'CSI' Gets A 'Fun, Spunky And Sassy' New Scientist

Sin City welcomes a mysterious new criminalist.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation faced some upheavals in season eight. First, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) quit her job, and then Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) was shot in the season finale. New CSI Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith) will join the crime lab in the midst of this turmoil during the third episode of the upcoming ninth season, but she isn't fully aware of it.

"Obviously the show has had a few losses, but Riley has no idea what's going on," Smith told TV Guide. "She doesn't really care much about what's just happened. She's like, 'Whatever, I'm here. Let's work.'"

Nobody in the Las Vegas crime lab knows Riley's story, so she brings a bit of mystery to CSI. She also brings a "fun, spunky and sassy" personality according to Smith. "I hope the character will bring a little bit of fresh energy and a lighter feel [to the show]," she said.

One thing Riley will definitely bring is a new dynamic with team leader Gil Grissom (William Petersen). "For the first time in our group, we have somebody who wasn't mentored by Grissom, so she has a very different relationship with him," executive producer Naren Shankar explained. "She's a little smart--the way the others were with him in the first couple of seasons. There wasn't that deference and automatic acceptance of 'Oh, it's Grissom saying so, so it's gotta be real.'"

Smith admitted that she was nervous about joining such a well-established show. "It's daunting because everyone knows each other so well," she said. "I mean, they've been doing this since 2000!" The cast and crew quickly made her feel at ease. "They're such a family," she explained. "Day 1, Billy Petersen came up to me and gave me a giant hug."

The original article is from the August 25-31 issue of TV Guide. Thanks to CSI_Kat from TalkCSI for the heads up.

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