CSI: Who Will Be Back?

“I love it here, but the idea of doing other things is pretty exciting.”—George Eads

By William Keck
TV Guide – May 17-23, 2010

During its decade-long run, CSI has had plenty of cliff-hangers that kept fans guessing. As its 10th season comes to a close, the show also has enough off-camera suspense to keep viewers on the edge of their seats all summer long, as several of the CBS series’ stars might be on their way out.

Things seemed to be all happiness and smiles when executive producer carol Mendelsohn and star George Eads (Nick Stokes) shared a table earlier this month at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ annual honors banquet, but Eads revealed that could change very soon. “I haven’t been offered a contract, so I don’t know if I’m coming back,” he tells TV Guide Magazine. “Unfortunately at contract time, the old adage applies: It’s not show friends, it’s show business.”

The actor adds that he’s not alone, with costars Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) and Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass) also awaiting contracts to return for an 11th season. If he doesn’t sign on by June 30, Eads says he will be free to explore other opportunities.

This could be yet another major blow–following the departures of William Petersen, Jorja Fox (sho has since returned in a recurring role) and Gary Dourdan–to what was once TV’s most popular scripted series. The show has seen its viewership dip 21 percent since Petersen left in January 2009. CBS executives were not available for comment about the remaining actors’ futures, but Mendelsohn insists CSI could not function without Helgenberger.

“Marg’s deal is up, but the show can’t continue without our Catherine Willows,” she says. “Doing a show about Vegas, I like to bet my money, and I would bet that Marg Helgenberger will be back as Catherine in the fall. We love her.” Helgenberger’s reps said the actress does not discuss renegotiations.

And Eads, who was briefly fired in 2004 after failing to report to work in what was seen as a negotiations ploy, is quick to point out that “this isn’t the type of thing where we’re trying to manipulate a contract that exists. I don’t know if they still want me. And I also have to decide if I want to come back. It’s been 10 years–over 230 episodes of playing the same character–and I’ve still yet to do a feature film and see what other opportunities might be out there. In negotiations you have to be willing to walk away, and that’s something I’m willing to do if I don’t feel the contract is pleasing to me and fair.”

His notion of fair means getting paid comparably to Helgenberger, who earns a reported $390,000 an episode, and Laurence Fishburne, who came on as Petersen’s replacement in 2009 for a reported $350,000 per episode. (Fishburne has already signed on for next season.) “There can’t really be a hierarchy when it comes to salaries anymore,” maintains Eads. “I feel I deserve to sit at the table with the adults, and we’ll see what happens.”

Is it possible that some or all of these actors may have investigated their final murder scenes? Costar Robert David Hall (Dr. Robbins) figures their loss would be a real crime. “These are tough economic times,” he tells TV Guide Magazine. “It’s a different landscape than it was five years ago. I hope that [losing Eads and Helgenberger] doesn’t come to pass. This is a pretty special cast and I would really love to do another year with them.”.     ♦