‘CSI: Vegas’ Fans Divided After Character Returns at Last Possible Moment

CSI: Vegas did more than just bring viewers back to Los Vegas and reunite original series stars Jorja Fox and James Brass. As the sequel to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation kicked off on CBS Wednesday night, the show’s series premiere sparked plenty of discussion online with the return of yet original character. Warning: This post contains spoilers for the CSI: Vegas premiere episode, “Legacy.”

During the final seconds of the episode – which saw a new team of investigators led by Maxine Roby enlisting the help of old friends after the Crime Lab is put in threat of being brought down – William Petersen’s Gil Grissom made his return to the franchise, marking his first CSI appearance since 2015. Petersen initially starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Gil, Sara’s husband and the former night shift supervisor at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. He starred on the series throughout its entire 15 season run from 2000 until 2015. While Sara immediately returned at the top of Wednesday night’s episode, Gil was busy working on his boat, and didn’t show up until the final frames.

Fans had been ecstatic when they learned back in April of this year that Petersen was among the original cast members set to return for CSI: Vegas. However, his return in the series premiere was ultimately met with mixed reviews, with some long-time fans simply happy to see him back while others were a little aggravated that he didn’t appear until the very end of the episode. Keep scrolling to see what viewers had to say about the return of Gil, and don’t forget to check out new episodes of CSI: Vegas Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on CBS!

‘Missed him so much’

“Missed him so much,” tweeted one fan. “I’m watching the first seasons and he was a true leader. He taught, inspired and led his team. A boss I would’ve wanted to have.”

‘It was torture’

“It was torture expecting him to be there ‘any minute now’ only for him to be in the last minute only,” remarked one viewer. “But I’m for sure back next week. My OTP is baaaack!”

‘So excited’

“So excited to see Grissom – wondered when he would debut in this new series. Smart and clever as I remember,” wrote somebody else, who added, “Think may like new team. Folsom is a little like Gil IMO. Can’t wait next week.”

‘Happy to see Grissom back’

“William Petersen only showed up for 5 seconds and he illuminated the whole episode with his presence and delivery,” added another viewer. “[Grissom] is back!”

‘So mean’

“You’re so mean,” declared another person. “I’ve been waiting all night for Grissom and he only showed in the last 5 seconds.”

Not happy they waited ‘until the last moment’

“I’m intrigued! Sad I had to wait to see Gil in the last 5 seconds, but I’m intrigued!” tweeted another.

‘Welcome back’

“Welcome back [CSI] (now called CSI:Vegas), we missed you,” one fan reacted to the premeire. “Nice premiere episode! Great to see Sara Sidle again; look forward to seeing Gil Grissom in a full episode next week. :)”