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'CSI': Ted Danson makes for 'lighter' Season 12, Marg Helgenberger says it's her last [Updated]

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August 3, 2011 3:25 PM ET

ted-danson-csi-season-12.jpgTed Danson shocked a lot of people this summer when CBS announced the funnyman would be replacing Laurence Fishburne as the lead of aging procedural "CSI." But as Danson and the creative team promised during the Television Critics Association summer press tour, the show will be changing a bit with him.

Per the first clip of the season premiere (now embedded below), Danson plays DB Russell, a father of four and kindly eccentric we first see questioning a child witness by amusing him with an invisible tennis ball he got "on sale" at Target.

The whimsical tone is something showrunner Carol Mendelsohn says be in no short supply on the series after the conclusion of last season's particularly dark serial killer arc.

"I think this season will be a little lighter," says Mendelsohn. "We'll still have one or more dead bodies or maimed individuals in every episode, and that will never change."

Mendelsohn also said that it was the series' intention to bring on a Sherlock Holmes type character and not another science nerd -- something Danson insists his comedic background has proved most helpful with.

"Looking for a funny takes a certain kind of intelligence," he says. "And it's the same brain that looks for clues and solves things. I feel at home in a funny way, even though I'm not doing jokes."

It's been quite a serious turn for Danson, whose other current gig on "Bored to Death" finds him solving mysteries while smoking pot. The 63-year-old says he went from a summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard to sitting in on a real autopsy in Las Vegas to prepare for the role.

"I'm the Phil Jackson coming to to handle a group of people who were on a slippery slope because of what happened last season," Danson says, referring to the beloved NBA coach. "I'm here to make the team work as well as possible."

That won't initially sit well with Marg Helgenberger's Catherine Willows, who'll be demoted within the crime lab upon Russell's introduction.

"There's a little bit of resentment there," she says, "but Ted's character, so far, is pretty endearing. I think he kind of gets under everybody's skin a little bit, in a good way."

As for Helgenberger's future on the series, when asked if this season would be her last she gave a definite "yes." But her co-stars insisted they were working on getting her to change her mind.

Update: Watch the first clip of Danson as Russell below...
 
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Photo/Video credit: CBS
 
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in CBS, CSI, Fall TV Preview, Press Tour, TV News

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 |  Comments (7)

Marg Helgenberger is a smart cookie. She knows this show has jumped the shark with Ted Danson's hiring. I knew William Peterson, and Ted ain't him.

Popeye3 | August 3, 2011 4:27 PM

i think Ted will be better than Morpheus!!!

teddybear | August 3, 2011 5:14 PM

Marg seems like she probably likes to receive the charles dickens from lots of dudes.

J man | August 3, 2011 5:34 PM

I think Ted will be very good--especially based on the clip above. He's got the right energy to work with kids and do the 'Sherlock' thing.

U.P. Barb | August 3, 2011 6:08 PM

I am glad LF is leaving. He never filled the shoes and the loss in the show. He was not a good fit for CSI. WP left it and the chemistry was never there again. Oh, I kept on watching sometimes, but it had been the show I never missed. When I saw that it was being moved to Wednesday nights this fall I wondered. Ted may be able to pull it off. I remember Marg when she was on the daily soaps. She is a good supporting actress but not a star. Let her go her merry way. I am hooked on Criminal Minds now ...even the reruns are better that original CSI's. Sorry, folks!

Karen | August 4, 2011 1:31 PM

What, Ted Danson is a 'funny man' ? I'm afraid the evidence for that would be hard even for CSI to find...

Dylan | August 5, 2011 1:37 AM

For me, the series changed when Laurence joined the team. He did an ok job so I continued to watch. Now, no Marg as Catherine Willows?! Sorry guys, Ted's not going to do it for me. I will continue to watch reruns but I know I won't make an effort to remember to tune in to see Ted. The energy and ambiance is gone.

Janice | August 6, 2011 3:11 PM
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