The harshly (and uncharacteristically) emotional season 9 premiere of
CSI routed the typically strong
Grey's Anatomy with a whopping 22.98 million;
Grey's was worlds away at 14.54 million.
The Office from NBC came in third with 9 million. Contrary to a popular trend, the
CSI premiere was up 3.19 million viewers from its last year counterpart – a 19 percent rise. The CBS procedural also dominated the key 18 to 49 demographic.
And for good reason. The premiere of its ninth season tugged at the heartstrings, something that divides some
CSI fans. There are those who prefer Grissom and the gang to stick with the cases they encounter and need to solve, while there are those who want some personal drama (and perhaps romance) between the characters.
However, it was hard to ignore Grissom's eulogy at the end of last episode. When his voiced started to break (“I'm gonna miss him so much.”) and his eyes started to well with tears, there was no turning back. This had been easily expected as Warrick died in Grissom's arms a few moments as the episode opened. It was like a father losing a son, and it was really hard to keep a straight face as these things unfolded.
The reaction of the team was similarly debilitating – everyone appeared paralyzed. Sara (
Jorja Fox) came in and said she flew in the first chance she got.
It was announced late last season that
Gary Dourdan and CBS could not come to terms on the contract. As hard as it is, it seems like his dramatic exit satisfied a lot of his fans. It doesn't erase the fact, however, that Warrick Brown had been in the series for the past eight seasons.
Here's a clip of Gil's eulogy.
-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: CBS
(Image Courtesy of CBS)