Why did Melina Kanakaredes leave CSI: New York?

[TMC]

According to Quora:

1. She was reportedly earning less than half of what Marg Helgenberger was at the time. Helgenberger was starring on the flagship series of the franchise - Kanakaredes was earning $200k per episode and Helgenberger was earning more than $400k. It’s doubtful that Kanakaredes would have ever received a comparable amount of money.
2. Kanakaredes was earning less than her co-star Gary Sinise - Although Kanakaredes had an equal role, she wasn’t receiving equal pay. And again, she’s was unlikely to change that regardless of how long she was on the program.
3. She likely saw the writing on the wall - CSI: New York was the weakest series of the franchise. It’s probable that the series was going to be cancelled within a few years (and it was) and Kanakaredes knew or suspected that. She wasn’t going to earn more money and she was going to have to look for a job anyway….so…
4. She was still bankable - Kanakaredes was only 42 when she left CSI: NY. She is a pleasant looking woman and she does well in roles where she is a doctor or attorney. There were a number of pilots and series which could have used and with the exception of the 18 months that she wasn’t working after leaving CSI, she’s worked steadily since. Leaving had few downsides as she could still find work.

According to the gossip "blinds":

91. ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER 11/09 **11**
The Absence: Except for a little light editing, I have left this in the words of the tipster. It is their story. I had several guest roles on one of the incarnations of a popular show ("CSI: NY"). this incarnation ran from 2004-2013. I appeared in two different episodes though I didn't play the same character. The star (Gary Sinise) of the show was a great guy, but the supporting male lead (Carmine Giovinazzo) or (Eddie Cahill) (I'll refer to him as C) exhibited some behaviors that made me uncomfortable. not towards me because as stated I was only a guest and didn't have much screen time, but towards the female lead (Melina Kanakaredes) and several women who played recurring characters. C had clearly been doing this for a while due to his level of comfort with the actresses. He was very confident. He would add physical contact in scenes that did not have physical contact in the script (i.e. a hand at the small of the back). He would only do this when the male lead wasn't in the scene. During my second appearance on the show I witnessed something that really shook me but I was too afraid to report it. I was being selfish because C was well-liked and I was afraid that if I reported his behavior I might be retaliated against. I was months behind on my rent and feared losing future roles. Before I went into acting I had worked at a small business that I wound up reporting to OSHA for unsafe working conditions. I was retaliated against and bullied out of the job, so naturally I was terrified of losing my livelihood again if I "ratted out" the actor. I'm still working in the industry though I've climbed the ladder enough to no longer fear being blacklisted (anonymity helps, too). Anyway, we were doing a night shoot. I think it was like 1 AM or something like that. We had just wrapped for the night and everyone was getting ready to head home/to their trailers. The guests/recurring actors didn't have trailers but we were put up in a local hotel. C had been invading the guest actress's space for the better part of twelve hours. She gave the impression of being sort of interested in him, but honestly I think she was afraid that rejecting him would make him mad. He was known for his temper. I went to change and packed up my stuff, and as I walked out into the parking lot I saw C and the guest walking towards the guest's car. The guest seemed to be leaning heavily on him. He took the keys from her, helped her into the passenger seat, and they drove away. Honestly I was so freaking exhausted from the shoot that I completely forgot about what I saw until the next day when I noticed that the guest, who still had scenes to film, was absent from the set. C was there, though. I figured she was just late but hours went by and she didn't show up. I heard the director make a mention of her being sick and that they were going to have to hold off on filming her scenes until the next day. Well she didn't show up the next day either. Or the next. I worked up the courage to ask the director, who I had found to be kind and approachable, where she was, and he responded very tersely that "we're recasting her". I didn't ask any more questions after that. I haven't heard anything from or about her since then. It's like she fell off the face of the earth. "CSI: NY"/Gary Sinise/Carmine Giovinazzo or Eddie Cahill/Melina Kanakaredes (List of CSI: NY characters)