Perhaps it's safe to say that a lot of CSI fans were alarmed when rumors of a midseason exit for its main man William Petersen began circulating.  When it was confirmed (and that Matrix star Laurence Fishburne is sort of replacing him), a good deal of its fan base that have been loyal to the show for the past eight seasons vowed never to watch CSI again once Grissom exits.  Promises from Petersen to return to Vegas from time to time weren't enough to comfort fans.

True enough, in a recent poll by AOL Television, 37 percent of those surveyed said they will stop watching CSI once Petersen makes his exit early next year.  This is huge, as the CBS procedural is currently the top-rated drama this season, averaging 21 million viewers each week.  Going by AOL's numbers, CSI stands to lose some 8 million viewers after Grissom.  Such downgrade will put it along the same level with Grey's Anatomy or Desperate Housewives, and behind fellow-procedural NCIS, which is currently riding on big wave ratings-wise.

There is hope for the procedural, however, as 41 percent of the respondents say it really depends on Fishburne and how well he'll do as a replacement.  The last episode of the CBS procedural reeled in 18.93 million viewers, compared to Grey's at 15.59 million.

Tonight on CSI, we get a blast from the past when the prime suspect in a murder case from 12 years ago becomes the focus of a brand new investigation.  Meanwhile, the fate of the miniature serial killer Natalie Davis (guest star Jessica Collins) is being decided.  CSI also stars Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows, George Eads as Nick Stokes, Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders, and Robert David Hall as Al Robbins.

Catch CSI tonight at 10pm on CBS.


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: AOL Television, CBS
(Image Courtesy of CBS)