Though only appearing on the show for one season, Aisha Tyler played the memorable character, Mia Dickerson. Dickerson appeared in season five as a DNA lab technician and was defined by her exacting and almost neurotic behavior, commonly complaining of her colleagues contaminating her workspace.
Tyler also appeared in an episode of “CSI: Miami” but later left “CSI” altogether when she became busy with multiple projects in her career. Tyler also gained fame early on for her recurring role as the love interest of both Ross and Joey, Charlie, on arguably the most popular sitcom of all time – “Friends.”
Laurence Fishburne – Then
Dr. Ray Langston, played by Lawrence Fishburne, brought a calm and contemplative character to the "CSI" storyline. Before joining CSI, Fishburne had one of the most impressive resumes of any cast member, having starred in multiple films and TV shows, including "Apocalypse Now," "Predators," "Mission Impossible 3," and "Boyz N' Da Hood."
But the role that really took his career to a whole new level was as the mentor to Neo, Morpheus, in "The Matrix." He became one of the show's stars in seasons nine through eleven but shockingly did not renew his contract, and he was written out of the show.
Laurence Fishburne – Now
Leaving "CSI" in no way hindered Fishburne's career as he went on to star in multiple films and TV shows, including "Man of Steel," "Hannibal," "Contagion," and "Where'd You Go Bernadette," just to name a few. You can currently see him playing the sassy grandfather, Pops, on the TV show "Blackish."
Fishburne even showed up in comic book movies in both the MCU and the DCEU. He has received multiple Emmy award nominations and wins and was also nominated for an academy award for his role in "What's Love Got to Do with It." With so much versatility and longevity as an actor, Fishburne's career is far from over.
Aisha Tyler – Now
Aisha Tyler also managed to have a successful career after CSI. Her career continued to flourish in 2001 after taking over as one of the hosts of "The Talk" and she has also starred in a variety of movies and tv shows like "Bedtime Stories," "Criminal Minds," and "Diary of a Future President," among others.
In her career so far, Aisha has managed to gracefully pivot towards different avenues; becoming an author, producer, and director. One of the most recent movies she showed up in was the comedy-drama "Friendsgiving." In 2022, Tyler put her trivia knowledge to the test, competing in "Celebrity Jeopardy!"
Lauren Lee Smith – Then
One of the most challenging circumstances that producers can find themselves in is the need to replace a long-standing role with a different actor. Lauren Lee Smith joined the cast during season nine as the main cast replacement for Jorja Fox's Sara Sidle. Surely enough though, Smith was a worthy replacement.
The character of Riley Adams, who initially got along with her colleagues, was tough and rebellious and was often combative with her superior, Catherine Willows. The character of Riley Adams disappeared well before "CSI" ended, as her contentious relationship with Willows resulted in a scathing review of Catherine during her exit interview.