What’s the deal with Laurence Fishburne and other stars leaving prime-time shows?

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Prime-time stars -- they’re dropping like corpses on ‘CSI.’

Laurence Fishburne has vanished from ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.’ Ditto Christopher Meloni on ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ Lisa Edelstein has packed up her belongings and moved away from ‘House.’ And Charlie Sheen -- well, you know his story.

What’s the deal with the mass exodus from popular series?

Fishburne isn’t talking yet, but it seems likely his exit was prompted by a combination of falling ratings and rising expenses for the forensics show as it enters its 12th season on CBS.

You can find out more in our Calendar story about the stars fading away from your favorite shows.

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-- Scott Collins
Twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT