Summary

• Gil Grissom's exit posed a challenge for CSI's producers in finding a suitable replacement.
• Catherine Willows, Dr. Ray Langston, and D.B. Russell were all attempted replacements for Grissom.
• Petersen's iconic portrayal made finding a replacement for him challenging.

William Petersen as Gil Grissom was the face of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for several seasons until his exit from the series, and CBS tried to replace Grissom numerous times until the show ended in 2015. The procedural forensics crime drama television series, created by Anthony E. Zuiker, ran for 15 seasons after its premiere in October 2000, and its cultural impact is significant and undeniable. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was the beginning of a franchise, including multiple spin-offs (CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, CSI: Cyber, and CSI: Las Vegas). But the original show is undoubtedly the franchise at its greatest.

Grissom was the graveyard shift CSI supervisor at the Las Vegas lab in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, meaning he was the boss (and the show's main character). Petersen was a series regular for multiple seasons until he decided to leave CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in the middle of the ninth season. Consequently, another character had to fill Grissom's shoes, not only as the CSI supervisor but also as the face of the CBS crime drama series. However, the producers seemingly had a tough time trying to find someone who could measure up to Grissom.

CSI Tried To Replace Gil Grissom 3 Times

Following Grissom's exit from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Catherine Willows was the sensible option for his replacement as the head of the Las Vegas lab. Willows, played by Marg Helgenberger, had been Grissom's second in command as the graveyard shift CSI assistant supervisor since the beginning. So, it wasn't surprising when Willows succeeded Grissom as the supervisor following his departure in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 9, episode 10. Additionally, CBS brought in Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Ray Langston, a CSI level II, to step in as the face of the show until his exit in the season 11 finale.

Petersen's portrayal of the CBS crime drama's lead character was one of the factors that led to its success, so replacing him was no easy feat.

Willows was demoted following a scandal revolving around a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation case that happened under her command in the season 11 finale. The department brought in a new character to replace her as the boss — D.B. Russell, played by Ted Danson. Starting in the season 12 premiere, Russell was the supervisor of the lab, and Danson was the new face of the series. Given Danson's fame, CBS securing him as the lead was a no-brainer. Russell was the boss until the series finale ("Immortality"), which featured him leaving Las Vegas.

Helgenberger reprised her role as Willows in the series finale, and after Russell stepped down as the graveyard shift CSI supervisor, Willows got her old job back. The actress previously exited the CBS crime drama in season 12, episode 12, as Willows had accepted a job at the FBI in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Ultimately, the producers tried to replace Grissom three times — once (or twice if counting the finale) with Helgenberger's Willows, once with Fishburne's Dr. Langston, and once with Danson's Russell.

Why It Was So Difficult For CSI To Replace Gil Grissom

Although CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's episodes were never the same after Grissom left, and the nine seasons that featured him as the supervisor were undoubtedly the show's best.

The producers tried their hardest to find someone worthy of replacing Grissom as the face of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation by bringing in noteworthy actors like Fishburne and Danson. While their star power likely contributed to the series' lasting six seasons after Petersen left, no one could fill Grissom's shoes. He was just too likable of a character, and his constant presence on the show for almost 200 episodes made viewers accustomed to the idea of Grissom as the boss.

Why William Petersen Left CSI (& Why He Returned In CSI: Vegas)

After working as a series regular on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for more than eight seasons, many were surprised to learn that Petersen was leaving the show in 2009. According to Entertainment Weekly, Petersen chose to exit the CBS crime drama because he wanted to try something new, so he pursued a career in theater in Chicago. The actor explained:

"The reason I'm leaving is because I'm afraid I’m becoming too comfortable. It's CSI — they pay me a lot of money, and I don't have to work very hard anymore. I've got it all figured out. And I just realized, God, as an artist, I'm going to atrophy. You do anything for nine years, it becomes somewhat rote. I didn't want to be on the show because they were paying me money and I liked the money. I didn't want to be on the show because it saved me from having to go look for other jobs. Just didn't want it. It was too safe for me at this point. So I needed to try and break that, and the way to do that, for me, is the theater."

Thankfully, Petersen returned for the series finale to give closure to his character, and he reprised his role as Grissom in CSI: Vegas, the franchise's fourth spin-off. The actor had a significant presence on the show during its first season, but Petersen only agreed to star in ten episodes of CSI: Vegas [per Looper], so Grissom didn't return in season 2. Nevertheless, Grissom is one of the best characters in the CSI franchise, and his role in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was too great to replace.

New episodes of CSI: Las Vegas season 3 air Sundays at 9 pm ET on CBS.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Looper