For a show that's supposedly not about the characters' private lives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has garnered a lot of attention in recent months due to rumours of further sexual tension between Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle.

Tabloid newspaper The National Examiner is the latest media outlet to add fuel to the Grissom/Sara rumours, claiming that the "production team has been torn apart" over the issue of whether the two CSIs should have a relationship.

"One group believes workaholic Grissom is so emotionally stunted that he could never have an affair and that's the way he should be played," a source told the tabloid (via Playing With Fire). The other camp reportedly thinks "it's unrealistic to believe that when two people flirt so much it won't lead to an affair".

Despite the National Examiner's sensationalised take on the issue, official statements from CSI actors and producers indicate that any Grissom/Sara subtext is likely to remain just that. Earlier this month, Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) said that both she and William Petersen (Gil Grissom) like that viewers are able to draw their own conclusions about the relationship between the two CSIs (story).

Creator and executive producer Anthony E. Zuiker has also said that it is better to shed light on the characters "in doses". "It's so much richer when Jorja Fox wipes chalk off Billy Petersen's cheek, or he might call her 'honey'," he said.

The original text of the National Examiner article is available here at Playing With Fire. The information in the tabloid article has not been officially confirmed by CBS, and thus should be taken with a grain of salt. The Grissom/Sara petition mentioned in the article can be found at this page.

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