Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) and George Eads (Nick Stokes) are crime scene investigators no more.

The actors were yesterday axed from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation by CBS network executives Les Moonves and Nancy Tellem for breach of contract, Variety reported. Both Fox and Eads had been signed to the show for seven years.

Eads, who was reportedly seeking a pay rise, was a no-show when production on the season premiere, "Viva Las Vegas", began yesterday. Fox was also looking for more money, but still showed up for work on Thursday. However, CBS fired the actress after she failed to reply to the network's letter asking whether she planned to turn up for work during the pay negotiations.

Variety reported the producers are already searching for replacements, but it is not yet known whether the parts of Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes will be recast or whether the characters will simply be written off the show. It is likely "Viva Las Vegas" will undergo extensive rewrites to accommodate the departure of Fox and Eads.

Refusing to show up to the set is a common tactic used by actors seeking a pay rise. Everybody Loves Raymond cast member Brad Garrett successfully used the ploy last year to secure more money, as did the supporting actors of The West Wing in 2001.

CBS has made no comment on the departures. The original article can be found at Yahoo! News.

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