Eric Szmanda returned to the CSI franchise on CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 17, reprising his role from the original series, and he is sticking around a bit longer.

TV Fanatic chatted with him about his comeback, how he's interacting with everyone, and how long he's sticking around.

Check it out.

Hi Eric. It's great to see you on CSI: Vegas. What made you decide to return to the franchise?

The fans. I really missed the character, and when the show started, many fans asked where I was. The more time that went on, I felt I needed to do this.

What kind of story did they pitch to get you to return?

There was no pitch. I got the script and discovered what I would be doing and what little bits of information they were given about where Greg had been.

So where has Greg been?

I like to think that Greg took a leave of absence a few years ago from the lab after Catherine left. Many other people Greg had worked with for many years had left, so he decided to focus on his writing, and he kept his credentials current just in case the opportunity came up for him to fill in at the lab.

Then he got a call from Max Roby asking him if he'd like to fill in for the night shift supervisor, and Greg had aspired to be a supervisor for a long time. So, he jumped at the opportunity.

Absolutely. So, what has it been like working with everybody?

It's been an incredible experience. I am blessed with the opportunity to go into a situation with the same set of circumstances in real life as I did with my character. I've been away from the lab for a few years, and I missed it, and I'm going back to a new lab funded in part by Catherine Willows and going back to work with the team.

Some of whom I had worked with before, and others I'd never met before, and everyone was incredibly welcoming. I got to work with many of the same crew members from the original show. The director, Brad Tanenbaum, worked on the original CSI.

It was written by Anthony Zuiker, who created CSI, and Alex Berry was someone that I knew from the first incarnation of CSI.

There were enough familiar faces to make me feel at home, and I was doing something I was very familiar with but had to adapt to a whole new set of surroundings, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Yes, I loved seeing you work with Marg again. How was that?

I love Marg so much and am happy she's on the show. We didn't get to work with each other on the first episode I was in.

But I knew that we would be in the second episode and we had a lot of fun together.

I also love your work with the new cast, especially your vibe with Penny.

Well, thank you. I enjoyed working with Sarah as well, and it was an excellent opportunity for the audience to experience what Greg was going through and what Eric was going through during his first week back on set.

Penny is at the top of her game, and Greg realizes that pretty quickly when she spouted out the card's principal back at him, and it was an honest look in the mirror for Greg.

He saw a younger version of himself in Penny, and I'm glad the audience enjoyed that scene as much as we enjoyed playing it.

What can you tease about CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 18?

I think I can disclose that there's an explosion involved. Greg has had some experience with explosions in the past and maybe a little bit of PTSD. Some DNA collection is involved in the next episode, where Greg started in the field.

Yes, I remember that. Has Greg become a mentor to the younger CSIs?

I respect the experience that the original cast members bring to the table, and I was sure to take my time when I got there and figure out where I could best be of service. You saw in the first episode that Greg brought a bit of levity to a pretty serious storyline.

That's something Greg has always been known for, and even though he sometimes only got a couple of scenes in an episode, I tried to bring as much as I could to them with physicality and attempted to lift the words off the page as best I could.

I would like to think that with the consistency of the characters, Greg would continue to play that role, and he can be serious when he needs to be.

So, CSI: Vegas has been renewed for Season 3, and we know they like to keep a legacy character. Does that mean we may keep you for next year?

Well, that's yet to be determined, but I would certainly be open to it.

The fans would love that since they like you, and it's always been rumored that we keep a Legacy character. We've had Grissom and Sara. We've had Catherine. I know the fans would love it If we kept you a little longer.

Well, let's keep our fingers crossed, and, in the meantime, if people want more, Greg Sanders, I suggest they go to my Instagram page, where I've been posting some of my favorite scenes from the show and just sharing some of my favorite photos and moments and even some current ones too.

They can spread the word on Twitter too.

So, what can we look forward to for the rest of the season for Greg?

I think Greg is at a real crossroads in his life, and I think the audience will be surprised by what they find out next.

Thank you. I can't wait. The fans are so happy you're back.

Wow, that makes me very happy and inspires me to do my best job.

CSI: Vegas airs at 10/9c on Thursdays on CBS.

You can watch CSI: Vegas online anytime via TV Fanatic.

Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.