What The Cast Of The CSI Franchise Looks Like Today

When CSI debuted in 2000, no one could have predicted the tremendous impact the show would have on television and on society as a whole. The series spawned a number of CSI spinoffs as well as a host of TV shows that followed the same formula. There have even been studies researching the"CSI effect"–the exaggerated depiction of forensic science on TV–on real-life courtrooms. 

The original CSI was canceled in 2015, which leaves us wondering where our favorite detectives and medical examiners are today. Keep calm, folks, we're hot on the case.

George Eads played beloved crime lab specialist Nick Stokes on the original CSI. While fans might've loved him, Eads himself was reportedly unhappy with his character's development. In 2013, he took a leave of absence from the show after an argument with one of the show's writers. 

"George Eads will not appear in several episodes during the first half of [Season 14.] We look forward to him returning to CSI very soon," a representative for CBS studios told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. That marked the actor's second break from the show. According to Variety, Eads "was briefly fired over salary demands during 2004 renegotiations."

These days, you can catch Eads on the MacGyver reboot alongside Lucas Till. Eads told Parade he's taken some of the things he learned filming CSI to the MacGyver set. "I can tell when I'm reading a script, especially when I read a scene, what they're looking for," he said. "having been on CSI and finding nuances there, I'm able to quickly find some nuances and spice it up a little bit."

Jorja Fox, known as Sara Sidle on the show, shocked fans in 2007 when she announced she was quitting the CSI cast. She told Entertainment Weekly in 2007 that walking away from what was then the No. 1 show on television was "one of the hardest things" she's ever done. "There are so many things I want to do! Some are personal. Some are professional. And I really need to do some of them before I get too old," she said. 

Though she hasn't added any notable acting gigs to her resume since leaving CSI, her website says she's working behind the scenes running her own production company.

Marg Helgenberger, who played supervisor Catherine Willows, is another original CSI cast member who left the show in 2012 after 12 years on the series. "I instinctively felt it was time to end that chapter of my career," she told The Hollywood Reporter.

In November 2017, Helgenberger took her career in a completely different direction when she joined the cast of the off-Broadway show What We're Up Against. "It's a wonderful cast, a great piece of writing, and I'm proud to be in that company," she said in an interview for Broadway.com.

Eric Szmanda played baby-faced investigator Greg Sanders on CSI. He stayed with the show from its birth through its finale in 2015. Afterward, he switched to theater, appearing in The Nerd, a show he told Penn Live he'd loved since he was younger. Szmanda said his character fit him "like a glove." 

As of January 2018, his IMDb page says he has a TV movie in post-production. He's also active on Twitter, often sharing photos of his daily life as a self-proclaimed actor, wizard, dog walker, and music lover.

Peterson was not only an original CSI cast member, but also a producer on the show until he left in 2009. He told CNN he shifted gears out of fear that he was "becoming too comfortable." 

One might think after playing forensic entomologist Gil Grissom for nine years, the character would become a part of you, but Peterson told CNN that wasn't the case. "I won't miss Grissom," he said. "And I hope that the audience won't miss him either." Ouch! 

These days, Peterson is busy being a family man and raising twins, and you probably won't catch him on TV anytime soon. "I had a relationship with CBS that was gold standard. And when CSI ended, I just decided I was going to spend as much time with my two (kids) as I can," he told the Chicago Tribune. "I think I have lost the ego you have to have for acting."

Paul Guilfoyle's Captain James Brass made his mark on the series. "In a show about forensics, fans always looked forward to the handcuffs coming out, and Captain Brass putting his spin on the crime of the week," executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Don McGillone told Variety when Guilfoyle left the show in 2014. 

Of all the original CSI cast members, Guilfoyle has probably had the most successful post-CSI acting career. His credits include hit series The Good Fight and Blindspot, and in 2016, he earned a part in the USA science fiction drama Colony. "Fantastic concept, great cast," he said in an interview for the show. "I've been around, I've seen a few of these things ... this is good."

CSI: New York cast member Eddie Cahill (previously known as one of character Rachel Green's boyfriends on Friends) became better known as brooding Detective Don Flack on the crime series. He stayed with the show until its cancellation in 2013 and has had a steady acting career since. 

According to his IMDB page, Cahill appeared in TV series Under the Dome and, at the time of this writing, he works on the set of a procedural called Conviction. "It's a face-paced, provocative legal procedural," Cahill told ABC News. He said he was drawn to the role because of his character's "maturity and good suits."

CSI: New York kick-started actor Hill Harper's acting career, and when it ended, he went on to score roles in TV series Limitless and Homeland. 

However, perhaps his biggest role has been that of a single father to his adopted son. Harper told Good Morning America he was even in the delivery room and cut the cord when his son was born. "I'm so proud that Pierce chose me to be his dad," the actor said. 

Melina Kanakaredes shocked CSI: NY fans when she left her role as lead detective Stella Bonasera in 2010. Though rumor had it she walked away over money, the actress had only positive things to say when she departed. 

"I made some amazing and lifelong friendships during my six seasons on CSI: NY, and I will treasure them forever!" she told Deadline. 

As of 2018, Kanakaredes is starring in the new FOX medical drama The Resident.

What would CSI: Miami be without Horatio Caine's witty quips and sunglasses? His one-liners were so popular someone even created a Facebook fan group for it. "Do I get a piece of that?" Caruso jokingly asked when TMZ told him about the fan page. Caine stayed with the show until its cancellation in 2012, but unfortunately for him, the most he's done as of late is become a meme star. 

Fans love him, but the actor has a reputation for being difficult at work. Former showrunner Steven Boncho wrote in his memoir that Caruso was "a malcontent" while working on NYPD Blue. Perhaps that's why this alum hasn't found much post-CSI work?

Adam Rodriguez has made a comfortable home for himself in Hollywood. Following his role as investigator Eric "Delko" Delektorsky on CSI: Miami, he took up the role of another special agent in Criminal Minds and even landed a sexy part in the Magic Mike franchise (which traumatized his grandmother.) He's also busy at home with his wife and two children. 

Talking to  Entertainment Tonight about his wife, model Grace Gail, the actor said, "When that person comes along and that thing works out how you always hoped it would ... I mean, it's magical.

After CSI: Miami wrapped in 2012, Procter's acting career remained relatively quiet, but her home life did not! Her Instagram reveals that the former detective Calleigh Duquesne now stays busy "just doing mom stuff," as she says in a video to her fans. According to her IMDb page, we can expect to see her in a film called It's Time in 2018.

Rex Linn has one of those faces (and accents) that you recognize immediately. Combined with his acting chops, Linn has kept busy in both TV and film since his turn as homicide detective Frank Tripp in CSI: Miami. In 2014, he graced the big screen in A Million Ways to Die in the West. "Being in a Western in the best thing you could ever do," Linn told Screen Slam. 

When he's not working, the actor is focused on charitable causes. According to Ion Oklahoma, "Once a year he cooks 100 pounds of beef for a charity benefiting widows and children of Los Angeles firefighters who died in the line of duty." 

If Jonathan Togo's Instagram account is any indication, his post-CSI life has revolved around his son. However, he has landed some small roles since his time as investigator Ryan Wolfe on CSI: Miami set, including a couple episodes of Covert Affairs alongside fellow CSI alum Harper.

Eva LaRue has a stunning face that's hard to forget. In fact, The Couch named her "the sexiest federal grant writer in television history" thanks to her role as cold case DNA analyst Natalia Boa Vista on CSI: Miami. 

These days, she's busy being a mom, but she still takes on the occasional acting gig, including a movie project with Jon Voight titled Orphan Horse that's slated to debut in 2018. She also leads a travel and lifestyle blog.

Khandi Alexander played medical examiner Alexx Woods on the set of CSI: Miami until 2009, but today, you may know her better in the role of tough-as-nails Maya Pope in the hit series Scandal–a part that came as a surprise even to Alexander. 

"I got the phone call and it was, 'Okay, you can't even tell your representation, but we're offering you Mama Pope,'" she told Collider. "'You can say yes or no, and you have about two minutes. And then, you're going to hang up the phone and never tell anyone.'" 

While fans adore her, Alexander revealed in a radio interview that she never watches her own work. "I'm too critical," she said. "I'll look at it and rip it apart."

There are two types of people in this world: those who know Sinise as Lieutenant Dan Taylor from the Academy Award-winning Forrest Gump, and those who know him as detective Mac Taylor in CSI: NY. The CSI franchise scored big when it booked Sinise to lead the New York spinoff, and he stayed with the show until its 2013 finale. 

At the time of this writing, Sinise is starring in a similar series called Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He told The Philippine Star that he enjoys playing crime-fighting roles on TV, calling it "a privilege to be able to play them, and try to show off, you know, how qualified these people are, and that how grateful we are that we have people out there that are doing this dangerous work."

Sinise is also noted for his philanthropic work, particularly his foundation that assists U.S. veterans and their families through a variety of programs, including benefit concerts put on by Sinise's very own Lt. Dan Band. "As a private citizen, I'm just trying to do what I can to make sure they know that they're appreciated and what they do is not taken for granted. I just want them to know that somebody like me cares about them," he told Variety. 

In 2017, he was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.