CSI Without Gil Grissom
Is CSI Surviving the Loss of William Petersen's Iconic Character?
William Petersen spent nine and a half years playing crime scene investigator Gil Grissom on CSI. On January 15, he departed the show to pursue other projects and Laurence Fishburne joined the cast as Dr. Ray Langston, a former physician and college professor. Many shows suffer when a major character departs, especially one as pivotal and series-defining as Grissom. Others, such as the Law & Order franchise, change cast members regularly with little if any viewer attrition. After two weeks, how is CSI faring without its original and revered star?
Ray Langston is a New Addition but He's Not Grissom's Replacement
One of the biggest mistakes CSI could have made was bringing in a new lead investigator to replace Grissom. Audiences may not have warmed to a new character being the boss over the remaining original characters such as Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nick Stokes (George Eads), and Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda). Langston was personally invited by Grissom to join the team as a level one CSI, the lowest rank. As a "newbie," Langston is eager to learn and deferential to those with more experience and seniority. The respect he shows his colleagues makes it easier for viewers to accept him as the newest and most junior member of the team.
Catherine Willows Steps In as a Competent Team Leader
Catherine Willows spent many years working tirelessly and often thanklessly as Grissom's second-in-command for almost the entire run of the show, having been promoted to supervisor of a different shift only briefly in season five. Now it's her turn to call the shots. She's a smart, capable, hard-working investigator and she's also deft at the one thing Grissom wasn't: office politics. She's earned her position and is proving herself to be a strong, effective leader. Catherine is continuing Grissom's legacy of stellar investigative work but she's putting her own independent spin on it.
Grissom is Gone but Not Forgotten
CSI writers did not insult fans and pretend like Grissom never existed. He was too integral to the series and too much of an iconic character to viewers to take the approach of never mentioning him again. His absence has been deeply felt by the other characters. Catherine chose not to use his office even though she's earned it. When she offered it to Nick, he elected to share it with his colleagues, Greg and Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith). Lab tech David Hodges (Wallace Langham) has been prickly towards Langston because he held Grissom in such high regard. These nods to what Grissom meant to the characters and the show are helping viewers transition from the Grissom era to the show CSI will be now that three of its original cast members - Grissom, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) - have departed.
Laurence Fishburne was a Major Casting Coup
CSI pulled out all the stops when looking for a charismatic, well-regarded, and talented actor who could join the cast when Petersen departed. They struck gold with Fishburne, an award-winning stage and screen actor who has brought new energy to CSI. His portrayal of Langston is charming, authoritarian without being domineering, and quirky but not in the same way Grissom was. Whether Petersen had stayed or not, Fishburne still would have been an excellent addition to the cast.
With only two Grissom-free episodes under his belt, it's too soon to tell if Fishburne will be a longterm success for the series. However, the early outlook is positive. Last week's episode garnered 17.5 million viewers, only a slight dip from its 18.5 million average this season. The news was even better this week; the January 29 episode had 20 million viewers. If those numbers hold up, CSI is on track to finish an eighth straight season as TV's number one drama. It could thrive for many more years and through many more cast changes to come.
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