The Real Reason Adam Rodriguez Almost Left CSI: Miami Forever

The "CSI" franchise has been running an incredibly long time, ever since the original series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," premiered in 2000. Each show has featured a large cast of characters, some of whom would rotate in and out depending on both story factors and those that existed outside of the show. "CSI: Miami," which was the first spinoff from the original show, was no stranger to its own issues when it came to characters coming and going.

Adam Rodriguez, who portrayed Detective Eric Delko, was one of the pivotal characters on "CSI: Miami." However, in Season 8, his role in the show was dramatically reduced to a recurring role, which meant that his lack of presence on the show was noticed by fans. The character would return full time in Season 9, but there was a lot of uncertainty during Season 8 over his future in the show. As it turns out, Rodriguez almost left "CSI: Miami" for good.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2010, Adam Rodriguez revealed that his return to "CSI: Miami" wasn't always a guaranteed thing. "We got to a crossroads last year where [CBS and I] wanted different things," he revealed. As it turns out, contract negotiations had fallen through multiple times, and neither party could come to an agreement over the future of his character. In fact, it was all but decided that Rodriguez would be leaving the show permanently.

However, it seems as if fans became vocal over the lack of Eric Delko's screen presence, and it was enough for CBS to notice and try and resume negotiations. "I think, you know, a lot of it had to do with both parties even being willing to hash something out," he said. "[The first] time, it was really CBS that walked away [from negotiations] quickly. I'm not going to pull any punches, that's just the way it was." Rodriguez added that he believes "fans really made it known" that "CSI: Miami" wouldn't be the same without his character's presence.

It's weird to imagine now, but it seems as if there was once a universe where Delko never returned to "CSI: Miami" for its final two seasons. Thankfully, fans do not have to live in that particular, more depressing universe.