CBS | Release Date: September 26, 2002
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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100
Orlando SentinelHal BoedekerJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Without a Trace uses the gimmick of having the missing person drop in and out of scenes like a ghost as the agents ponder evidence. The device sounds hokey; the way it works, it's stylish and involving. [26 Sep 2002]
90
The Hollywood ReporterJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: It commands attention without being heavy-handed and serves up characters who seamlessly and effectively blend into the hour's compelling framework. [26 Sep 2002]
90
Washington PostTom ShalesJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: The caliber is very, very high, a gangbusters idea executed with skill and sensitivity. [26 Sep 2002]
90
Chicago Sun-TimesPhil RosenthalJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: As good a new drama as there is this fall. [19 Sep 2002]
90
Detroit Free PressMike DuffyJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: "Without a Trace" matches and sometimes surpasses "CSI" for stylish visual storytelling as it builds a time line that pieces together details of the 24 hours prior to the subject's disappearance. [26 Sep 2002]
88
USA TodayRobert BiancoJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: You don't get the same kind of fun, gizmo fascination that livens up CSI. But you also don't get the leaden, expositionary dialogue CSI uses to explain those gizmos. [26 Sep 2002]
80
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck BarneyJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: The show appears to be a perfect fit with "CSI" in that it similarly places more emphasis on procedural puzzles than personality.... But whereas "CSI" is all about the physical evidence, "Trace" is about psychological profiles. [26 Sep 2002]
80
St. Louis Post-DispatchGail PenningtonJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: "Without a Trace" offers sharp writing, stylish directing and a cast with real chemistry. [26 Sep 2002]
80
The New York TimesCaryn JamesJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: [A] sleekly made, absorbing series.
80
VarietyMichael SpeierJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Sleek and satisfying, Jerry Bruckheimer's latest is a compelling drama... The resolutions may sometimes be forced and the characterizations thin, but each episode still has a rhythm and a finality which brings to mind the exec producer's "CSI" in terms of ensemble performances and crimefighting handiwork. [23 Sep 2002]
80
Deseret NewsScott D. PierceJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: What emerges is an engaging investigation that viewers will find themselves caught up in. [26 Sep 2002]
80
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: It's well-made. [26 Sep 2002]
75
Season 1 Review: The clipped dialogue, the scientific detecting, the camera tricks, the computer gamesmanship, the back-and-forth progression of the stories -- the bricks that really matter in the construction of a TV show -- are all quite the same [as CSI]. [26 Sep 2002]
75
San Francisco ChronicleTim GoodmanJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: A show that does what it's supposed to do -- keep you riveted and entertained. [25 Sep 2002]
75
The Detroit NewsTom LongJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: The potential for cop burnout exists with all the new crime shows this season, but "Trace" is among the most promising entries. [26 Sep 2002]
75
Dallas Morning NewsEd BarkJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Without a Trace ends up delivering enough twists and turns to hold up its end of the basic TV show-viewer contract. It also visits the cliche corral on occasion. [26 Sep 2002]
70
Baltimore SunDavid ZurawikJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Without a Trace is an engaging and resonant adult drama, which means it is just the kind of series that should rate a rave, except for one thing. There is a decided drop in quality between the pilot and episode two. [26 Sep 2002]
70
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: It takes on a familiar formula with urgency and emotion. [26 Sep 2002]
70
Chicago TribuneSteve JohnsonJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: Attractive but not arty, intelligent but not brainy. [22 Sep 2002]
70
Season 1 Review: Has a fine, film noirish vibe and an irresistible mystery hook. [25 Sep 2002]
70
NewsdayNoel HolstonJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: "Without a Trace" is about the work, about the puzzle. If you want the untidy cop stuff, stick with "NYPD Blue." [26 Sep 2002]
30
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinJul 9, 2013
Season 1 Review: This is essentially CSI without the microscopes, petri dishes or Marg Helgenberger. Yawn. [26 Sep 2002]