William Petersen may have easily come to grips with the reality that he's leaving the forensic series that catapulted him to stardom for nearly a decade but his CSI co-stars are still caught up in an emotional mix.

“[Shooting Petersen's final episode] was kind of awkward, because I think we all wanted to have a moment with him alone and ... tell him how we felt," said George Eads, who plays Nick Stokes on CSI.  "But he didn't want that. He's not that kind of guy.  So I think for that week, there was almost this tension of sadness, really.  He'll be missed so much by everybody."

“The last three weeks were tough," added Marg Helgenberger, who portrays Catherine Willows.

While the general mood on the set of CSI is gloomy these days, the cast and crew seem to have a clear understanding as to why Petersen had to leave.

"It didn't catch us by surprise," said Paul Guilfoyle (Capt. Jim Brass).  "And not only that, in a very gracious way, in a generous way, it authenticates the character.  Leaving was part of the role of Grissom.  It seemed very, very natural and easy.  I wasn't at all saddened by it.  I think he's around somewhere."

On the other hand, Carol Mendelsohn reveals that the crime lab door will always be open for Petersen.  Though there are no concrete plans for a Grissom guest appearance, Petersen remains an executive producer of CSI and he is expected to stop by the show from time to time.

"Is there an opportunity for him to come back for a visit?  Yes there is," Mendelsohn told a group of reporters on Monday's set visit . "Billy Petersen will be on set, probably sitting in a chair, but Gil Grissom will come back, yes, at some point."

Don't forget to catch William Petersen's final airdate tomorrow at 9pm on CBS.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2it.com
(Image courtesy of CBS)