Why Josh From CSI: Vegas Looks So Familiar
For 15 years, "CSI" provided audiences with engaging plots, an assortment of criminals, and a top-notch team ready to solve any case that came their way. The original "CSI" may be over, but the franchise continues on CBS with the spinoff series, "CSI: Vegas." There may be some familiar faces, like Jorja Fox returning as Sara Sidle, but ultimately, the series introduces new characters to win over viewers' hearts.
One of these new faces is Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria), a Level III CSI who usually takes the lead on all cases. He more than proved his worth on the show's first season, and even though "Vegas" was originally billed as a limited series (via Deadline), fans won't have to say goodbye so soon as in December 2021, CBS picked it back up for Season 2. That means more of Matt Lauria and the rest of the cast who have made the show their own.
But fans of Lauria's work didn't need "CSI: Vegas" to know what a talented actor he is. He's been getting consistent work since the 2000s, and there are numerous places you can turn to in order to see the actor's range.
He played Luke Cafferty in Friday Night Lights
Luke Cafferty, played by Lauria, is a hardworking, responsible young man, sometimes to his own detriment on "Friday Night Lights." He plays for the East Dillon Lions, and he'll always go the extra mile for his teammates, going so far as to hide a terrible hip injury so that he could keep playing.
Lauria was on the series from 2009 to 2011, and according to him, it was a distinct honor to have the chance to be part of such an iconic show. In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor stated, "It just has this implicit meaning. It has meaning. For me, it was such an honor to work on. The incredible writing, the shooting schedule, the efficiency with which the unbelievably talented crew made it so singular in tone and style and feel, and the talent of the other actors I worked with." It wouldn't be the last time Lauria would be part of a series that meant so much to so many.
CSI: Vegas isn't Lauria's first time in the CSI universe
Matt Lauria is currently making waves as Josh Folsom on "CSI: Vegas," but it's certainly not his first time solving crimes on a procedural. It's not even his first time appearing on a "CSI" show as he had a brief arc from 2011 to 2012 on the original "CSI" series. He played an entirely different character — Agent Matthew Pratt — starting on the Season 12 episode "Zippered." Pratt works on behalf of the FBI, which gets involved in a case involving a murdered gunrunner and the possibility that many other black-market weapons may have found themselves on the streets.
It's clear the actor enjoys his time within the "CSI" mythos, and by the sound of it, he's sticking around "CSI: Vegas" a bit longer, at least. When the topic of Season 2 came up during an interview with TV Fanatic, Lauria responded, "I like the family stuff. I like digging into history. It's always enjoyable, really revealing stuff. Anything involving family and parents gets a lot of mileage because they strongly influence who we are as people." From that statement, it's clear there's more to Folsom than meets the eye ... just don't expect the return of Pratt any time soon.
Lauria starred as Ben Newton on Dickinson
Prior to being cast on "CSI: Vegas," Lauria had another noteworthy role over on Apple TV+. He played Ben Newton on "Dickinson," opposite Hailee Steinfeld. He's Emily Dickinson's (Steinfeld) father's clerk, and he's a major supporter of her pursuing poetry. They develop a friendship over time, and on any other series, one might surmise that the two would get involved romantically with one another, but instead, the two agree to "anti-marry" one another, promising that they'll both remain unwed for as long as they each live.
For Ben, that turns out to be sooner than Emily probably would've liked. He comes down with an illness and soon perishes, much to Emily's dismay. His final episode in the series came with "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain," allowing him to go on to appear in other shows, like "Tell Me a Story," "Little Birds," and, of course, "CSI: Vegas."