UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Art imitates life in William Petersen's final episode as the star of "CSI."
His character, Gil Grissom, doesn't want to make a big deal of his departure from the Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigation. And Petersen didn't want to make a big deal when he left the set of "CSI."
"It was just kind of awkward," said George Eads, who co-stars as Nick Stokes. "Because I think we all wanted to have a moment with him alone and just … tell him how we felt. But he didn't want that. He's not that kind of guy. So I think for that week there was almost this tension of sadness. He'll be missed so much, I think, by everybody.
"It was kind of weird, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, the last three weeks were tough," said Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows).
In tonight's episode (8 p.m., Ch. 2), Grissom acts much the saw way. Various members of the CSI staff want to tell him goodbye — tell him how much they'll miss him and how much he's meant to them — but Grissom, with momentary exceptions, doesn't want any part of it.
And, without giving too much away, the exit won't upset longtime fans and will even greatly please a segment of the show's audience.
"Billy was really definitive about how he wanted to leave the show. And what we got to ultimately, I think, is extremely moving and feels very, very right," executive producer Naren Shankar said. "It was something that we discussed for a very, very long time. It felt like a natural place to end the (character)."
Which is not to say that Petersen left without saying goodbye. He threw a big party for both the cast and the crew.
"We all came together kind of as one without any hierarchy. … It's due to him that the ensemble became an ensemble," said Paul Guilfoyle (Capt. Jim Brass).
As he pointed out, Petersen's exit was a long time coming.
"Billy Petersen has been planning his exit for the last three seasons," Guilfoyle said as everyone in the cast laughed. "It didn't catch us by surprise."
He described the exit as "gracious" and "generous."
"It was all very, very well thought out, so it seemed very natural and easy," Guilfoyle said. "I wasn't at all saddened by it. I feel like he's still around somewhere."
And the fact of the matter is that Petersen isn't gone for good. For one thing, he's still a producer on "CSI." And his character "will come back at some point," said executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. But not until at least next season.
"Grissom will come back in an organic way to visit," Mendelsohn said. "It will be on a case with the people that are his family."
While they're sad about the departure of Petersen (and Grissom), nobody is panicking about the show's future.
"If you talk to real CSIs in a real lab, people move out, people move in," Mendelsohn said. "And we have always tried to have our show reflect the reality of crime scene investigation. Would we like everybody to stay together for a decade or two decades? Sure. But that's unrealistic.
"I'm not afraid. And I believe that we have sort of our ace in the hole sitting next to me," Mendelsohn said, pointing to Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning actor Laurence Fishburne, who's joined the cast as college professor-turned-crime scene investigator Dr. Raymond Langston.
Fishburne said he's more than happy to have come aboard.
"I heard how wonderful the ensemble was, how wonderful the crew was. … Everything I heard was true," he said.
Fishburne is signed to the rest of this season and all of next season, "And I see no reason why I wouldn't want to continue that after that."
Langston is not, however, directly replacing Grissom. Catherine is now in charge of the team, and Langston is an entry-level CSI.
"I think it enhanced and opened doors to our storytelling," Mendelsohn said. "To have a CSI (level) one where we're with him on his first graveyard shift. Again, the audience can see through his eyes the process — how to process fingerprints, how to collect evidence, what to wear to a crime scene. These are all issues that we will address in these future episodes, and it's been fun for us as writers to do that."
"I think it's a way for the audience to experienced with this show all over again," Fishburne said.
And nobody is planning on the show going away anytime soon.
"We're not quitters on 'CSI.' We will go as long as the show's doing well and our friends at CBS want to keep us on the air," Mendelsohn said. "The form and the soul of our show are still there, but there have been some new additions. And I think that's healthy for a show.".
"Billy said he would be back to make sure I didn't burn the joint down," Fishburne said.
UM, NO: One critic wondered if Fishburne felt at all intimidated joining the cast of an established hit like "CSI."
"No," he replied.
And then the rest of the cast burst out in laughter.
"It's Laurence Fishburne!" Eads said.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com