Fishburne to replace Petersen's character on CSI

By DAVID MATZ
Last updated on 01/28/2009 at 6:14 p.m.

The camera pans the scene of the crime, finding a body somewhere within the yellow caution tape. A short man appears with a scruffy beard wearing a jump suit with the words “CSI Grissom” embroidered on the back, armed with a digital camera grasped between white-gloved hands. He surveys the scene with a slight grimace until he finds the first major clue.

Cue explosive rock music by The Who and you have the first few seconds of the America’s highest rated TV show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

The centerpiece of the first few seconds isn’t the rock music or the crime scene, it’s William Petersen’s character, Gil Grissom. Last Thursday marked a large turning point in CBS’s original crime drama “CSI” as it was the first full episode for Laurence Fishburne’s character, Dr. Raymond Langston, who replaced the beloved team leader after Petersen left the show.

Grissom was more than just any other character, he was the original team leader. He was one of the aspects that made the show so interesting and had viewers coming back episode after episode. Grissom has this whimsical, smart aura about him that would especially shine during the first few seconds of every episode. But now that Grissom is “off in the jungles of Costa Rica,” we must settle with his replacement, Fishburne.

When I first discovered that Grissom was leaving I thought for sure the show was going to end, especially when two other vital characters left, Sara Sidle and Warrick Brown.

But now that I have gotten comfortable with the idea, and enjoyed the performance by Fishburne, there is renewed hope that the series can continue at least another season.

Although no one can be as great or as vital to the show as Petersen, Fishburne might just be able to carry the show. As long as the writers put together an interesting backstory and good future ones that involve Langston’s character, the show will be able to continue.

It will be interesting to see a new character’s story, considering the viewers never got one with Riley (Warrick’s replacement).

Although I will deeply miss Petersen’s witty and charismatic character, Fishburne will be able keep viewers interested.

At least for a while.

http://www.northernstar.info/article/6138/