William Peterson Exits ‘CSI: Vegas’, and Fans Are Devastated

Longtime CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fans are used to episodes of the show without William Petersen, but that didn’t mean anyone was happy to see him leave again. On Wednesday, CBS delivered mixed news for fans, as CSI: Vegas was renewed for a second season, but Petersen will not be back. It’s not certain if Jorja Fox will return, either. Fans quickly took to Twitter to express their disappointment over the development.

CSI: Vegas finished its 10-episode first season on Dec. 8, and CBS picked up the show a week later. The series featured Petersen and Fox back as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, respectively. Paul Guilfoyle and Wallace Langham also returned as Jim Brass and David Hodges. Grissom and Sidle joined a new group of crime scene investigators played by Paula Newsome, Matt Lauria, Mandeep Dhillon, and Mel Rodriguez.

While all of the new actors are set to return, sources told Deadline that Petersen only signed on for the first season and will retain an executive producer credit on Season 2. Fox also did not sign on for Season 2, but producers are “hopeful” that she will be back so the show can at least continue with one original CSI cast member.

‘Gil Grissom is the reason I checked out ‘CSI: Vegas”

Unlike the original series, CSI: Vegas had a single, serialized storyline for its first 10 episodes. When the show began, Las Vegas Crime Lab chief Max Roby (Newsome) asked Grissom and Fox to come back to help in a case involving Hodges. They learn that the entire reputation of the crime lab could be at stake after Hodges is accused of doctoring evidence to close cases. 

‘Bummed out that he won’t be on there’

Thanks to the serialized nature of the show, CSI: Vegas surprisingly saw ratings go up as the season continued. The show averaged 6.81 million viewers with 7-day playback included. All 10 episodes are available to stream on Paramount+. ViacomCBS didn’t release numbers, but sources told Deadline the show was doing well on the platform.

‘I will forever love William Petersen’

This isn’t the first time Petersen has left the show behind. He was the face of the franchise until he chose to leave CSI: Crime Scene Investigation during Season 9. However, the show survived without him. He did return for guest appearances in Seasons 11 and 13, and starred in the 2015 finale movie “Immortality.”

‘It’s not going to work’

Scroll on to see how fans reacted to Petersen leaving the franchise behind again.  

‘Too bad, not really surprised’

“Too bad, not really surprised but I still give it a shot and watch S2,” one fan tweeted.

‘I honestly just can’t see the show lasting long’

“I’d love to have William Petersen AND Jorja Fox back for S2 & if they don’t I’ll miss them bigtime, but I love the new team on [CSI],” one optimistic fan tweeted. “It’s a different vibe but it is just as cool, the science is just as fascinating & the writing keeps me guessing.”