Ted Danson to Replace Fishburne in CSI

Ted Danson is all set to join Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), the CBS crime drama, reports Deadline.com

The Cheers star will replace Laurence Fishburne as the new team leader. It was announced in June that the Oscar-nominated actor would be leaving the show. No reason for his departure has been given. Fishburne has been a part of CSI for two-and-a-half seasons.

Ted Danson , an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, will be heading the graveyard shift of the CSI team after moving from the crime lab in Portland. Ted Danson’s name as a replacement was floated about a couple of weeks ago. The deal seems to have been finalized in a short time. Danson is represented by the CAA and Industry Entertainment .

“He comes to the team as they are still grappling with the professional and personal fallout from last season's take-down of serial killer, Nate Haskell,” a press release from CBS states.

“You can create a new character on the page, but until the perfect actor comes along and breathes life into it, it’s just words,” executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said in the statement announcing the casting Tuesday. “We’re very excited Ted Danson came along.”

This statement follows industry reports that fans did not take too much to Laurence Fishburne’s character. Fishburne himself had requested his contract renewals be limited to a single season at a time. His movie commitments may have been a reason.

The top rated show has been sliding in ratings since the departure of William Peterson in 2008. The series posted its lowest-rated finale ever in May, drawing 11.4 million viewers and a 2.6 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, reports Hollywood Reporter. CSI is still the most-watched series in the world. It has two spin-offs-CSI New York and CSI Miami headed by Gary Sinise and David Caruso respectively. So far 626 episodes of the series have been aired.

Danson will make his debut in CSI’s Season 12 premiere -- in the series’ new time slot on Wednesday, September 21 at 10 p.m.in the hopes of re-invigorating the ratings.

Ted Danson also remains a series regular on HBO's Bored to Death, he has also appeared on Damages and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He will next be seen starring opposite Drew Barrymore and John Krasinsky in Everybody Loves Whales to be released in January 2012.

CSI Effect

The series has had a large cultural impact. Registration in forensic and archaeological sciences courses have gone up since the series aired. Two documentaries have been made by Channel 5 in the United Kingdom called The Real CSI and True CSI, both following true crimes and their investigations.

Crime related court cases sometimes have high expectations which forensic experts find difficult to match nowadays. Some criminals, claim investigators, have learnt a lot from CSI in terms of covering up their tracks.
All in all CSI has had a tremendous impact on how crime is investigated and committed in the 21st century.