‘New York’ Plans for Forlani’s Return

Claire Forlani is set to reprise her role as Peyton Driscoll at the end of CSI: New York‘s sixth season. (Spoilers after the jump!)

Peyton was last seen in the season three finale “Snow Day”, and she broke up with Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) in a letter in “Time’s Up”. Forlani’s return will coincide with the penultimate episode of the season, which will air on May 19. One of Peyton’s colleagues from Chelsea University becomes a suspect in the team’s latest investigation, and Peyton is reunited with Mac. “Peyton’s really happy to see [Mac], and it’s a fond memory for him,” executive producer Pam Veasey explained.

“It’s a surprise for him when she returns,” Veasey continued. “I think they both know that they’re fond of each other still, that there’s something that makes each other smile. It was a great relationship, and anything can happen when those feelings are sort of stirred again.”

Peyton will find out about Aubrey Hunter (Mädchen Amick), the beautiful woman Mac met in “Pot of Gold”, but there’s no telling which woman Mac will choose. “It’s actually like he doesn’t have to make the choice; it may be that these two women are trying to make the choice for him,” Veasey said. “It’s a great place for a character to be in: There’s an old love who could return or a new relationship and new possibilities. These are two very smart, talented, attractive women that are in his life.”

In fact, the resolution to this love triangle will not be revealed until after the summer hiatus. “It’s what we like to call our Twilight triangle,” she teased. In the meantime, Veasey hopes the fans will share their opinions about which relationship Mac should pursue. “We hope the audience makes up their mind and chats about it online over the summer,” she said. “We’d love for them to chime in and decide who they like or who they don’t like.”

“It will be answered in some form [next season], and we don’t know what that is yet,” Veasey continued. After all, both women are great choices. “[A]t this point,” she said, “all we know is that Mac is in a great place to have a relationship with someone.”

Of course, there are some fans out there who don’t want to see Mac choose between Peyton and Aubrey—not when Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) is right there. “There are always surprises on our show, so we can’t say that it will never happen,” Veasey said. “They have a really close relationship, and there’s always moments where they dip into a fondness and a closeness. You will see it in the episode where Peyton returns. Mac is surrounded by the women in his life; he’s got a lot of women taking care of him in that episode. He’s not a man without choices, but no one could ever say what he’s going to do. He’s an unpredictable soul.”