Posted in: CBS, Preview, TV | Tagged: cbs, csi, csi vegas, marg helgenberger, preview, season 2

CSI: Vegas Season 2 – Marg Helgenberger Returning as Catherine Willows

A week after reports surfaced that the original series star was in negotiations to return as Catherine Willows, CBS has signed Marg Helgenberger (All Rise) to a one-year deal to join the second season cast of CSI: Vegas as a series regular. Helgenberger played the role for the first 12 seasons of the flagship series (returning during its final season to celebrate the 300th episode milestone). The news comes as the series officially bid farewell to William Petersen's Gil Grissom, Jorja Fox's Sara Sidle, and Mel Rodriguez's Hugo Ramirez (though Petersen remains an executive producer). With her NBC pilot Getaway not moving forward and with her CBS drama All Rise moving to OWN creating scheduling issues, Helgenberger will be recurring on All Rise thus freeing her to join CSI: Vegas full-time.

Here's a look at the official news via Twitter:

"Hey, all you #CSI fans! After much deliberating, I have decided not to 'Sidle up' for CSI Vegas. For me, CSI has always been a love story. The story that people can find love in the darkest of places and times. And the story that love, even in the darkest of places and times, can expand and grow roots and endure. I personally just can't split Sara and Grissom up again. So goes Grissom…..So goes Sara. Wherever they go, they belong together. Thanks for watching everyone!!!!! Keep tuning in! I know I will. CSI VEGAS has an incredible team and it should be an amazing show," Fox wrote in a tweet thread from the end of last month confirming that she would not be returning for a second season and explaining her reason for not returning:

"The incredibly talented 'CSI: Vegas' creative team and cast did a superb job this first season, brilliantly updating and portraying the CSI universe with fresh stories and a new crime lab, proving that after 20 years, the 'CSI' fan base is still hungry for more and ready to embrace a new chapter in this illustrious franchise," said Amy Reisenbach, EVP Current Programs at CBS, back in December 2021 when news of a second season was first announced. Produced by CBS Studios in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television, the executive producers for CSI: Vegas include Jason Tracey, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Anthony Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, Craig O'Neill, William Petersen, Uta Briesewitz, and Cindy Chvatal.

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