Once that case was solved, there was no reason for them to stick around— especially since Petersen had only agreed to a one-season contract—so the story moved on for season 2 and we saw the return of Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) to the lab. Now TVLine is reporting that in the New Year, Catherine will have an encounter with another original CSI cast member in the form of Eric Szmanda, who is set to reprise his role as Greg Sanders for a one-episode guest stint. What the story is has not yet been revealed. But we do know, it won’t be the first episode back after the New Year. Rather, the Jan. 5 episode, “Eyeballs,” features Jay Lee, who plays Chris Park. It’s a case in which a social media influencer party ends with the brutal murder of a popular guest. So, Chris’s side hustle makes him uniquely qualified to lead the CSI team in their investigation. Earlier this year, Parade spoke to Helgenberger who expressed her delight at her return to the series. “Everybody has been excessively welcoming, and I feel the love,” Helgenberger said. “I feel their respect towards me. I’m so grateful for that. I’m having a hell of a lot of fun working with everybody. The set is vastly different than our original set. I’m still discovering new rooms, in fact. Of course, I miss some of the old gang, but I got over that pretty quickly, because everybody has been so welcoming and gracious.” CSI: Vegas airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Next, Everything You Need to Know About Season 2 of CSI: Vegas, Including the Return of Marg Helgenberger
