‘CSI’ series finale: See list of returning cast for ‘season 16 movie’

Yesterday was not the best day for longtime fans of “CSI,” given the fact that you learned both Elisabeth Shue and George Eads are not going to be a part of the two-hour movie that will serve as the sixteenth and final season.

However, we do now come bearing some good news, and that is the confirmed list of people who are going to be returning to the show. While there are clearly some glaring omissions, for the most part this is a good assembling of some of the show’s longest-tenured cast members, plus some old and new favorites. According to CBS, William Petersen (Gil Grissom), Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), Ted Danson (D.B. Russell), Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle), Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews), David Berman (David Phillips), Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass), Melinda Clarke (Lady Heather), Wallace Langham (David Hodges), Elisabeth Harnois (Morgan Brody), Robert David Hall (Dr. Al Robbins), and Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) will be showing up. Clarke to us is one of the more welcome surprises. We assumed that some of the more recent cast members sans Eads and Shue would be here, and Petersen and Helgenberger’s involvement has been known for some time.

Original creator Anthony Zuiker has written the script for the two-hour episode, and it will go into production later this month in preparation of it airing on Sunday, September 27. We feel like this is a really great way ultimately for this show to go out. It would’ve probably just been canceled if it wasn’t for this, but this gives it a great opportunity at a second life, and to give longtime fans some essence of closure.

Hopefully, we’ll have some other news as production happens. Stay tuned!