We're back in Vegas, baby! CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which ran for 15 seasons on CBS and spawned a number of spinoffs, is getting the revival treatment, with CSI: Vegas bringing some of the original characters back to the Sin City crime scene. Along with William Petersen and Jorja Fox reprising their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, the CSI: Vegas cast will feature a couple of other familiar faces to help indoctrinate some new characters into the franchise.
The sequel series was originally planned to debut in 2020 for the 20th anniversary of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, however we all know how things in 2020 went down. But better late than never, and when the CBS forensics procedural premieres this October, viewers can expect to witness some kind of existential threat that forces Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle to return to the Crime Lab to lead a new team of crime scene investigators. Let's take a look at the cast of the highly anticipated CSI: Vegas.
William Petersen (Gil Grissom)
William Petersen returns as the no-nonsense Gil Grissom, who in the original show's run was the night shift supervisor. Petersen garnered four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (and one win) and one Golden Globe nod for the role. He was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards as executive producer. After CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Petersen didn't do a whole lot of acting, other than playing Col. Emmett Darrow on Manhattan. Gil Grissom is an exciting character to be getting back on television, as fans are very interested to find out what he's been up to.
Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle)
It's hard to imagine getting the gang back together without Sara Sidle. Thank goodness we don't have to, as Jorja Fox returns to the Las Vegas Crime Lab for the role that earned her four SAG Award nominations and one win. Before she was Sara Sidle, though, viewers knew Fox as Dr. Maggie Doyle on NBC's ER and for her recurring role on The West Wing as Gina Toscano. Since the original CSI series ended, Fox starred in the sci-fi movie 3022 with Omar Epps and Kate Walsh, as well as the Amazon Original Movie The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.
Wallace Langham (David Hodges)
After his initial run as sarcastic lab technician David Hodges, Wallace Langham stayed quite busy, taking on multiple movie roles, including Dr. Granger in Ford v. Ferrari and Gordon Caplan in the controversial Netflix documentary Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. Prior to CSI, the Little Miss Sunshine actor was known best as Phil from The Larry Sanders Show, and in the past six years has had guest appearances on a number of shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Mom, 9-1-1, The Boys and The Resident.
Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass)
Paul Guilfoyle is back as homicide detective Jim Brass, but unlike the other actors returning from the original series, Guilfoyle has a planned two-episode arc on CSI: Vegas. We'll take what we can get! Since 2015 Guilfoyle has had some guest spots on TV shows including A Million Little Things, where he played Deliliah's father, as well as Star Trek: Discovery and The Morning Show. He had a lengthier stint in Colony in 2016 as Quayle and as Henry Rindell in the CBS All Access legal drama The Good Fight.
Paula Newsome (Maxine Roby)
Onto the 'new.' Paula Newsome is joining CSI: Vegas as Maxine Roby, a former basketball coach who is now the head of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Newsome is recognizable for her role as Detective Moss in HBO's Barry. Fans might also know her as Carolina Charles from Chicago Med or from her guest roles in other popular CBS series like Criminal Minds and NCIS. Interestingly (to me, anyway), Newsome also had an uncredited role in Home Alone, in which she directed a young Macaulay Culkin to the aisle in the store where he could find fabric softener.
Matt Lauria (Josh Folsom)
This is the first time viewers will meet Josh Folsom, a Level III CSI who often serves as lead investigator, but strangely enough, this isn't Matt Lauria's first trip down the Vegas strip. He actually appeared in three episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Agent Matthew Pratt in Season 12. There’s no indication the two characters are related, but it’s pretty rare for an actor to play different roles in two shows set in the same world. Outside of the CSI world, Lauria is also well-known for his roles as Ryan York in NBC's Parenthoodand Luke Cafferty in Friday Night Lights. Vegas forever!
Mel Rodriguez (Hugo Ramirez)
Mel Rodriguez, best known as Patsy de la Serda on HBO's Getting On and Todd Rodriguez on Fox's The Last Man on Earth, will play head medical examiner Hugo Ramirez on CSI: Vegas. Rodriguez's other recent projects include a voice role in Disney's Onward, Ernie Gomes on the Showtime drama On Becoming a God in Central Florida and a recurring as Jimmy McGill's partner-in-scamming Marco Pasternak on Better Call Saul. He has ties to CBS with a guest role on an episode of The Twilight Zone reboot.
Mandeep Dhillon (Allie Rajan)
British actress Mandeep Dhillon rounds out the main cast of CSI: Vegas as Allie Rajan, a Level II CSI who, as an immigrant, followed her dreams to Las Vegas. After working with Ricky Gervais on David Brent: Life on the Road, Dhillon joined the Netflix series After Life as Sandy. She also played Lieutenant Garan in Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
If the cast is any indication, CSI: Vegas seems like it should live up to the popularity of its predecessor, especially since we'll have some of that original cast back. It's strange to remember that William Petersen and Jorja Fox, while considered the backbone of the OG CSI, actually didn’t remain on the series for the entirety of its 15-season run. Fox left the show in Season 8, and Petersen left a season later. Fox returned as a recurring character in the later seasons, but Petersen only came back for the series finale, where Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom sailed away into the sunset.
Does their return as series leads for CSI: Vegas mean they’re still together? We don’t have to wait too long to find out. CSI: Vegas is set to premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, October 6 on CBS. Until then, you can stream the entire original series on Hulu, and don’t forget to check out our 2021 Summer TV schedule.
