In New York City, there are many mysterious cases and disappearances that are constantly occurring. There is a special unit of the FBI that is doing its job perfectly in order to recover things using the vast resources of their office. During that time, the team, led by client Jacques Malone, is competing against time in a short 72-hour period to come up with realistic solutions to these issues.
Without a Trace is 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.
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.
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. This one's for the more squeamish sleuth.
LaPaglia's grounded nobility and softly spoken charisma make him a perfect leading man for television and elevate his stock character -- an uncompromising, incorruptible boss -- to the pantheon of great TV cops.
Though Without a Trace's producers have clearly made attempts to deepen the show's characters, the show itself, while dark, stays pretty close to the surface.
