New Characters And New Stories Are On The Way

The CSI series have a lot in store.

The final episode for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Gil Grissom (William Petersen) as a regular character airs January 15, and Michael Ausiello warned fans not to miss the end of "One to Go". "You do not want to miss the final scene," the columnist said on the Ausiello Files. "Trust me." He also revealed that Entertainment Weekly will have a cover story about CSI for the issue going on sale Friday, January 9.

In other CSI news, E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos reported that the newest addition to the cast, Laurence Fishburne (Dr Raymond Langston), might be planning a trip to Florida. CSI: Miami's David Caruso (Horatio Caine) said he'd spoken to Fishburne, and the actor was open to doing a crossover. "I've been on all three CSIs, and I take that as a badge of honor," Caruso told Watch With Kristin. "The [crossovers] really work, so I hope we get to do one."

According to Ausiello, Miami is casting someone to play a new lab tech. The addition, Dave Benton, may become a recurring character on the show. Ausiello described Benton as "a twentysomething who's like a cross between Dave Navarro and Mr. Wizard" and said he will help Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo) crack a case.

For the third member of the franchise, CSI: New York's coroner-turned-CSI Dr Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) has a personal storyline coming up in the first episode back from the winter hiatus, "Help". The rape and murder of a young musician hits close to home for Hawkes. "The evidence [points to] the same person who raped my ex-girlfriend. That incident is what caused our breakup" Harper told TV Guide. "He was a surgeon then and felt helpless. He could stitch someone up, but he couldn't fix her internal pain."

The case brings back all of those old feelings, and the episode provided Harper with a chance to do a "powerful" scene with Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor). "It's rare that two male characters on a procedural have a conversation about something that is going on in their own hearts or personal lives," Harper shared. And the actor said he would like his character to have a romantic interest, whether it is the ex-girlfriend from this episode, played by Nichole Galicia, or someone else. "I definitely want Hawkes to have a girlfriend," he revealed. "There's a measure of closure by the end of the episode that gives Hawkes the opportunity to move on and have a healthy relationship."

Also in New York news, Julia Ormond is set to return for two more episodes in February as Mac's new boss, Deputy Inspector Gillian Whitmore. The actress told TV Guide she signed on to do the three episode arc after the producers included a storyline that is close to her heart. Ormond founded the Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET), and one of her upcoming episodes deals with human trafficking. "It's fabulous how they wove it in," Ormond explained. "A Russian girl is brought into the forced sex trade... This has a poignant resonance to Gillian."

The original spoilers are from the Ausiello Files, Watch With Kristin and TV Guide. A special thank you to Shane from TalkCSI for the TV Guide information.

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