William Peterson is triumphantly returning to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He will be reprising the role of Gil Grissom in the miniseries CSI: Vegas. Where’s he been up to since leaving in Season Nine? Let’s find out.
Big Return, Slight Scare
Peterson left the original CSI in 2009 and stayed away apart from a few occasional appearances before the show’s initial run ended in 2015. His return in CSI: Vegas has not been smooth sailing, unfortunately. Peterson was briefly hospitalized this week after feeling unwell on the set. Peterson’s likely just exhausted been working long days for months now, and thankfully he’s already recovering at home.
The limited series debuts on October 6. Original cast member Jorja Fox will be joining him. It took Peterson a little over ten years to make a full-time return to the series, so where has he been? Well, he’s certainly been keeping busy.
Movies And Television
Peterson has maintained a very busy schedule since leaving the show. He followed CSI by appearing in a few motion pictures: Detachment also starring a mid-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston, and the cult classic Seeking a Friend for End of the World with a post-The Office Steve Carell. The latter was also Lorene Scafaria’s directorial deputy. She would go on to direct The Meddler and Hustlers.
2012 was the last time Peterson starred in a feature film. He did return to the CSI franchise for the series finale in 2015. That same year, the Fear star scored a recurring role on the second season of WGN America’s Manhattan. He got a chance to work with a pre-Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Rachel Brosnahan, and a pre-Stranger Things David Harbour. The series was a critical darling, but it failed to find a wide audience. It’s a shame, as the cast was obviously loaded.
Passion For Theatre
While Peterson may have had a few movie and television roles, he’s really stayed busy on the stage. The Manhunter star has worked on dozens of plays over the last few decades, primarily in Chicago. He joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company back in 1980 and has worked with them extensively since CSI finished.
He performed in the Samuel Beckett play Endgame in 2010, then starred in the play Slowgirl. Peterson went to the west coast and joined the Geffen Playhouse production of the same play. In 2017, he starred as Mayor Superba in The Minutes. This play is set to debut on Broadway, albeit without Petersen. The pandemic has pushed its debut to 2022.
You cannot accuse Peterson of being a layabout. He’s dipped a toe in every medium since leaving CSI, so it only makes sense for him to come back home.