Vanished (Fox)

In the glossy dramatic thriller VANISHED, the FBI searches for Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly), a Georgia senator's wife who's gone missing. As the investigation unfolds, law enforcement officials and the press discover that Sara has a secret past -- and that her disappearance may be linked to a greater conspiracy with national implications. The strong, diverse cast includes FBI agent Graham Kelton (Gale Harold), who's haunted by mistakes in his past; his determined associate Len Mei (Ming-Na); obsessed reporter Judy Nash (Rebecca Gayheart); and Detective Danny Lucas (Eddie Cibrian).

With lots of characters and many possible angles for the narrative to pursue, Vanished -- like Lost and 24 -- is designed to hook viewers quickly. Just a few of the many puzzle pieces: The senator's teenaged son is hiding his relationship with his mother from his father. The senator's daughter has a shady boyfriend who may be involved in her stepmother's disappearance. A positive pregnancy test turns up in Sara Collins' bedroom. And a man from Sara's secret past returns. It's all very titillating, and with high quality acting and production, it's worth following.

Vanished's creator, Josh Berman, was formerly an executive producer of CSI, which explains some of the visual similarities between the two shows. Also like CSI, Vanished's content is adult, with highly sexual scenes and dead, bloody bodies. Some older teens may be able to handle it, but parents will probably want to preview it first.