrity couple Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz, rap superstar Nelly, Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis) and American Idol star Chris Daughtry.

With murders and mystery rife in the city that never sleeps, be sure to catch the latest seasons of Damages and CSI: NY this April, only on AXN! 

Damages Season 2 premieres 6 April 2009 on AXN
Every Monday @ 11pm (SG, MY, PH, TH), 12pm (HK), 10pm (JKT)

CSI: NY Season 5 premieres 21 April 2009 on AXN
Every Tuesday @ 10pm (SG, MY, PH, TH), 11pm (HK), 9pm (JKT)
Note - CSI: NY Season 4’s finale will air on 21 April at 9pm