Jorja Fox Leaves CSI: Nobody Cares

Jorja Fox, who plays Sara Sidle on CSI, is leaving the crime drama to—what else—pursue other opportunities. Will she be missed?

No one will even notice, or care.

For the most part, many of the actors on CSI, including William Petersen, who plays Gil Grissom, are, in my opinion, mediocrities and can easily be replaced. Why? Because the show is not about them. The triumph of CSI is its writing, cinematography, and directing. Finally, it’s about the process. Yes, the process. It’s the star of the show.

If CSI can be compared to one show it’s Law & Order, which has seen its cast replaced at least once, and perhaps twice or even thrice, yet it endures because the process is front and center, not personalities.

Still unconvinced? Back in 2004, Jorja Fox and her co-star George Eads, who plays the insufferable prick Nick Stokes, decided to renege on their contracts and hold-out for more money, thinking, perhaps, the producers would quickly relent. After all, the show cannot go on without them, right? And how did the producers respond? They promptly fired Eads and Fox, and did so without any hesitation. Eads and Fox, cutting their losses, sheepishly returned to the fold a few days later.

ADDENDUM: I don't know where I read this, but it seems Jorja Fox left CSI over money. She was making a sweet $100K per episode. That works out to $2.2 million over a 22-episode season, plus residuals from syndication, DVD and assorted show-related products.