It’s been an exciting first season so far for the latest entry in the blockbuster “CSI” franchise, with “CSI: Vegas” staking its claim in the classic “CSI” legacy by bringing back some of the original series’ biggest stars, most notably Jorja Fox as the brilliant Sara Sidle and William Petersen as her longtime partner in and out of the office, Gil Grissom. With viewership rising (per TV Line), “CSI: Vegas” has clearly been satisfying fans, who’ve been introduced to a raft of new characters joining the “CSI” universe.

In fact, beyond Fox, Petersen, and fellow returning stars Wallace Langham (as CSI tech David Hodges) and Paul Guilfoyle (who played police captain Jim Brass), the “CSI: Vegas” cast has been dominated by newcomers. Leading the crime lab is actress Paula Newsome, who parlayed her breakout stint on “Barry” to a recurring role on “Chicago Med” before taking on the role of Maxine “Max” Roby, head of the Las Vegas Crime Lab (per IMDb). Backing Newsome up are Matt Lauria — best known for “Friday Night Lights” and “Kingdom” — as lead investigator Josh Folsom, “After Life” vet Mandeep Dhillon as CSI Allie Rajan, and “Last Man on Earth” standout Mel Rodriguez as medical examiner Hugo Ramirez.

Jorja Fox has already spoken out about how her character, Sara, feels about Newsome’s character, Maxine. But now, for the first time, Fox is also making clear her feelings about Newsome herself, as well as her other new co-stars — and she’s got a lot to say.

Jorja Fox was excited and nervous to act with her new co-stars on CSI: Vegas

During a recent interview with Parade, Jorja Fox talked about her interaction with the new “CSI: Vegas” actors — and even revealed some on-set jitters, despite years in the TV spotlight. “They are so cool,” she said of her fellow cast-mates. “I know that’s easy to say. I find their work electric and mesmerizing to watch. But honest to God, as people, they’re really fun, they’re obviously consummate professionals, and they’re all coming from other really amazing projects.”

Specifically, Fox singled out Paula Newsome, whose Maxine Roby has proved a surprising ally to Fox’s Sara. “I was a huge fan of Paula, so I was a little nervous to work with her at first. She’s so exciting to watch. And they really loaded her up. She’s all of a sudden this genetics expert, and that is not easy. I got to sit back while she did two solid pages of genetics dialogue and had to do all the science at the same time. And she just did it as eloquently as if she was doing a Broadway musical, which is a lot of her background.”

The mix of familiar and new colleagues has clearly energized Fox, who also revealed what brought her back into the “CSI” fold after a six-year layoff. “Sara obviously is my favorite character that I’ve ever played,” Fox admitted. “I would never, ever tire of being Sara.”