Fifth Season Of 'CSI' Will Focus On Characters

Now that the firing/rehiring of George Eads (Nick Stokes) and Jorja Fox controversy is behind CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, executive producer Carol Mendelsohn is looking forward to getting down to the business of filming the show's fifth season.

"We do want to challenge each of the characters," Mendelsohn told Zap2It. She noted that Greg (Eric Szmanda) will be leaving his post in the DNA lab to head out into the field.

"We feel that we're shaking it up a bit by having Greg go into the field," she said. "It certainly changes the dynamic. It provides a freshness to the series. The DNA guys make a lot more money than the investigators in the field, but you always want people to go in the field. It allows us to see the world through Greg's eyes. We like that very much." 24's Reiko Aylesworth will be filling in for Greg in the lab, possibly on a recurring basis.

But Greg isn't the only character who Mendelsohn wants to turn the spotlight on. "We would like to see some of Grissom's vulnerability. What is Grissom's fallibility?" Mendelsohn said of CSI's leading man.

Could it relate to Sara? No word from Mendelsohn, but Grissom, along with the rest of the CSI team will learn something surprising about their ambitious colleague. "We're going to realize this year that there's something about Sara Sidle we don't know," Mendelsohn revealed. "Not even Grissom knows, and he obviously has the longest relationship, going back pre-CSI. As we find out about this, a lot of what makes Sara tick becomes that, 'A-ha, I get it now."

And even-keeled Catherine will face her own challenges as well, some of them related to her biological father, Sam Braun. "Catherine is a very complex character, and what ultimately does taking a $250,000 check from her biological father (a wealthy and shady casino owner) mean?" Mendelsohn pondered. "She's got a dead-on moral compass, but once you take something from someone, how easy is it to ask for more?"

To read the complete story, which also discusses the Fox/Eads controversy, please visit Zap2It.

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