‘CSI: Vegas’ Adds 3 Series Regular Cast Members for Season 2

CSI: Vegas has been a hit with fans, and now the series revival has added three series regular cast members for Season 2. According to Deadline, Ariana Guerra (Promised Land) and Lex Medlin (Drop Dead Diva) have been cast as new series regulars. The third new series regular is Jay Lee, who recurred on Season 1 of CSI: Vegas as CSI Chris Park. Interestingly, Medlin appeared in a couple of episodes of the original CSI back in 2010, playing a character named Sgt. Barclay.

Kicking off in October, CSI: Vegas featured original stars William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, and Wallace Langham, along with some new faces. It was recently announced that both Petersen and Fox will not be returning for Season 2, but Marg Helgenberger is coming back. The actress starred as Catherine Willows for the first 12 seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and will be reprising the role in CSI: Vegas. At this time it does not appear that Guilfoyle and Langham have exited the series, so fans can also likely look forward to seeing them in Season 2, alongside Helgenberger, the other returning stars, and the new cast members.

View on X

Notably, during a 2021 CBS TCA panel, CSI: Vegas executive producer Anthony Zuiker — who is the creator of the CSI franchise — teased others could return. “Anytime we can get any of our veterans back, it’s such a great plus for all of our fans,” he said, according to Deadline. “We have a couple more surprises in store,” he continued. “I could probably say that. But the fantastic blend of the original cast members with a brand new, diverse team in 2021 and beyond is such a great treat for the CSI fans and the franchise.” 

CSI: Vegas creator/executive producer Jason Tracey spoke during the panel as well, revealing that the show will consist of the traditional CSI case-of-the-week stories. However, it will also feature “a serialized arc that you saw begins in kind of dramatic fashion with an attack on Brass and on the lab itself, and sets in motion something that Grissom (Petersen) and Sara (Fox) primarily drive through the course of the season, but becomes something that involves all of our new characters as well.”

The producers were asked about the evolution of forensic technology, something CSI has long been known for utilizing. Zuiker addressed the possibility of revisiting older cases with new tech by saying, “Science has changed, technology has changed, forensics has changed, and I think the great benefit to the franchise for CSI: Vegas is you can really see the upgrade, in not only the storytelling, but the cinematic storytelling, and the forensic gadgets, and just how to tell stories in 2021 versus 2000 proper.” 

He added, “That’s what’s really, really exciting.Because we have a whole treasure trove of never-heard-before episodes, 814, we can go back and explore those for many, many seasons.” Fans can catch up on past episodes of CSI: Vegas, as well as the original series, anytime on Paramount+. Those interested in trying out a free trial of Paramount+ can do so by clicking here.