Spoiler Warning: This article contains very minor spoilers for the first season of CSI: Vegas.CSI: Crime Scene Investigation veteran Marg Helgenberger is in talks for a possible return to the CSI franchise. Per Deadline, Helgenberger would return as Catherine Willows, a role she played for 12 seasons, earning her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations. The CSI alum would appear in the second season of CSI: Vegas, which is a sequel to the groundbreaking 2000 series in which Helgenberger originated the role. However, Deadline cautions that negotiations are still in the early stages, so it is unclear if they will lead to a deal between Helgenberger and the studio.
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For a series franchise that began over twenty years ago, grotesque elements of CSI work common in crime procedural series today, like maggots (which go hand-in-hand with just about any series about forensics and dead bodies), were an uphill battle for the show’s creators to include on network television back then. However, because the original CSI was such a huge hit, gaining popularity for its exploration of subcultures that were often untapped in mainstream media, it began to get easier for the show’s creators to push the envelope of what could air on network television. Ever since the OG series has enjoyed immense popularity. In 2016, it was named the most watched show in the world for the sixth time at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival, despite changes behind the scenes.
“We kind of got away with more prior to the whole Nipplegate thing,” Helgenberger once told USA Today. “Then, all of a sudden, it was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. That can’t be done. That can’t be done. That can’t be done.’ I mean, more violence, but nothing having to do with sex and, like, oddities.”
Helgenberger’s absence was addressed in the first season of the revival, CSI: Vegas. In the opening episode, former CSI Sidle addresses Catherine’s absence in the crime lab (and absence when an old friend needs help) and explains that it’s due to the new grandmother’s trip to Dublin, Ireland, to spend time with her grandchild. If she does return from Dublin to appear on the series, it’s unclear if the role will impact her ability to continue on as a series regular in Season 3 of All Rise.
Two Weeks Ago, Jorja Fox Left CSI: Vegas
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News of Helgenberger’s negotiations come approximately two weeks after news broke Season 1 cast members, William Petersen (who plays forensic entomologist Gil Grissom) and Jorja Fox (who plays CSI Sara Sidle), both of whom also appeared in the OG CSI series with Helgenberger, are not returning to the CSI: Vegas. In a post on Twitter, Fox said:
Also leaving the series for Season 2 is franchise newcomer Mel Rodriguez, who co-starred as Chief Medical Examiner Hugo Ramirez.
Hey all you CSI fans! After much deliberating, I have decided not to ‘Sidle up’ for CSI: Vegas. For me CSI has always been a love story. The story that people can find love in the darkest of places and times. And the story that love, even in the darkest of places and times, can expand and grow roots and endure. I personally just can’t split Sara and Grissom up again. So goes Grissom…..So goes Sara. Wherever they go, they belong together. Thanks for watching everyone!!!!! Keep tuning in! I know I will. CSI: Vegas has an incredible team and it should be an amazing show!