Things have definitely changed since Marg Helgenberger was last on the set of CSI as a series regular. Now that the actress is back on the scene as Catherine Willows for CSI: Vegas, she’s had to do some adjusting on top of getting used to the science dialogue again. And apparently, there was a safety meeting on set.
Marg Helgenberger left the original CSI ahead of its 12th season in 2011, so her return to the franchise eleven years later has been a long time coming. In an interview with USA Today, Helgenberger talked about how different the set of Vegas is, particularly with its size, as it is much bigger than the original. And thanks to some glass that the set is basically made out of, there have to be safety meetings about it, as she shared:
It's gigantic, five times the size of what we had, I'm still discovering rooms. It's also super chic with all glass. They keep it so polished that one crew member literally walked into the glass. I’ve done it, too. We’ve even had a safety meeting on the glass. The key is letting your eyes adjust to the light before walking.
Walking into glass is no joke, and the show went the extra mile to make the set safer after a crew member (and evidently Helgenberger herself) made a collision. The actress now has the expertise to navigate glass sets, and shared a tip with fans. It does make me wonder if there are any bloopers of people walking into the glass or wearing safety gear while walking around the set, and what the safety meeting actually looked like. It would be fun if the show released a safety video, as I’m sure the CSI fandom would go nuts over it.
Marg Helgenberger was announced for CSI: Vegas earlier this year following the departures of Jorja Fox and William Petersen. Seeing her back with CSI is definitely nostalgic, and is hopefully a sign that the Vegas sequel series can keep attracting alums from the original show. For now, we can enjoy watching Catherine Willows track down criminals... without any incidents with the polished glass.
It sounds like she is having a great time on CSI: Vegas, even if she and the rest of the team needed a safety meeting. Right now, Helgenberger is a series regular on the series, but it’s too soon to say if she'll be back in the event of a Season 3. (CBS has not yet made an announcement about the show's future, which is not surprising considering that Season 2 premiered just in late September.)
As for the set itself, some shows that go on for a while are known to switch things up behind the scenes and on-camera, so who knows if that huge, glass-filled set will stick around? Maybe they can revisit the old set for the nostalgia factor. After all, even though the new show can stand on its own without a ton of ties to the original, there are undoubtedly plenty of viewers who came to Vegas after loving the first series.
You can catch new episodes of CSI: Vegas on Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on CBS! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule to see what else to look forward to, and revisit the first season streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
