Grissom (and Petersen) make quiet exit at 'CSI'

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."