CSI Preview: The Lighter Side of Crime Solving

Last week, months of speculation came to an end with an eighth-season opener that kept us on the edge of our seats and finally revealed Sara Sidle's fate (she's alive, but how long will she stick around?). Tonight's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (9 pm/ET, CBS), entitled "A la Cart" and written by Sarah Goldfinger and Richard Catalani, offers a breather, an episode that's "slightly more lighthearted and should be fun for the audience," says Catalani.

Our favorite clue-finders dive into two cases: The first is a death at a restaurant where patrons dine completely in the dark. "The dining-in-the-dark story Sarah Goldfinger experienced firsthand," explains Catalani. "She went to a trendy [Laughs] restaurant where you dine in the actual pitch-black darkness, and we thought that was interesting enough to formulate a story around." Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigate, and while they don't eat in the pitch black, they do have "some lighter moments with the lights off," says Catalani. When asked if there is still an attraction between these sexy CSIs, Catalani plays coy, answering, "Um, there might be a little bit." And how's Gil (William Petersen) holding up after last week's events? "Grissom is the consummate scientist — he makes himself feel better and productive by involving himself in his work," says Catalani. Shouldn't be too hard... Grissom's work looks like play when he and the team must ride go-carts — all in the name of research, of course — to solve the murder of a racer.

If you're in the dark about CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, view clips in our Online Video Guide.

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