Mel Rodriguez Departs ‘CSI: Vegas’ Following Jorja Fox And William Petersen

Rosy Cordero
·2 min read
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Mel Rodriguez is exiting CBS’ CSI: Vegas as a series regular ahead of Season 2, Deadline has confirmed. He is the latest star to announce his departure following Jorja Fox and William Petersen.

Rodriguez lplayed Chief Medical Examiner Hugo Ramirez in Season 1. It is unknown if he will make occasional appearances in the future.

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TV Line was the first to announce Rodriguez’s exit from the sequel to the groundbreaking 2000 series.

Petersen revealed last month that he would not reprise the role of Gil Grissom beyond Season 1’s 10 episodes. He will continue to serve as executive producer of the show’s sophomore season.

This week, Fox confirmed via Twitter that her character Sara Sidle would also not be returning.

“After much deliberating, I have decided not to ‘Sidle up’ for CSI Vegas. For me, CSI has always been a love story. The story that people can find love in the darkest of places and times,” she wrote. “And the story that love, even in the darkest of places and times, can expand and grow roots and endure. I personally just can’t split Sara and Grissom up again. So goes Grissom… So goes Sara. Wherever they go, they belong together.”

Season 1 opened a new chapter in Las Vegas – the city where it all began, introducing a serialized storytelling to the classic crime procedural drama. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the entire Crime Lab and release thousands of convicted killers back onto the neon-lit streets of Vegas, a brilliant new team of investigators led by Maxine Roby (Paula Newsome) enlisted the help of old friends, Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, to investigate a case centered around former colleague David Hodges (Wallace Langham).

This combined force deployed the latest forensic techniques to follow the evidence – to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.

CSI: Vegas is produced by CBS Studios in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. Executive producers are Jason Tracey, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Anthony Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, Craig O’Neill, Petersen, Uta Briesewitz (initial episode only) and Cindy Chvatal.

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