24M people watched Grissom leave 'CSI'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- More than 24 million people tuned in to watch character Gil Grissom leave the long-running U.S. crime drama series "CSI," CBS announced Friday.

Thursday's episode, which witnessed original cast member William Petersen's departure,

delivered the series' largest audience since its Season 8 premiere in September 2007.

The episode, which will be rebroadcast Jan. 22, also delivered the largest audience for a scripted program this season, the network noted.