CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the long-running crime drama on CBS, should be entering its new season in a celebratory mood, since its 300th episode will air this fall. However, a reported dispute with George Eads has dampened the mood and the original cast member will not appear in several episodes.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the dispute is not over his contract, but instead over his character, Nick Stokes, who he has played for 14 seasons. A source for THR says that he got into an argument with a pregnant writer, which soon reached executive producer Carol Mendelsohn.

It is not a repeat of the contract standoff in 2004 that lead to Eads and Jorja Fox’s temporary firing. While Fox left the show briefly after that, Eads did not miss an episode. He is one of three cast members to have been on the show since day one.

CBS TV studios issued a statement to THR and Entertainment Weekly that only confirmed that Eads will be missing after the new season’s first three episodes. “George Eads will not appear in several episodes during the first half of the season. We look forward to him returning to CSI very soon,” the studio stated.

Eads departure will be handled in episode four, which will be the show’s 300th episode. Marg Helgenberger will be back and she posted a photo with the cast on Twitter that showed Eads all smiles.

CSI’s new season kicks off on Sept. 25.

image: CBS