Grissom Takes a Hiatus

William Petersen’s leave of absence from CSI to perform on a Providence stage will be felt by viewers for the first time on Thursday, January 4th.

Petersen’s character, Gil Grissom, is going on sabbatical to deal with frustrations that have been making his job performance difficult. “We’ve seen Grissom suffering from burnout,” explains Carol Mendelsohn, executive producer. “Now he has an offer to teach a seminar at Williams college, which he finds enticing.”

Grissom’s temporary absence from CSI will have a lasting effect on relationships in the lab. “He’s taught all of them so much that he realizes they’ve become his equals,” adds Mendelsohn. “And he’ll tell Warrick that he’s the rock of the team now. It’s a passing of the torch.”

According to Mendelsohn, Grissom’s departure will cause tension in his relationship with Sara. In a future episode, Grissom will try to make things right by sending Sara something.

The full article may be read in the December 25-January 2 issue of TV Guide.

Special thanks to Al Forno for submitting this story to CSI Files.

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