Without a Trace
| Without a Trace | |
|---|---|
| File:Withoutatrace.jpg | |
| Created by | Hank Steinberg |
| Starring | Anthony LaPaglia Poppy Montgomery Marianne Jean-Baptiste Enrique Murciano Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Close |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 118 (List of Without a Trace episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 26 2002 – present |
For other uses of "Without a Trace," see Without a Trace (disambiguation).
Without a Trace is an American television show set in New York City. The show is about an FBI missing persons unit; each episode typically follows the investigation into one person's disappearance. (The unit is fictitious; the real FBI has no dedicated missing persons unit, but investigates disappearances as needed on a case-by-case basis.)
The series 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 -- which, like Without a Trace, is produced by Warner Bros. Television and CBS Paramount Television. The first two showrunners were Hank Steinberg and Ed Redlich. Between Seasons Two and Three, Steinberg and Redlich moved away from active participation in the series, and staff writers Jan Nash and Greg Walker took over as showrunners.
The show also focuses on the personal lives of the team members and illustrates how their different experiences give them insight, and sometimes traumatic reactions, to certain cases. In many episodes a team member makes an emotional connection to a case that causes him or her to take the proceedings personally.
One element that sets the show apart from other current TV crime 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 in which 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 generally not the case for showings in other countries. (Although, in Australia, the Nine Network usually shows information on missing persons in that country after episodes. In Hong Kong, the TVB Pearl showed information of missing persons, provided by Hong Kong Police, after each episode in the first two seasons. But since season 3, such information is not shown.)
In 2003, the TNT Network acquired syndication rights to the series for US$1.4 million per episode.
Without a Trace was run on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS until September 2006 when it was moved to Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. As of next season, it will swap timeslots with Shark, returning it to its old timeslot.
The show is also the only prime-time US drama to feature two Australians and a Briton as performers in the regular cast, even though they play Americans.
Regular cast
- Anthony LaPaglia - FBI head of the Missing Persons Unit Special Agent John Michael "Jack" Malone,
- Poppy Montgomery - FBI Missing Persons Unit Special Agent Samantha "Sam" Spade
- Eric Close - FBI Missing Persons Unit Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste - FBI Missing Persons Unit Special Agent Vivian "Viv" Johnson
- Enrique Murciano - FBI Missing Persons Unit Special Agent Danny Taylor, nee Alvarez
(He changed his surname at some unspecified point in his past.) - Roselyn Sanchez - FBI Missing Persons Unit Special Agent Elena Delgado (2005–)
Seasons
Season 1
The FBI's New York Missing Persons Squad consists of the boss, Jack Malone, and his team: Vivian Johnson, Danny Taylor, Samantha Spade. Martin Fitzgerald joins the team at the start of season 1. In addition to working for the FBI, Jack is trying to be a decent father and deal with a separation from his wife. Samantha is overcoming the secret affair she had with Jack, her boss. Martin is adjusting to being the newest member of a well-established team. His father is a Deputy Director for the FBI, which makes Martin worry about receiving special treatment.
Season 2
As the team continues to track down missing persons, Jack and his wife slide towards divorce, while Jack must also care for his father (Martin Landau) who has Alzheimer's disease. We learn more about the team members' life histories, including the fact that Martin was practically raised by his aunt and uncle, and Danny is an orphan whose brother is a convicted felon. Martin fatally shoots a man whom he provoked, and both he and Vivian must keep quiet in order to keep their jobs. Jack makes a last ditch attempt to save his marriage by moving to Chicago with his family, giving Vivian a long-awaited promotion to his post, but at the last minute his wife leaves without him, taking their daughters with her.
Season 3
Vivian loses her promotion when Jack returns to his job, causing some friction among the group. She also experiences heart trouble that endangers her life and her career, and undergoes risky surgery. Martin and Samantha begin a secret office romance, but it ends badly. Jack undergoes a brutal custody battle with his ex-wife. Danny has to confront his traumatic past and his estranged brother. The season ends with a cliffhanger as a hired mercenary opens fire on Martin and Danny's car while they transport a prisoner.
Season 4
After barely surviving the gun battle that ended Season Three, Martin must recover from near-fatal gunshot wounds while Danny battles PTSD. Stretched for help, the team receives a new member, Elena Delgado, a former NYPD vice squad member with an aggressive, streetwise attitude. Martin develops an addiction to painkillers, and Jack begins a romance with the widow of a former mentor killed in the line of duty.
Season 5
Jack's girlfriend miscarries and abruptly ends their relationship. Danny and Elena begin to date each other, while her ex-husband, Carlos, sues for custody of their daughter, Sofie, and later abducts the child. More about Samantha's difficult past is revealed, including her strained relationships with her mother and sister. At the end of the season, Carlos is freed, leaving the team worried about Elena's safety, and a serial kidnapper appears to be preying on young women.
Episodes
U.S. Television Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Without A Trace on CBS.
Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thursday 10:00PM | September 26, 2002 | May 15, 2003 | 2002-2003 | #15 | 15.09 |
| 2nd | Thursday 10:00PM | September 25, 2003 | May 20, 2004 | 2003-2004 | #11 | 16.74 |
| 3rd | Thursday 10:00PM | September 23, 2004 | May 19, 2005 | 2004-2005 | #8 | 18.68 |
| 4th | Thursday 10:00PM | September 29, 2005 | May 18, 2006 | 2005-2006 | #7 | 18.54 |
| 5th | Sunday 10:00PM | September 24, 2006 | May 10, 2007 | 2006-2007 | #16 | 14.7[1] |
International Broadcasters
Without a Trace is broadcast around the world by the following stations:
| Country | Alternate title/Translation | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
CBS (Original airing) and TNT Network (syndication) |
September 26 2002 | ||
 Canada |
Global (seasons 1-5) CTV (season 6) |
|||
 Arab World |
MBC Action | |||
| Asia | Hallmark Channel | April 2 2007 | ||
 Australia |
Nine Network and Arena (cable) |
|||
 Austria |
Without a Trace - Spurlos verschwunden | ORF1 | ||
 Belgium (Dutch-speaking) |
Without a Trace | Kanaal Twee (cable) | ||
| Belgium (French-speaking) |
FBI : portés disparus ("FBI: Reported Missing") |
RTBF La Deux (cable) | ||
 Brazil |
Desaparecidos ("Missing persons") | Warner Channel (cable) SBT |
November 6 2002 | |
 Bulgaria |
Безследно изчезнали ("Without a Trace") |
Nova Televizia | ||
 Colombia |
Sin Rastro | RCN Television | ||
 Denmark |
Forsvundet sporløst ("Disappeared - No Trace") |
TV3 | March 10 2003 | |
 Estonia |
Jälgi jätmata ("Without a Trace") | Kanal 2 | January 31 2007 | Wednesday 09:55pm |
 Finland |
Ilman johtolankaa ("Without a Trace") |
MTV3 | October 15 2003 | |
 France |
FBI : portés disparus ("FBI: Reported Missing") |
France 2 | July 4 2004 | |
 Germany |
Without a Trace - Spurlos verschwunden ("Without a Trace - Lost without a trace") |
Sat.1 (new episodes) and Kabel1 (reruns) |
September 3 2003 | |
 Greece |
Χωρίς Ίχνος ("Without a trace") | Alpha TV | ||
 Hong Kong |
尋人密探組 ("The Missing Persons Division") | TVB Pearl | ||
 Hungary |
Nyomtalanul ("Without a trace") | Viasat3 | February 16 2005 | |
 Iceland |
Sporlaust ("Without a Trace") | RÚV | October 23 2003 | |
 India |
Hallmark ("Season 1") Zee Café ("Season 2") |
|||
 Ireland |
TG4 | |||
 Israel |
ללא עקבות ("Without a Trace" (Literally Without Tracks)) |
Israel 10 | May 16 2004 | |
 Italy |
Senza Traccia ("Without a Trace") | Rai Due | September 11 2004 | |
 Japan |
FBI失踪者を追え (Efubīai (FBI) Shissōsha o Oe) ("FBI, Follow the Missing People") |
NHK (new episodes) and Super Channel (reruns) |
||
 Korea |
위드아웃 어 트레이스 Wideuaut eo teureiseu, loanword from the original name ("Without a Trace") |
Catch On, SkyHD | ||
| FBI실종수사대 (에프비아이失踪搜査隊; Epeubiai (FBI) Siljong-susadae) ("FBI Disappearance Investigation Team") |
OCN | |||
 Malaysia |
ntv7 | |||
 The Netherlands |
Without a Trace | Avro | August 20 2005 | |
 New Zealand |
TV ONE | |||
 Norway |
Sporløst forsvunnet | NRK | October 29 2004 | |
 Peru |
Without a Trace | Warner Channel | ||
 Philippines |
Without a Trace | RPN9 | ||
 Poland |
Bez śladu ("Without a Trace") | TVN (new episodes) and TVN Siedem (reruns) |
||
 Portugal |
Sem Rasto ("Without a Trace") | RTP1 and AXN | Thursdays at 9:30 pm | |
 Romania |
Disparuti fara urma ("Without a Trace") | Pro TV | ||
 Singapore |
Channel 5 | |||
 Slovenia |
Brez sledu ("Without a Trace") | POP TV | ||
 South Africa |
SABC 3 | |||
 Spain |
Sin Rastro ("Without a Trace") | Antena 3 (new episodes) and AXN (reruns) |
January 15 2004 | |
 Sri Lanka |
Without a Trace | Channel One MTV and Zee Café (cable) |
||
 Sweden |
Brottskod: Försvunnen ("Crime-code: Disappeared") |
SVT1 | January 17 2004 | |
 Switzerland (French-speaking) |
FBI : portés disparus ("FBI: Reported Missing") |
Télévision Suisse Romande | November 16 2003 | |
 Taiwan |
失蹤現場 ("The Disappearance Scenes") | Public Television Service | ||
 Thailand |
True Series | |||
 Turkey |
Without a Trace | CNBC-e | ||
 United Kingdom |
More4 (new episodes) and Channel 4 (reruns) |
|||
 Venezuela |
Warner Channel (cable) and Televen |
January 12 2004 |
DVD Releases
Season Releases
DVD Name |
Cover Art |
Release dates
| ||
Region 1 |
Region 2
| |||
| The Complete 1st Season | File:Wat1.jpg | September 14 2004 | January 10 2005 | |
| The Complete 2nd Season |  |
March 13 2007 | January 16 2006 | |
| The Complete 3rd Season |  |
July 24 2006 | ||
Without A Trace Season 1 has been released on Region 1, Region 2 and Region 4 DVD. Season 2 (region 1 DVD), which was thought to be indefinitely scrapped, was released on March 13, 2007.[2]
Seasons 1 - 3 have all been released under region 2 and region 4 encoding.
References
External links
- Official website for reruns on TNT
- "Without a Trace" at Yahoo! TV
| Characters |
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|---|---|
| Episodes | |
