Helgenberger: The King Has Left The Building

All good things must come to an end.

When William Petersen (Gil Grissom) decided to leave CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, it was hard for his coworkers to say goodbye. "I was an emotional wreck on Billy's last day," Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) told TV Guide. "Actually the last two weeks leading up to his departure, it was hard for me to keep it together. We had an amazing, sometimes turbulent, ride together, and I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else. The King has left the building."

Robert David Hall (Dr Al Robbins) spoke about Laurence Fishburne (Dr Raymond Langston) joining the cast in Petersen's place. "You don't replace Billy," he explained. "Laurence Fishburne is an amazing actor and a joy to work with, but Billy created a Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century. He's a true icon and somehow he avoided the usual divalike behavior that comes along with that sort of achievement. More than anything, he was a good guy to work with. He would hate me for being this sappy, but I already miss him a lot."

"After the very last scene where Grissom leaves the laboratory, I felt a wave of sadness," said executive producer Naren Shankar. "Billy had made us cut the scene where everyone hugs and cries, and I knew it was the right thing to do. It brought to mind an earlier episode when Grissom had said to Warrick [Brown (Gary Dourdan)], 'When I leave the lab, there's not going to be cake and a party.' Billy and I were discussing that line and I said, 'Alright, dude, I know where you're coming from.' Then I reached out and gave him a big hug anyway and said, 'But I'm gonna miss you.'"

For more from the CSI cast and crew, check out the January 12 issue of TV Guide, which has Petersen on the cover. Information courtesy of The William Petersen Appreciation Page. Thanks to Shane from TalkCSI for the heads up.

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