George Eads Leaving ‘CSI’ After 15 Seasons Of Dealing With The Dead

George Eads has been helping solve crimes and dealing with dead bodies for 15 years on CBS’s hit crime-drama CSI, but that’s all about to end. Another veteran team member is going to officially exit the show after being with it since the pilot episode back in October of 2000.

TV Guide reported that Eads will indeed leave the show after the current season.

It is being said that the split between CBS and George Eads was a mutual thing and it wasn’t one of those things where he asked for more money or anything.

Now, there has been no word as to how character Nick Stokes (Eads) will be written out of the show, but there is a little bit known about his exit from CSI. What is known is that his character’s exit will somehow be connected to the resolution of the infamous Gig Harbor Killer case.

So far, George Eads isn’t saying anything about his departure.

According to TV Line, Eads did take a leave of absence from the procedural in season 14, and it was due to an on-set altercation with a CSI writer. Reports were that he clashed with the then eight-months-pregnant co-writer of an episode and it was over Stokes’ storyline.

Once Carol Mendelsohn, show boss of CSI, found out about the situation, she called Eads to talk to him about it. He threatened to quit, but took a leave of absence and missed a number of episodes including the 300th of the series.

With the loss of Eads after this season, there are no more original cast members from the first season. Williams Petersen and Gary Dourdan left after season nine. Marg Helgenberger was gone after 12, and Paul Guilfoyle left after last season.

It certainly appears as if CSI could be seeing its end approaching. Season 15 was recently cut from 22 episodes to 18 by CBS to make room for a spin-off called CSI: Cyber. That’s not even mentioning all the original cast members and others leaving the show.

While it is being said that George Eads’ departure from the show has nothing to do the cut episode order, and CSI could continue for many more seasons, but only time will tell.

[Image via Sonja Flemming/CBS]