The Show Must Go On

See Also: 'Cockroaches' Episode Guide

It's time to move forward.

Now that William Petersen (Gil Grissom) has said goodbye to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Marg Helgenberger's character Catherine Willows will take charge of the team. "There's no anxiety whatsoever, because Catherine's sort of been in charge in a lot of ways when Grissom was still around because he didn't particularly like some of the tasks of running a crime lab and I would just pick up, like most wives do," Helgenberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Obviously we weren't married on the show, but the relationship was something like that of a marriage, and I just did things seamlessly without being told."

Helgenberger isn't the only one making a natural transition now that Petersen is gone. George Eads (Nick Stokes) also finds himself slipping into a new role on the team. "George has been mentored by Billy Petersen and Nick Stokes has been mentored by Grissom," Eads explained to Film.com. "I'm going to be taking on the mantle of mentor. I'm going to be moving into Grissom's office, or sharing it." As CSI Files previously reported, Nick will share the office with Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) and Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith).

Now that Petersen is out, Laurence Fishburne (Dr Raymond Langston) is officially in. He will join the team as a new CSI, and his addition was welcome for those in charge of the show. "It has been a pure joy and so exciting for us," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said to the Fresno Bee. "When Laurence agreed to do the show, you could see every member of the crew and the writers patting themselves on the back and doing a little dance because we must be doing something right."

Although Langston is a former pathologist, the role of a forensic investigator is new to him. "We're with him on his first graveyard shift, the audience can see through his eyes the process and we show how to process fingerprints, how to collect evidence, what to wear to a crime scene," Mendelsohn told the Post-Gazette. "These are all issues we'll address in these future episodes."

One thing Fishburne might add on his own is humour, according to costar Wallace Langham (David Hodges). "He's got a very wry sense of humour that I think he'll bring to the character," Langham told Film.com. "He's a great actor, so I know he'll become a major force on the show. But I'll still be the funniest guy."

Even though Langston will be the newest addition to the team, fellow newbie Riley will get some focus on CSI soon. In an upcoming episode, the audience will get to see why Riley "seems to have a chip on her shoulder," Smith told Mega Buzz. Someone close to the character was the victim of a crime, and Riley is still working through her feelings.

In other news regarding upcoming episodes, executive producer Naren Shankar mentioned the appearance of country star Taylor Swift. As CSI Files previously reported, this will be her first acting gig. Also coming up is the 200th episode, which will be directed by William Friedkin ("Cockroaches"). The episode will air in the spring, and the story revolves around "the exotic world of Mexican wrestling," as Shankar told The Star. He went on to say, "That ought to be a blast."

The original articles are from Mega Buzz, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Fresno Bee, Film.com and The Star.

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