Gil Grissom to Leave "CSI" in the Middle of Upcoming Season

Gil Grissom will be leaving the Las Vegas Forensics Unit for good in the middle of next season, one of the show's executive producers told EW.com's Michael Ausiello.



"Billy (William Petersen) is leaving," CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said, adding "He will, whenever CBS asks, come back. I don't think you've seen the last of Gil Grissom."



Petersen, who has played Grissom for eight years, will not be completely absent in the meantime, however. He will stay on and continue to serve as one of the executive producers of the show until the end of its run.



But the news of Grissom's exit comes as a shocker because Petersen seemingly signed a contract to continue acting on CSI last May. But apparently that's not the case.

CBS's highest rated prime-time program will go through an enormous transition season next year after having lost three members of the original cast (Petersen, Jorja Fox and Gary Dourdan).

"This will be a year of transition for the show," Mendelsohn said. "There's never going to be another William Petersen, and there will never be another Jorja Fox, but we are not out to just replace those actors. We're out to add new characters to the show, and the show will change as a result. But that's a good thing."