Following the departures of CSI OGs Jorja Fox and William Petersen on CSI: Vegas, Marg Helgenberger stepped up to the plate to return as Catherine Willows for Season 2 of the CBS series. Following her return, a question arose about if any other CSI veterans would return to the show, and now it looks like there is. Willows will once again be working with Greg Sanders as Eric Szmanda returns to the franchise.
TVLine reports that Eric Szmanda will be reprising his role as Greg Sanders in the back half of CSI: Vegas’ second season. Although details about his return aren’t out in the open just yet, we do know he'll be back for multiple episodes, and fans will see him reunite with his co-star Marg Helgenberger.
Szmanda portrayed DNA specialist Greg Sanders for CSI’s entire 15-season run, initially starting out as a recurring guest in the first two seasons before being bumped up to regular in Season 3. Having worked 12 seasons with Marg Helgenberger before she left the CBS procedural after Season 12, their reunion will definitely be something to look forward to.
It’s unknown whether these episodes will just be a single arc or if it could set up a more permanent return for Sanders in Sin City. It would be nice if he were to stay a bit longer, but either way, getting him back and reunited with Catherine is better than nothing. Though how and why he comes back will be interesting, especially hearing what he’s been up to after all this time.
Whether fans could see more of Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders might also be dependent on whether CBS renews CSI: Vegas. 2022 TV cancellations were as harsh as ever, and no matter how popular or well-liked a show may be, nothing is safe. For now, we’ll just have to get excited about Sanders and Catherine working together again.
Meanwhile, Season 2 of CSI: Vegas has also included new faces like a viral TikTok star known for posing as corpses on the platform. He was brought on to play none other than a dead body, proving that anything can happen in the age of social media. The series also explained where Grissom and Sara went. It was on a boat above the Arctic Circle, so it may be a while still until we see them return to Vegas.
There’s no confirmed date for Eric Szmanda’s first episode back, but CSI: Vegas will be returning on January 5 following a brief winter hiatus. Hopefully, fans will be able to start the new year with some Sanders, or at least won’t have to wait long until he’s back in the fold.
The midseason finale of CSI: Vegas airs Thursday, December 15 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. New episodes will return on Thursday, January 5 only on CBS! Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming in the new year.
