Without a Trace (2002–2009)

The cases of a FBI unit specializing in missing persons investigations.

Creator:

Hank Steinberg

Stars:

Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Enrique Murciano

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Jack Malone (160 episodes, 2002-2009)
Poppy Montgomery	...	Samantha Spade (160 episodes, 2002-2009)
Enrique Murciano	...	Danny Taylor (160 episodes, 2002-2009)
Eric Close	...	Martin Fitzgerald (160 episodes, 2002-2009)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Vivian Johnson (159 episodes, 2002-2009)
Roselyn Sanchez	...	Elena Delgado (88 episodes, 2005-2009)

Storyline

As any detective can tell you, investigating missing property or deaths is comparatively easy compared to elusive missing people. However in New York City, there is a special unit of the FBI that is designed to find them. Using the vast resources of their bureau, the team, lead by Agent Jack Malone, race against time in the tight 72 hour window after a disappearance while hope for a recovery is still typically possible.

---

Plot Keywords:

missing | fbi | investigation | death | missing people | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

CBS [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vanished

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A few episodes are based on real life disappearances.

---

Goofs

There are a number of scenes which indicate that the show is actually shot in Los Angeles and not New York, where the show is supposed to take place. There are several supposed one way streets with double yellow lines painted down the middle (which do not exist in New York), large blue street signs (which are used in LA, as opposed to NY, which uses green street signs), and house numbers on each street painted into the sidewalk in front of each house, which is also not done in New York, but instead in Los Angeles.

---

Quotes

[Going through a suspect's apartment]
Martin: This guy's an ex-con.
Danny: What?
[Holds up a beaded box]
Martin: Prison art.
Danny: What, did you do a nickel at pelican bay? 'Cause if you did, I'm going to be a whole lot nicer to you.
Martin: Nah, actually I did an internship at a state prison, taught accounting. And I received several of these lovely cigarette box knickknack holders as thank-you gifts.

---

Crazy Credits

Amongst the opening credits, for a brief moment the words "Amber Alert" are flashed on the screen. The Amber Alert system was formally inaugurated in the state of California, July 31, 2002. It drew both national and international recognition in its success in aiding authorities in their search for abducted children. In less than one year, the California Amber Alert system has been credited with aiding in the rescue of over a dozen children. The intial system was formulated in Texas in 1996, and is named after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and murdered. As of April 10, 2003 a bill creating a national Amber Alert system has passed in the House of Representitives, and unanimously approved in the Senate. "Without A Trace" (2002) aired its first episode shortly after a summer littered with nationally covered child kidnappings including the famous Elizabeth Smart abduction. The show aired Elizabeth's profile following its November 21, 2002 episode, In Extrimis. All Profiles are chosen by the FBI, not the show's producers.

---

Connections

Referenced in To kokkino domatio: Kyria Kollia i epistrofi: Part 2 (2008)

---

Soundtracks

"Fade Into You"
Performed by Mazzy Star

User Reviews

Roselyn Sanchez, bad writing and producing killed this hit show

This show used to be great. Maybe not the pinnacle of television, but very, very good.

It had a nice cast, good writing (although it erred on not doing enough with the characters) and good directing (after a shaky first season).

But then it all collapsed. The creator of the show left and in came people who like their actresses incompetent and their scripts full of plot holes.

The hiring of Roselyn Sanchez is when this show jumped the shark.

Roselyn Sanchez is possibly the worst actress working as a lead in film and television today... and that's saying a lot! Her complete like of emoting, combined with her lack of diction and her unnaturally immobile face make every scene she's in a painful experience.

In addition, her bad acting exposes how bad the writing has become.

No wonder audiences have been deserting with once huge hit.