[…]

Meanwhile, Sara has her own share of men to deal with as well. On one hand, there is Grissom, emotionally distant and much older, and on the other is Greg, the young guy who had a crush on Sara a while back.

“Haven’t we all had crushes at work? Sara has always placed Grissom on a pedestal,” reasons Mendelsohn. “We found out this season that she didn’t have a father figure because her mother murdered her father. So, it is very complicated, her relationship with Grissom. She’s attracted to the unattainable man. Whether she will ever act on that is an open issue.”

Petersen sees the potential in a Gil Grissom-Sara Sidle relationship but feels Grissom is not prepared to jump into something so risky. “I like that he’s an enigma. It’s the real reason why he hasn’t kissed Sara yet, because he has to keep something back. But, I’d like to kiss her before the show ends,” Petersen confesses.

When it comes to the pairing of Greg and Sara, Fox does not dismiss the fact that it is possible for them to share something more than friendship, even though on-screen, Greg appears to have cooled his heels with Sara. “I think Sara’s heart is still sort of broken over Grissom,” Fox voices. “I know that Sara has been taking some second and third glances at Greg this year. He looks good in jumpsuits.

“Sara got lucky in Season Two. There was a second when Greg had a crush on her. She really enjoyed that. Back then, she thought he might be a little too young for her. But as time passes, people grow. And you are working such long hours together.”

Talk of relationships seems so implausible when it comes to the characters of the original CSI. Remember, this is CSI, a show that prides itself on concentrating on the “whodunits” (i.e. how a crime is committed and solved), and the likelihood of any romance taking centre stage is slim to none.

“If organically in a story two people reach out to each other, then you may see something,” confirms Mendelsohn. “It is not going to be a show about Catherine and Warrick taking a trip. (Anyway.) It was just a desire to keep the show evolving and exciting for our actors too. We are blessed with such a talented cast,” she says.

Shankar concurs. “After five years, you want to get a little bit more of a sense of the characters as people. You want to catch a little glimpse of someone’s inner life in the context of the story or something that’s going on. It is a good thing for the show in general.”