‘CSI’ says goodbye to Grissom
It’s been nine seasons, and a lot of people have gotten to know the guy. Now he’s leaving, and it had better be for love.
Gil Grissom departs CBS’ “CSI” tonight (9 p.m., KREM-2 in Spokane), and while it doesn’t have the cultural buzz of, say, George Clooney leaving “ER,” in this era of diffused viewing, it’s got the same TV industry weight.
For fans of the show, it may be worse.
“CSI,” in its ninth season, is still the top scripted series on television, averaging more than 21 million viewers. Grissom, played by the low-key but magnetic William Petersen, has been the dad of the show and clearly the biggest reason for its success.
He is a singular character for a crime show, a kind, routinely sweet-if-contained man whose Zen-like patience, curiosity and attraction to odd ducks are traits so unlike any other law enforcement figure on TV.
And Petersen gives him a depth and a subtle humor. You know Grissom cares, but there are no overt heroics, no leaping to save the day. Grissom/Petersen is just, as creator Anthony E. Zuiker has described him over the years, a smart, caring guy.
And now he’s leaving – in real life, it’s because Petersen wanted new challenges, he’s told reporters. On the show, Grissom was wearing down and wearying of the gloom that crime techs deal with.
He’s also missing his surprise love, Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), who left the team last season with her own case of burnout. Any fan with a heart wants Grissom to run to her.
CBS and “CSI’s” producers know what’s at stake, which is why they got a substantial name to step in. Laurence Fishburne was introduced in December (that episode repeats tonight at 8) and will eventually become the new alpha dog of the team.
There have been enough good series over the years that have weathered major departures and have gotten even stronger, like “NYPD Blue,” “Cheers” and “Law & Order,” which has rotated actors through so fast that it sometimes feels like an audition tape. But the shows always change.
“CSI” has a very solid cast and skilled producers. It will continue to be a good show, maybe even a great one.
But it will miss William Petersen’s intelligent force and Gil Grissom’s gentle kindness, and so will prime-time TV.
‘Lights,’ ‘Galactica’ return
A reminder that television won’t be bereft of great actors and characters, with both “Friday Night Lights” and “Battlestar Galactica” coming back Friday.
“FNL” has already aired this third season on DirecTV. But for most fans, this NBC run (9 p.m., KHQ-6 in Spokane) is the first chance to check back in with the fascinating folks of Dillon, Texas.
The series has been a tough sell to large numbers of TV viewers, despite the dazzling cast led by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton – both Emmy-deserving – because many viewers seem to think they’ll be getting either a macho sports show or some difficult TV version of a Tennessee Williams play.
It is, instead, an instantly watchable journey into the life of a small town. There’s possibly the most authentic and interesting marriage on TV (between Chandler’s coach Taylor and Britton’s principal Taylor), and it’s an engaging look at families, teens and communal aspirations.
As for “Battlestar Galactica” (10 p.m., Sci Fi, cable channel 59 in Spokane, 36 in Coeur d’Alene), it’s too late if you’re not already a fan, because this starts the last 10 episodes of this terrific series.
If you haven’t seen it, now might be the time to rent the first season. (And if you are going to rent it, stop reading here.)
Fans know the midseason ended with a triumph of cooperation between the Cylons and humans that helped them find their precious lost Earth. They also found, as Charlton Heston more or less said, those maniacs blew it up.
These last episodes start off with the usual elegant thought, brisk writing and addicting tone. And they will be about what most great science fiction digs into: discovering what it is to be human, what it takes to find peace, both actual and emotional, and what you need to do to make your way in the universe.