Crime packs double whammy on AXN

MANILA, Philippines - For nine solid seasons, televiewers went through thick and thin with the heart of the original CSI series, Gil Grissom (William Petersen). He plowed through puzzling evidence and pulled himself through heart wrenching grief (the departure of his beloved fiancée Sara and the tragic death of his comrade Warrick). Season 9 will be Grissom’s swan song, highlighted in a special two-episode tribute to the quirky sleuth and an intriguing introduction to CSI newcomer, Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne, The Matrix). Tune in to the first and exclusive broadcast on AXN tomorrow night at 10.

The bombshell was dropped last week right at the beginning of Episode 9. “I made a decision. I’m going to leave CSI,” Grissom announces to a CSI team. Even as they attempt to come to grips with Grissom’s impending departure, the CSI team is thrust into the thick of action with a relook into a closed case — the infamous Dick-and-Jane killer, Nathan Haskell, whose victims were couples, although the female bodies were never found. Strangely, fresh murders have surfaced in a similar style while the convicted killer is still serving his prison sentence.

Fans of Grissom can still look forward to a silver lining; Petersen will remain as an executive producer of the show and will return on a guest star basis. It will not be truly farewell but au revoir for CSI’s beloved Grissom.

Not to be missed is the equally-gripping CSI: NY Season 5 which premieres tonight at 10. Following last season’s cliffhanger finale, the season starts off explosively as the manhunt for detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his abductor continues, after he was taken hostage at a bank heist. The mystery deepens as Mac comes to consciousness in a submerging car, with a dead driver next to him (who’s coincidentally not the abductor) and with no recollection of how he got there.

The premiering episode for this season in the US performed with 15.55 million viewers. The pulse-pounding premiere sets the tone for what is to come for the rest of the season — with its high-tech forensic technology, the CSI: NY team will crack cases of deadly viruses, a murder at 30,000 feet, an explosive armored car robbery and a crime scene that disappears.

Season Five takes it further with a touch of Hollywood glitz with special guest stars in upcoming episodes like Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Pete Wentz, Nelly, Rumer Willis and Chris Daughtry.