Danson Brings ‘Excitement’ To ‘CSI’, Helgenberger Opens A ‘New Chapter’
2 min readCSI: Crime Scene Investigation’s Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) and Ted Danson (DB Russell) are on the cover of the October 10-16 issue of TV Guide. You can find an image of the cover below (click to enlarge), and there’s more information after the jump!
Danson may seem like an odd choice to replace former leading man Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston), but the comedic actor brings a different dynamic to the series. “We wanted to get back to the excitement of the first few seasons and Ted fits our needs exactly,” Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn told TV Guide. “Having Ted around brightens every scene and adds a deeper emotional layer than we’ve seen in many years.”
Despite the addition of Danson, Helgenberger is still planning to leave the hit crime drama this season. “A day doesn’t go by without someone saying, ‘What can we do to change your mind?'” the actress revealed. “It worked last year. They convinced me to stay. But I really feel like it’s time for Catherine, and for me, to open a new chapter.”
Helgenberger added that “there are no plans to kill Catherine off,” but DB Russell’s presence in the lab may give her some perspective. “Russell was a threat to her career, but he is opening her eyes to what’s missing in her private life,” explained Executive Producer Don McGill. “She sees it might be possible to find balance between work and family the way Russell does.”
The full interview is available in this week’s TV Guide, which is on newsstands now! Sources: TVGuide.com and Margamania.
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Why not keep Helgenberg on in recurring roles like Khandie Alexander on CSI:Miami. Only in a different capacity away from the lab.
It’s her decision to leave, she is not being pushed out.
She’s been doing the show for 12 years now – that’s a long period of her life – it’s time to move on – I always said I would leave CSI when Cath does, and so there’s a huge part of me that doesn’t want the end to be now – but I’m prepared to accept that it is – as long as her send-off is tasteful. (And maybe involves her relationship with Nick 😀 )