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If [William] Petersen (who is divorced and not dating anyone seriously) is “the dad” of the cast, according to [Marg] Helgenberger, then the rest of the family hierarchy is as follows: “I’m the mom,” she says, “Jorja [Fox, who playes Grissom protégée Sara Sidle] and George [Eads] are the little sister and brother.” And [Gary] Dourdan? “Gary is the really hot guy that makes our flesh tingle when he walks by,” she says, laughing.

Even thought the cast members spend up to 50 hours working togeather during the week, they often hand out with one another during off hours - barbecuing at Petersen’s Los Angeles house, going out to dinner or catching a movie.

“I know it sounds funny, but sometimes at the end of the week, when i go home, I think about these guys - I miss them,” says Fox, 33, who moved to Los Angeles from New York in 1996 after being cast on ER. In 1999, she left that show for a recurring role on The West Wing, which she gave up when she landed her part on CSI. When Fox, who is single and writes folks music in her spare time, joined CSI for last season’s third episode, Petersen felt it was a good omen. “She’s the talisman of [hit] shows,” he says.

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As a tribute to the fictional crime victims, the cast came up with a rating system […] The all time winner […] was Jody Lynn Wilson, a stunt actor from last season who was covered with live bugs and didn’t move for at least two hours. It’s a notion that still makes Fox a little squeamish. “I’m the wimp of the cast,” she admits. “But I’m getting getter. Last year, I couldn’t red the scripts before I went to bed. I couldn’t eat anything and watch the show at the same time. Now when I see something [gross] is coming up, I’m like, ‘Yeah, cool.’”

It’s now late afternoon. Outside the soundstage, Eads, Petersen and Dourdan assemble under golf umbrellas for a brief cigarette break. Fox, who might normally join the guys, stays inside because “my hair will frizz out in this weather.”

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