"Without a Trace" (2002) TV series 2002-????

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Creator:

Hank Steinberg

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

26 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Missing | FBI | Missing People | New York City | Missing Person

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 15 wins & 29 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 19	10:00 PM	CBS	Labyrinths	#7.21
Tue. July 21	4:00 AM	TNT	Requiem	#4.22

Cast

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 (89 episodes, 2005-2009)

Also Known As:

"Vanished" (USA) (working title)
"W.A.T" (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG (some episodes) | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 (season 2) | Singapore:PG (season 1) | Chile:14 | Singapore:NC-16 (season 3) | South Korea:15 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (some episodes) | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Jerry Bruckheimer Television

Trivia:

Poppy Montgomery's character, "Samantha Spade", is a tribute for Humphrey Bogart. He was "Sam Spade" in The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: 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:

Jack Malone: There was no way I was going to leave that boy to die.
Paula Van Doren: You made your own bed on this, Jack.)
Jack Malone: You know, I used to think that this job was worth it. Giving up my life, my family, my friends, but today I almost sold my soul, and you know what? Not worth it. Here's my letter of resignation.
[Note: Jack DOES NOT quit his job]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Headphonist

Jumped The Shark When They Hired Roselyn Sanchez

It's amazing how Without a Trace went from one of the best shows on TV to must-miss TV in about three episodes.

First the writing went down the drain with the characters acting out implausible stories between them that sounded like they had been lifted out of a really bad daytime soap.

Then the regular actors got that bemused look on their faces, as if they didn't know what their character was supposed to be any more.

Finally, to "spice things up" I'm sure, the producers went and hired one of the worst actresses in Hollywood: Roselyn Sanchez, who can't even enunciate and has a face so plastic she's a walking indictment of the plastic surgery profession.

Very sad. Hopefully they'll right the boat, but I'm not holding my breath.

Update: It turns out the didn't right the boat. Roselyn Sanchez is still killing every scene she's in and the show is but a pale shadow of what it used to be.

Too bad as it was a very promising show.