The first glimpse of Marg Helgenberger’s return as Catherine Willows in CSI: Vegas season 2 already provides proof that the reboot will be improving on one major season 1 flaw. For much of CSI: Vegas season 1’s 10-episode run, it was tough to tell whether the show was intended to be a continuation of the original CSI or a reboot. While CSI: Vegas changed the show’s title (even though the original CSI was also set in Las Vegas) in an attempt to clarify that the show was a new series and not a direct continuation of the original, this was not enough for many viewers.
After all, CSI: Vegas season 1 focused on returning franchise heroes Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle for much of its runtime, with the duo’s storyline being the central arc of the ten episodes. Although CSI: Vegas also introduced new supporting stars, it was never all that clear that these were intended to be the show’s leads, since Gil and Sara got the lion’s share of the screen time in many episodes. Fortunately, CSI: Vegas season 2 looks set to fix this issue.
CSI: Vegas season 2 will see Marg Helgenberger return to the show as her CSI character Catherine Willows, and the actor recently posted an Instagram of herself and series lead Matt Lauria, who plays Josh Folsom. The fact that Helgenberger is seen side by side with one of the new CSI: Vegas stars shows that season 2 will be prioritizing mixing these new characters with the original cast members, something that season 1’s Gil-and-Sara-centric story failed to do. Viewers of CSI: Vegas season 1 could have been forgiven for assuming that characters like Lauria’s Josh Folsom or Mandeep Dhillon’s Allie were intended to be supporting stars while Sara and Gil were the reboot’s primary focus, while Helgenberger’s Instagram post puts her on an equal footing with these new leads before CSI: Vegas season 2 has even begun airing.
Why CSI: Vegas Season 2 Must Focus On New Characters
The reason that CSI: Vegas season 2 must focus on new characters is that the reboot will never gain a distinct identity of its own if it continues to rely on the appeal of returning CSI stars. While characters like Josh and Allie did have interesting subplots in CSI: Vegas season 1, the fact that a serial killer was hunting down the show’s central couple Sara and Gil left viewers with no question about who the real stars of the series were. The overarching story of CSI: Vegas season 1 revolved around Gil and Sara, which ironically made the show feel less like the original CSI.
While Sara and Gil gradually became fan favorites as CSI wore on, initially, the couple were only two of the show’s ensemble cast. While Gil was always central to CSI’s stories, CSI: Vegas season 1’s shorter run meant that the show made much less effort to center supporting stars in favor of putting its recognizable returning leads front and center. This mistake meant that viewers had few chances to get invested in the new CSI: Vegas characters - something that season 2 of the series can fix.