‘CSI: Vegas’ Season 2: Marg Helgenberger Talks Returning to Franchise (Exclusive)

Marg Helgenberger has returned to the CSI family for its Sin City spinoff in its second season in her role as Catherine Willows. Willows is a single mother working as a crime scene analyst. Helgenberger ended her twelfth season of the mothership series in 2013, returning only for the series finale. For her work, she earned two Emmy Award nominations, as well as two Golden Globe nominations.

Premiering Thursday, Sept. 29, CSI: Vegas season two kicks off with the return of Catherine Willows as she persuades Maxine Roby to let her rejoin the esteemed CSI team in Las Vegas. The CSIs investigate the murder of a dominatrix found near her secret sex dungeon. PopCulture spoke with Helgenberger about her return to the show. She also dishes on working on two shows at one time, as she stars on the OWN legal drama All Rise, and what to expect in CSI: Vegas this time around.

PC: The last time we saw you on the CSI franchise, your character Catherine Willows was in the finale. But obviously, you left the show before that. I read that you actually initially left the show because you needed a break from playing a character for so long, and you were even a bit hesitant to return this time around. But what ultimately made you decide that this was a good move for you?

MH: Yeah, you’re right about that. I did leave because, for better or worse, I felt like the character, having played it as long as I did, it can be hard, but became a part of my identity, and I needed to step back and try other roles. But what brought me back was it’s a character that I played for almost 12 years. So clearly, I have a great love for that character and an affinity to her, and I always loved her. I loved her passion, her swagger, her conviction, her relentlessness to uncovering the truth. And I just thought, “What would it be like to…” It’s such a rare opportunity for an actor to be given a chance to reprise the role that she played a decade ago for a while.

But the story had to be a good reason why. It couldn’t just be something that was going to be a flash in the pan. And along with the showrunner, Jason Tracey, we came up with a combination of his idea of the Vegas Casino hotel that I inherited from my father, played by the late Scott Wilson. Because there’s always stories, especially with the gambling world, there’s always unsavory characters in that world. And then what I wanted to do was to somehow bring in the impact the show had on girls and young women going into this field becoming criminalists. Whether Catherine has a mentorship to a few women, a scholarship program. So it was the marriage of those two, which I really felt solid about. This is something that I can really get behind and something that I fully believe in and have passion for.

Now, coming back and getting reacclimated into the world, how was it working alongside the cast now when they’ve already done the first season, and you came back into the second season?

Well, they couldn’t have been more welcoming and gracious towards me. And Paula, who’s the lead, first of all, I just am such a fan of her acting talent and skills. She just brings so much humanity to the role and pathos, so that alone is great working opposite her. But she’s just so kind and gracious, as are all of them. And the producers, to walk onto a set of a show that…like you said, they already have a rapport, but they made it seem like I’d been there forever, and in a way, I had obviously. So I walked on the set with a lot of confidence because I’d played that role for so long, but then I walked onto a set that just gave it up for me. Just so much love, and I feel the same way about them. So the mutual respect is just too overwhelming.

It’s also very interesting to see how Vegas is used as a character, because the city has so much going on, and there are different types of crimes. So what types of crimes are you guys tackling in this season this time around?

Well, boy. And I’m also reluctant to say too much, because you don’t want to reveal too much. Of course, you always remember the ones you just shot…what I was doing in it was the processing honey from Honeycomb..because we were trying to extract volatile organic compounds to detect the presence of humans, because they can do that from the pollen that’s near a basin where bodies can be buried. And what else? Oh, there’s a gadget called the Raman spectroscopy, and Catherine gets so excited about this piece of equipment by saying, “Oh, Raman spectroscopy! It’s right up there with coffee ice cream. It’s damn near perfect.” I love that she gets so excited as if it’s the best sex she’s ever had or something. That amuses me.

Obviously, you’ve been doing this for so long, but it always amazes me when I watch these crime shows or legal shows and the vocabulary that you have to use to describe some of these crimes – or some of these illnesses or whatever. How much time does it go into you having to remember these words and fully grasp what you’re speaking about? How much research do you do involving all of that?

Well, initially, when I was doing the show, I did several ride-alongs with a woman who my character was loosely based on…this woman out of the Vegas Crime Lab, Yolanda McClary. Just being around her was invaluable. And I witnessed an autopsy and can’t unsee what you’ve seen in an autopsy. But also, more recently with some of the terminology, it’s first learning it, getting it out of your mouth take after take, and just trying to understand what exactly it does. I compare it a lot to just cramming for an exam when you were in school, because you drill, drill, drill, drill, drill, get it over with, and like, “Whew, thank God that’s over.” And then it goes right out your brain.

Yeah, because you’re onto the next episode.

Yes! You’re onto the next episode to learn some more science. Yeah.

And outside of CSI: Vegas, you’re also on one of my favorite shows, which is All Rise, which is now on Own. First of all, congratulations. I actually saw a screening for the mid-season finale at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Vegas in August. So congratulations on it returning. What are you hoping for moving forward with the show?

Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up because I love working on All Rise. I love the cast and the vibe on that show. It’s from day one. Seriously, from the pilot on. 

Yeah, and the fans really fought for it to come back too on another network…

Oh, they’re almost directly responsible for it having life, found life on OWN. So I certainly hope that it returns. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t. And how it will work out with CSI, we worked it out this season. At times, it was a struggle because I was working quite a bit and there was a lot of dialogue. And sometimes just getting myself to work and like, “Which freeway do I go?” I’m like, “Where am I going today?” But if both of them can happen, great. Awesome.

CSI: Vegas Season 2 premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. You can watch our full video interview with Marg Helgenberger at the top of this article.