The initial discussion was about Delko’s fate on CSI: Miami.  Then, it went to how much Adam Rodriguez will do on the show’s upcoming season, especially when on-screen partner Emily Procter openly wondered about the Calleigh-Delko story that only really kicked off last season.  And now, it seems pretty much confirmed: he’s leaving the show.

Sure, there’s no actual confirmation from CBS and Rodriguez himself, but sources tell TV Guide Magazine that Delko will only be returning for a limited engagement and will exit the show afterwards, not be shifted to recurring status as we thought earlier.  Apparently, they’re not sure how this’ll work out: it’s possible that he’ll appear in a multi-episode arc, but the least that could happen is that we’ll only see him in the season premiere.

Which, if you’ve been up to speed, means Delko, who’s in comatose after being shot at, possibly by Calleigh, will just flash back to how the team first met twelve years ago.  If he’s only sticking around for the season premiere, expect him to flatline at the very end.  Then again, if he’s doing an episode arc he’d be useless as he’d only lie around in a coma and do a few possible flashbacks.

But at least it won’t be like this:

Two ghosts together, oh yes?

But that’s quite a blow for the show.  I’ve always had a soft spot for the third-in-commands (of sorts) on the franchise.  The LVPD has Nick (or Warrick, depending on how you look at it–and yes, I’m counting Langston as the anchor of the show, even if he’s just a Level 1 CSI) and the NYPD has Danny.  Pretty much these guys have been left untouched, providing some semblance of consistency and calm on the show, and in the MDPD’s case, that’s what Delko’s done.  If he is really leaving–and since there’s no official word on it yet, I’ll treat it as rumor–then that’s going to be such a shake-up.

Not to mention we see a budding romance cut up so quickly.  It would be nice to see how the slightly dysfunctional Calleigh-Delko romance develops, but alas, I think we’ll really only see her be so distraught when (and if) she realizes she fatally shot her boyfriend.

But maybe this shake-up is what CSI: Miami badly needs.  Of the threw shows, it’s this one I’ve been getting a bit bored with lately, and apart from Speedle’s death and Alexx’s departure early on, it’s been pretty much all the same.  Las Vegas has gone through a lot, and New York’s leaving someone in a wheelchair.  Miami needs it.

I still think nobody should make Delko a ghost, though.  Don’t make that photo up there a reality twice over.

– Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TV Guide Magazine
(Images courtesy of CBS)

Henrik Batallones

Staff Writer, BuddyTV