- Network: CBS
- Series Premiere Date: Sep 26, 2002
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Critic Reviews
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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]
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The Hollywood ReporterJul 9, 2013It commands attention without being heavy-handed and serves up characters who seamlessly and effectively blend into the hour's compelling framework. [26 Sep 2002]
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The caliber is very, very high, a gangbusters idea executed with skill and sensitivity. [26 Sep 2002]
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As good a new drama as there is this fall. [19 Sep 2002]
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"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]
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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]
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As uneven as it is, the series is now showcasing some of the best acting on television.
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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]
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"Without a Trace" offers sharp writing, stylish directing and a cast with real chemistry. [26 Sep 2002]
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[A] sleekly made, absorbing series.
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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]
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What emerges is an engaging investigation that viewers will find themselves caught up in. [26 Sep 2002]
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It's well-made. [26 Sep 2002]
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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]
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A show that does what it's supposed to do -- keep you riveted and entertained. [25 Sep 2002]
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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]
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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]
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'Without a Trace' adopts the requisite cop-show clipped pace and poker-faced acting, but the procedural approach is catchy. There’s something irresistible about a forensic drama that hooks you with hints at the ending and works backward from there.
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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]
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It takes on a familiar formula with urgency and emotion. [26 Sep 2002]
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Attractive but not arty, intelligent but not brainy. [22 Sep 2002]
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This is nothing to build a night around. Yet the cast is good, action is crisp, flashbacks are seamlessly interwoven and dialogue is terse and effective.
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Has a fine, film noirish vibe and an irresistible mystery hook. [25 Sep 2002]
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"Without a Trace" is about the work, about the puzzle. If you want the untidy cop stuff, stick with "NYPD Blue." [26 Sep 2002]
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But even if the clipped dialogue sometimes suggests cop-show parody, the well-constructed mysteries give Without a Trace a strong foundation.
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Too bad the premise doesn't feel real.
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A slickly shot, competent series with a talented ensemble cast. It's not revolutionary or groundbreaking by any means, but it is a decent crime drama.
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"Without a Trace," however derivative, is a solid program, and ought to please "CSI" audiences.
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This is essentially CSI without the microscopes, petri dishes or Marg Helgenberger. Yawn. [26 Sep 2002]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 7
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Mixed: 3 out of 7
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Negative: 1 out of 7
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Apr 2, 2013