CSI

Tonight is William Petersen's (Gil Grissom) final episode as a cast member of CSI. "One to Go," will air on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 9:00pm et/pt on CBS.

CSI is a fast-paced drama about a team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes by examining the evidence. They are on the case 24/7, scouring the scene, collecting the irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery. Gil Grissom, shift supervisor, heads the team of investigators at the Crime Lab in Las Vegas. The team includes Catherine Willows, a hard-working single parent with a checkered past and a teenage daughter she's raising on her own; Warrick Brown, a top analyst with insider knowledge of the gambling world; Nick Stokes, a true-blue stand-up guy who empathizes with victims via his own experiences; and Greg Sanders, the wacky tech analyst turned field investigator. The CSI team members also work closely with Capt. Jim Brass, the former chief, now assigned to Homicide, Dr. Albert Robbins, the ever-professional medical examiner and David Hodges, a lab technician with a specialty in trace and foreign-substance analysis.

CSI Says Goodbye Grissom, But Hello Taylor Swift and Much More

How is CSI recovering from the loss of William Petersen's Gil Grissom? By giving country star Taylor Swift her acting debut, freeing new star Laurence Fishburne to find out more about his role, and promising Petersen's return as a guest.

Grissom's last episode — for a while at least — airs Thursday at 9 pm/ET on CBS. Then the ensemble drama will turn to Fishburne's brand-new CSI, Dr. Raymond Langston, as he learns to investigate — and Fishburne learns who his character is.

"We don't know what the character is going to be," Fishburne told TVGuide.com. "The wonderful thing about this whole television thing is that we're all discovering it, we're trying to create it from episode to episode to episode."

One thing Fishburne's character won't be is a man with a genetic makeup previously considered common among serial killers. Initially, there had been talk that Dr. Langston would have such a syndrome, but the idea was later abandoned because the science that inspired it was outdated, executive producer Naren Shankar told TVGuide.com.

"Very early research on the character had indicated that there was a syndrome that was sort of more prevalent in serial killers," Shankar said. "That turned out not to be the case."

In addtion to Fishburne's new character, Swift will appear later this season as a troubled teenager whose parents own a motel. The episode will start in the present, then revisit the last year, season by season, Shankar said. The singer can expect plenty of dramatic moments, he promised. (The country ingénue also got to say a few lines on the latest Saturday Night Live, playing Little Orphan Annie.)

During a set visit, show insiders also revealed that The Exorcist helmer William Friedkin will direct the show's 200th episode — and the first in a long time to be shot in Las Vegas.

Petersen, who is still a producer on the show and is affectionately called "Billy" by his colleagues, will likely be on-set for the filming of the episode, but not in front of the camera, Shankar said.

Executive director Carol Mendelsohn promised Petersen would appear, however, in a future episode.

"Grissom will come back in an organic way, to visit or be on a case with the people that are his family," she said.

Joked Fishburne: "Billy said he would be back to make sure I didn't burn the joint down."

Asked at a news conference if he believed his casting would lead to more African-American actors landing lead roles in television dramas, Fishburne was reflective.

"That's funny because it's the question I asked Les Moonves when I agreed to take the job," he said, adding that the CBS president responded by naming The Unit star Dennis Haysbert.

Fishburne then linked Haysbert to his role on 24, in which he played the first African-American president, years before Barack Obama was a national figure.

"The good news is that I was asked to join this company because of my intelligence and because of my gifts as an actor," he continued. "And for that I am extremely grateful. The fact that I happen to be a man of color... well, I like to think of it as a bonus. In much the way that I think of the man who will become our president in a few weeks time.

"He is intelligent, capable, engaging and interested in bringing people together. And he happens to be an African-American."

What do you think? Will the new surprises make up for the loss of Petersen?

I didn't see the episode (just saw the last little bit of it cuz' I was watching The Office) but they were out at Vasqueze Rocks! I told Larry and had him switch his TV to see it but he didn't seem impressed! I need to watch it now! :P

I only caught the end as well, and saw the location.....I was thinking Roswell, too, Penny.

Don't know if there are any CSI fans out there but this is a big week for CSI! They are doing a trilogy!

CSI Crossover – ‘CSI Trilogy’ Teaser
For the first time ever, one of the CSI's will travel from Miami, to New York, to Las Vegas to solve a mystery.

Yes, the CSI Trilogy. The end of last week brought us promo images to the November CSI crossover that we first mentioned back in August. The crossover begins on November 9th (on CSI: Miami(episode titled “Bone Voyage”), continue in New York on “Hammer Down” to be aired on November 11th, and conclude in Vegas in “The Lost Girl” on the 12th.

There will be plenty of off-the-cuff one-liners, talking VERY slowly and taking things VERY personally this November when crime scene connoisseurs Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso and Gary Sinise come together on CSI: Trilogy. This three-part special brings all three CSI outlets together as they investigate human trafficking and organ harvesting.

CSI-Miami is on tonight at 10pm, CSI-NY is on Wednesday at 10pm and CSI is on Thursday at 9pm! The original CSI is my favorite and really the only one that I watch on a regular basis. If I have nothing better to do, I might watch the other ones.