Back to the lab: ‘CSI: Vegas’ returns to prove one of their own’s innocence

Back to the lab: ‘CSI: Vegas’ returns to prove one of their own’s innocence Investigators fight to prove the innocence of Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria) in the season premiere of “CSI” Vegas,” airing Sunday, Feb. 18, on CBS Sarah Passingham, Paula Newsome and Ariana Guerra star in season 3 of in “CSI: Vegas. ”Sarah Gilma in season 3 of “CSI: Vegas.”

When a famed forensics lab drops everything to prove your innocence, your days being held in custody for murder are numbered, right? That’s what lead investigator Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria, “Kingdom”) is hoping for in the season premiere of “CSI” Vegas,” airing Sunday, Feb. 18, on CBS. After Folsom’s mother’s killer was found dead in last season’s finale episode, the investigator was dragged away, suspected to be responsible for the death.

The whodunnit cliffhanger has kept audiences on their toes for months in the extended break between seasons of “CSI: Vegas,” affected by the strikes last year.

It doesn’t seem like the killer’s identity and Folsom’s fate will be a mystery for very long, per the premiere episode description from CBS, as the new season opens with “the CSI team [combing] through every crumb of forensic evidence to determine his innocence or guilt.”

Paula Newsome (“Barry”) leads the team as Maxine Roby, head of the crime lab, supported by Mandeep Dhillon (“Avoidance”) as investigator Allie Rajan, Ariana Guerra (“Promised Land”) as Det. Serena Chavez, Jay Lee (“Looking for Alaska”) as investigator Chris Park, Lex

Medlin (“Drop Dead Diva”) as investigator Beau Finado, Sara Amini (“Lucky Hank”) as chief medical examiner Sonya Nikolayevich, Sarah Gilman (“Those Who Can’t”) as rookie investigator Penny Gill, and reprising her role as investigator Catherine Willows from the hit establishing series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” Marg Helgenrger (“All Rise”), the only original series cast member to appear in more than one season of the “Vegas” reboot.

Ahead of her first appearance last season, Helgenberger spoke with Entertainment Weekly about her return to the franchise, praising the new cast.

“They couldn’t have been more welcoming, But it was interesting because I had played Catherine Willows for so many years, It’s like a part of me,” said Helgenberger. “In terms of establishing a camaraderie or an instant chemistry, it was pretty natural, I have to say, and I think it’s because I played this character for so long.”

Meanwhile, Folsom’s fate is in the hands of the CSI team, but it’s not just work for some members of the lab. Det. Chavez herself may just be a little too close to Folsom to help build a case for his innocence — the pair have established a romantic relationship when they are off the clock. Complicating matters more, Allie, in addition to being a senior investigator in the lab, is Folsom’s ex. Bolstering a former boyfriend’s innocence is all in a day’s work.

It’s no secret that salacious, outlandish cases are part of the DNA of any “CSI” series, and “Vegas” is no exception. The procedural has a habit of using comedy to create some levity over gory crime scenes and graphic medical examinations. Suspicious deaths at a clown hotel, a secret sex dungeon and a masquerade party are just a few examples of the cases that have ended up in the lab over the course of the show’s first two seasons, not to mention more than one elaborate frame up. Nothing less could be expected from the crimes of Las Vegas.

“CSI: Vegas” moves from Thursday nights to a coveted Sunday prime time spot on CBS, alongside action drama “The Equalizer,” returning for its fourth season, and the brand new series “Tracker,” starring Justin Hart[1]ley (“This Is Us”). The second season of “CSI: Vegas” upped the episode order from its first season’s 10 episodes to a whopping 21 episodes, however this season is back to a tight 10. Many network procedurals have premiered abridged seasons of 10 to 13 episodes given the work stoppage during the writers and screen actors guild strikes.