Without a Trace

Without a Trace is an American television show set in New York City. The show is about an FBI missing person unit; each episode typicially follows the investigation into one person's disappearance.

It debuted as part of the CBS fall line-up in 2002. It was created by Hank Steinberg, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The show was the first to ever score strong ratings opposite longtime NBC hit ER.

Unlike many real-life missing persons cases, the person is often found at the end of the episode. However, like some real-life cases, sometimes the team does not find the person in time to help them out. Also in the background of the cases are the team's outside lives, such as romances and divorce and how these cases can be taken personally.

One thing that sets it apart from most of the other current crime-solving TV dramas is that, at the end of most episodes, they show information about a real-life missing person. This is not the case all the time: for example, at the end of an episode where the missing person attempted to commit suicide, a promotion for a suicide help line was aired in place of the missing persons report. This is also generally not the case for showings in other countries. (Although, in Australia, the Nine Network sometimes shows information on missing persons in that country.)

In 2003, the TNT Network acquired syndication rights to the series for a hefty US$1.4 million per episode.

Regular cast

• Anthony LaPaglia – Jack Malone, head of the unit
• Eric Close – Martin Fitzgerald
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Vivian Johnson
• Poppy Montgomery – Samantha "Sam" Spade
• Enrique Murciano – Danny Taylor

External links

• Official website hosted by CBS
• Without a Trace at the Internet Movie Database