William Petersen Set to Exit CSI

LOS ANGELES, July 16:
William Petersen is leaving his regular role as Gil Grissom on CBS’s hit series
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Petersen has been with CSI:
Crime Scene Investigation, CBS’s
top-rated show and the most successful series in the CSI franchise, since its first episode. He is said to
have agreed to return for occasional guest appearances and will continue to
serve as an executive producer. Petersen’s final episode as a regular cast
member is expected to air early 2009.

"Shows lucky enough
to go this long inevitably have to deal with this kind of change,"
executive producer Naren Shankar told The Associated Press. "Whoever comes in and joins the team after
Grissom is going to be a different guy. But the nature of the show and what
fans get out of it, that's not going to change.”

—By Mansha Daswani