This just came an hour ago.  Laurence Fishburne is officially not returning in CSI Season 12 as Dr. Raymond Langston.  Here is an official report from deadline confirming the news.

After two-and-a-half seasons, Laurence Fishburne is leaving CSI. The Oscar-nominated actor's deal on the show was up and he opted not to renew it. He is expected to return to features full-time. It was a major coup for CBS to land Fishburne as a successor to original star William Petersen who left the series in December 2008. But when he last renewed his contract for CSI last May, Fishburne only did it for one season. After ten-and-a-half seasons as CBS' Thursday 9 PM anchor, CSI is moving to Wednesday 10 PM this fall. I hear CBS and the veteran crime drama's producers were not surprised by Fishburne's decision. "Nobody expected him to be on the show for 7 years, it's Laurence Fishburne," one insider said. Fishburne will next be seen in Steven Soderbergh's thriller Contagion.

-deadline

Personally I really don't like how most contract actors leave the show without doing any proper exit.  For me it lacks closure and resolution.


I may be one of those who thinks Grissom is irreplaceable even with a Hollywood big name such as Laurence Fishburne but I can say that I've learned to like his character in the course of two and a half season.  And I can say that personally I will miss him on Season 12.

But then again let's just look on the brighter side.  New characters are possible now on the next season.  Or better yet, bring back Grissom!