CSI Fans Agree These Cast Members Should Have Never Left The Show

For over a decade, the original "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" was a television institution that not only drew massive viewership and spawned multiple spinoffs, but also completely redefined the police procedural genre for the 21st century. Much like many other shows of its genre, however, "CSI" experienced quite a few cast shakeups over the course of its run. For example, Chandra West's character was killed off almost immediately despite initially being positioned as a significant player, with West's replacement, Jorja Fox, eventually quitting the show during Season 8 (though she returned not too long after). Then, of course, original series lead William Petersen famously decided to call it a day during Season 9, which made a lot of viewers upset at the time. That being said, Petersen's Gil Grissom is far from the only character "CSI" fans wish had never left.

In February 2022, a poll posted to Reddit asked users to vote for which "CSI" character they wish had never "disappeared" from the show. Six options were presented, including one for write-ins, though two of the named characters quickly emerged as the runaway favorites. By the time all was said and done, the character of Sofia Curtis, played by Louise Lombard, finished comfortably in second place with 43 of the 124 total votes that were cast. But the landslide winner was Wendy Simms, played by Liz Vassey, who received 66 votes — meaning that more than half of everyone who took part in the poll chose her. That left the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-place winners with only 15 votes between them. "Out of these choices, Wendy. I liked her and Hodges together ... " one user wrote in the comments.

Liz Vassey, who had previously starred on "All My Children" in the late 1980s and early '90s, joined the cast of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" as the character Wendy Simms in a recurring capacity in 2005, during Season 6. Wendy proved to have some staying power, with Vassey sticking around through Season 9 and being promoted to a series regular for Season 10. Unfortunately for Wendy's fans, it was a quick, downhill ride from there.

Vassey's first season as a "CSI" regular was also her last. After appearing in 20 of Season 10's 23 episodes, she only appeared in one episode of Season 11. Then, Wendy Simms was never seen again. Vassey's exit came down to CBS opting not to renew her contract. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly after news of Vassey's exit broke (via CSI Files), showrunner Carol Mendelsohn explained how the plan was to consolidate the main cast and put more focus on Wendy's love interest, David Hodges, played by Wallace Langham. Mendelsohn also teased Wendy's then-upcoming Season 11 farewell. "She will be able to say goodbye to Hodges, and Hodges will take his anger and heartbreak out on a fellow tech," the showrunner said. Langham continued to play Hodges through the end of "CSI" in 2015, and later reprised his role for a few episodes of the sequel series "CSI: Vegas" in 2021.

As for Vassey, after being let go from "CSI," she went on to appear in shows like "Necessary Roughness," "Riley Parra," and "A Million Little Things." As of writing, her most recent credits were in a pair of 2023 episodes of another CBS police procedural, "NCIS: Los Angeles." Alexa, play "Wendy" by The Beach Boys.