The culturally groundbreaking series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ran from 2000 to 2015. The police procedural was a hit, rounding out with a total of 15 seasons and spawning three spinoff shows: CSI: Miami, CSI: NY and CSI: Cyber. CSI not only boasted a large number of episodes and successes, but it also had quite a substantial cast, meaning many of the actors rotated out of the series throughout its run. One such actor was William Peterson, who played Gil Grissom. After starring in nine seasons, the actor decided to call it quits due to a realization he had about his career.
CSI followed a team of crime scene investigators, and Gil Grissom was their leader. Gil was a forensic entomologist and career criminalist. His high intellect and reserved demeanor came in handy for the type of job he was in. However, Gil's social awkwardness and tendency to be unemotional caused him to have difficulty relating to others.
Throughout CSI, Gil got close and personal with some of the crimes. In Season 1, he came face-to-face with the serial killer he was trying to capture and was almost killed by him before Catherine Willows saved the day.
A major arc for Gil was his hearing loss. CSI spent time in Seasons 2, 3 and 4 fleshing out this storyline. Apparently, Gil had Otosclerosis, a degenerative disease he inherited from his mother. In Season 3, he underwent surgery for his hearing loss, and Season 4 revealed the operation was successful. Gil continued his work as before.
By the time Season 7 rolled around, Gil was showing signs of burnout, and left on sabbatical to teach at Williams College in Massachusetts. He did return, however, and continued as part of the team. But in Season 9, Episode 9, "19 Down...," Gil announced his retirement to the team. Thus, his actor, William Petersen, left CSI.
In short, Petersen left CSI to pursue other opportunities. He believed he was becoming "too comfortable" in the role. "The reason I'm leaving is because I'm afraid I'm becoming too comfortable," Petersen said in a CNN Entertainment article. Because his role was so solidified in the long-running series, the job became monotonous and he felt as though he wasn't growing as an actor. "It's CSI — they pay me a lot of money, and I don't have to work very hard anymore. I've got it all figured out. And I just realized, God, as an artist, I'm going to atrophy. You do anything for nine years, it becomes somewhat rote," Petersen continued.
Petersen decided the best way to expand his craft was to pursue theater. And he did just that. Petersen had starred in a multitude of stage productions prior to CSI, and after his departure from the show, he added to his resume. He starred in productions such as Endgame, Slowgirl and The Minutes. He even won a Jeff Award for his performance in Blackbird.
It appears that Petersen's departure from CSI was an amicable one that benefitted both parties. CSI finalized Gil Grissom's storyline and continued on for six more seasons, while Petersen got to expand his acting career in live-action theater.
0 Comments