HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Laurence Fishburne will be joining the cast of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" this season, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The 47-year-old actor will debut in the upcoming season's ninth episode, softening the departure of William Petersen from the CBS show.

"I am elated and delighted to be joining the cast of 'CSI'," Fishburne told EW. "I look forward to a wonderful collaboration with the creative and talented team of such a successful and distinguished show."

The show's executive producers, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar, said the Oscar-nominated Fishburne was at the top of their wish list.

"He is a powerful and intense actor, with an incredible range," they said in a joint statement. "If you distill 'CSI' down to its essence, it's a collaboration — and we are so looking forward to collaborating with Mr. Fishburne. For all of us at 'CSI,' this is truly a dream."

According to the network, Fishburne will star as a former pathologist "who is now working as an itinerant college lecturer, teaching a course in criminalistics. His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence — tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI."

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