Critic Reviews

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]

As good a new drama as there is this fall. [19 Sep 2002]

"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]

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]

The caliber is very, very high, a gangbusters idea executed with skill and sensitivity. [26 Sep 2002]

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]

As uneven as it is, the series is now showcasing some of the best acting on television.

'Trace' understands that people watch weekly dramas to become involved in characters' lives, yet exec producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Co. have caught on to the idea that although we'd like a few clues here and there -- something to connect us to the characters -- we don't want to know too much. The mysteries should extend to personalities as well as to how crimes have been committed.

What emerges is an engaging investigation that viewers will find themselves caught up in. [26 Sep 2002]

It's well-made. [26 Sep 2002]