Batman and Robin. Starsky and Hutch. Hasselhoff and his talking car. Prime time has always featured plenty of crime-busting partners. And on Nov. 8, two of TV's toughest solo acts — Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) — join forces to catch a killer in a special CSI-Without a Trace crossover. Inspired by the real-life saga of a murderer who rode the rails to hunt his victims, the story begins on CSI, when a murder investigation by Grissom's team turns up a link to a case that Jack and the FBI have been pursuing for years. Their search takes them from Las Vegas to New York City, and "the difference in our styles becomes apparent right away," LaPaglia says. During a break on the Trace set, the two actors sat down to talk with TV Guide about their characters, the episodes and their dream of a Petticoat Junction revival.

TV Guide: What's the deal with that swimming pool over there? You guys keep looking at it.
William Petersen: [Laughs] We just found out if you jump in it, that means instant dismissal.
Anthony LaPaglia: So we're trying to figure out how we can jump in.
Petersen: I'm sure it means only crew, but we'll see.
LaPaglia: We'll jump in hand-in-hand and someone from Warner Bros. will run out here shouting, "You're fired!"

TV Guide: You're also diving into the first CSI-Without a Trace crossover. Did you know each other before working on these episodes?
Petersen: I think I first met [LaPaglia] at Steve Martin's. I knew who Anthony was, so it was a thrill to walk in there and see him. LaPaglia: And then when I first signed on to do Without a Trace, I remember calling you to get some advice on how to navigate the waters, since we were both working on Jerry Bruckheimer-produced shows on CBS. You really helped a lot.

TV Guide: How did this crossover come about?
Petersen: Anthony and I almost did a movie with [CSI director] Danny Cannon. Danny thought it would be fun for us all to work together, so we've talked about this [crossover] on and off for four years now. It was a question of the right time and whether there was going to be a script or not. We didn't want to do it just because CBS wanted it.

For more on this the CSI-Without a Trace crossover, pick up the new issue of TV Guide, on sale now!