Shankar: He's Reassessing Himself

Times are starting to change.

Laurence Fishburne is set to join the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation during the ninth episode of the season. Leading man William Petersen (Gil Grissom) will make his exit in the tenth episode. Fishburne will play Dr Raymond Langston. The former pathologist will become a consultant to the forensic investigators, and he will eventually join the lab as a CSI.

After the loss of Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) in the season premiere, the following episodes leading up to Grissom's exit will show "a guy dealing with a fair amount of loss and change in his life," executive producer Naren Shankar explained to USA Today. "He's reassessing himself in terms of who he is and what he wants to do next." Grissom's final episodes will bring back a number of important characters from his past. Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) returned in the season premiere and will be back for several more episodes. Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) will show up before Grissom says goodbye, and the miniature serial killer, Natalie Davis (Jessica Collins), will also be back.

Petersen's departure has taken its toll on those involved with the show. "Billy is the most difficult goodbye of all," said executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. "We've all been pretty misty-eyed for the last couple of weeks." However, the cast and crew are excited to have Fishburne join CSI. Mendelsohn and Shankar said the actor was their top choice to play the character of Dr Langston. "He has that penetrating intelligence that this show requires," Shankar explained. Fishburne didn't even know about the role until rumors began circulating that he was being considered. "I called my people, and I was like, 'Is this real?'"

Fishburne has been reported as a replacement for Petersen, but that isn't entirely true. While he will be taking a high-profile spot in the cast, Fishburne's character won't replace Grissom as the leader of the CSI team. He will start out as an entry-level criminalist. "It's going to be fun, because Langston does have a natural authority," Fishburne said. "But he won't have that position or rank. So that's going to create space for there to be some politics with everybody on the team."

The two episodes that Grissom and Langston share are going to be key for Fishburne's reception on the show. Fishburne explained that the audience "has this relationship with Grissom that is very, very important. If Langston doesn't have Grissom's blessing, the audience won't accept him." Petersen, for his part, won't be completely gone from the show. He will stay on as an executive producer, and Grissom might return to make an appearance at some point in the future. "I'll be back to make sure that Laurence hasn't wrecked the place," Petersen said. "And that my fetal pig is still around."

The original interview is from USA Today.

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