Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) left CSI: Crime Scene Investigation after season eleven, but the actor enjoyed the time he spent on the crime drama. “I learned a lot, and I really appreciated the opportunity to connect with a viewing audience of that size regularly,” Fishburne told Zap2It. “That’s something television gives you that I’d never had the opportunity for, so I’m really grateful for that.”

Prior to joining the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, newcomer Ted Danson (DB Russell) was familiar with the work of former leading men William Petersen (Gil Grissom) and Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston). “(Fishburne is) one of the best actors around, so I watched a lot of what he did because I wanted to see how good he was,” Danson told the Boston Herald. “But then, basically, I have to let Laurence and Billy go and try to figure this out for myself. I don’t know if I have any great lessons to learn other than appreciate them.”

CSI Files’ Shane Saunders was at the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation panel during the TCA Press Tour on Wednesday, and you can read his live-blogging of the event here. You can find more information about the panel, compiled from various sources, after the jump. (Contains minor spoilers!)

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Former CSI: Crime Scene Investigation actor Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) has joined the cast of the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel. Fishburne will play Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in the film, which begins shooting this fall and is expected to be released in June 2013.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has found a replacement for departing leading man Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston). TV Line reports that Ted Danson will star in CSI’s twelfth season as the new grave shift supervisor, who moves to Las Vegas from Portland, Oregon. “From the moment we all started talking about the role, it was clear [Ted] couldn’t be more perfect,” executive producer Don McGill said. “Intelligence, wit, warmth, depth of character and emotion, he brings it all. And now he’ll have to bring latex gloves, too.”

Executive producer Carol Mendelsohn created a more lighthearted character than Langston to replace him on the series. “You can create a new character on the page, but until the perfect actor comes along and breathes life into it, it’s just words,” she explained. “We’re very excited Ted Danson came along.”

How do you feel about the newest member of the CSI team? Head over to TalkCSI to share your thoughts!

As CSI Files previously reported, Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) decided not to renew his contract with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for the show’s upcoming twelfth season. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Zap2It that the hunt is on for an actor who can take Fishburne’s place on the crime drama. “We’re kicking around a whole bunch of ideas,” he explained. “Hopefully, we’ll come up with somebody who will keep the show on for quite a bit longer.”

All three CSI series were renewed for the 2011-2012 season, and Bruckheimer is happy that the shows will remain on the schedule. “We’re very fortunate that they still have wide audiences,” he said, “and that CBS is still excited about putting them on the air.”

As CSI Files previously reported, Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) is leaving the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. For leading lady Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), the actor’s departure came as a big surprise. “My manager called me late at night,” she told the Examiner. “It was shocking. I tried getting a hold of him. He’s out of the country right now, and I was just saddened by it.”

Helgenberger has enjoyed working with Fishburne on CSI over the past several seasons. “It was great. I was a fan prior to his coming on the show, and I’ll always be a fan,” she said. The actress went on to say, “I’m sorry that he’s not going to be back with us [on CSI]. I’ll miss him.”

The full interview is available on Examiner.com. Source: Margamania. Thanks to EricaSJ from TalkCSI for the link.

According to Deadline.com, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’s leading man Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) is leaving the crime drama. Fishburne’s contract was up for renewal, and he decided not to sign on for another season.

How do you feel about this development? Head over to TalkCSI and share your thoughts. Thanks to Shane for the link.

The eleventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will come to a close next week, but there are still questions about who might return next year. Several actors have contracts under negotiation, including Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass) and Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston). Guilfoyle is expected to return, and Fishburne told Entertainment Weekly that he’s planning to stick around. As CSI Files previously reported, Helgenberger will have a presence on the series next season, but it isn’t known how long she’ll stay. “It’s definitely a cliff-hanger,” executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told EW of the contract negotiations. “Most of our actors are negotiating for next season, so at the moment we don’t know. It must be a test for the writers of CSI. We always start planning for next season without knowing for sure.”

The original article is in the May 6, 2011 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Thanks to Shane from TalkCSI for the heads up.

Tonight’s episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, “Cello and Goodbye”, marks the 250th episode of the hit crime drama. Here’s another picture of the cast celebrating the milestone, which features David Berman (David Phillips), Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders), William Petersen (Gil Grissom), Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows), Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston), Robert David Hall (Dr Al Robbins) and Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews). Click to see the image full-sized: