 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Without a Trace
Common Sense Media says
Predictible crime drama for older teens only.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this crime drama deals with sensational topics, many of which involve children and teens, such as abduction, molestation, child pornography, and infanticide. The regular characters also struggle with adult topics like adultery, divorce, addiction, and serious health problems, which may upset sensitive young viewers.
What's the story?
WITHOUT A TRACE follows the small team of FBI investigators on the Missing Persons Squad who step in when someone disappears mysteriously. Knowing that every second counts in an abduction, the crew works quickly to chart the missing person's activities during the previous 24 hours. This involves interviewing friends and family, checking into the person's financial and personal records, and searching for any clues that might reveal the circumstances of the disappearance. Storylines also explore team members' personal lives, such as division leader Jack Malone's (Anthony LaPaglia) divorce, the office romance of Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery) and Martin Fitzgerald (Eric Close), and the health scare of Vivian Johnson (Marianne Jean-Baptiste).
Is it any good?
This procedural drama follows a similar formula to many crime investigation shows and bears the slick, fast-paced mark of Jerry Bruckheimer, who produces this show as well as the popular shows CSI and Cold Case. 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. The storylines are predictably sensational, involving child abductions, accidental infanticide, and teen sex rings.
Moderate violence, sexual themes, and drug use with repercussions definitely make Without a Trace a show for older viewers. But even more distressing to young folks might be the storylines, which often involve children in disturbing situations, such as being snatched from their nanny, or dying from experimental medicine.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the rare nature of the cases that the show's team investigates. Under what circumstances do most people go missing? How safe do kids feel? Is there anything families can do to make everyone feel safer?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
nice show ^_^
i know, im only 13, but i just love this show! Some episodes are TV-PG, but most are TV-14. The role models are mostly good. Jack, Sam, and the other main characters work for the FBI, and help people who are lost.....But one of the main characters are addicted to painkillers. There is some sexual things, like for one of the episodes, (the newer ones) one of the main characters had to work for a strip club (!) There is swearing, but at minimum.
OVERALL.... a pretty good show. Thumbs up, Jerry Bruckheimer!
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AGE
Good but nothing beats the 24
great but some of the episodes are preditcable.
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AGE
Good Show
This is a well done, intelligent show. It features likeable, intelligent characters with mostly decent morals, and a strong determined attitude. Without a Trace centres around a team of FBI agents who investigate mysterious disappearances. The show is not on par with the CSI franchise, but is smart and enjoyable all the same. The characters are well rounded and interesting, they are appropriately flawed making them seem fully human; they are nicely diverse and the interaction is excellent. While kidnappings are a frightening and frequently featured aspect of the show that some people might find disturbing, those who are not easily disconcerted are likely to enjoy the fast paced, smart, and generally likeable show. I recommend it for those 15+.
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AGE
I like show, but I hate the police. They are all dumb and idiot. When you need them, they never there. Only when they track you when you over speed so they can get more money out of you. We are all pay taxes for them. Like the show right now, people are bleeding to death, they did not come to get them, that is the idiot.
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AGE
Terrific Show
Without a Trace is one of the best shows on television, perhaps the best show on CBS. Without a Trace is a fast-paced and compelling crime-drama, but differently from CBS’s big three CSI’s. Without a Trace is character-driven with the storyline often secondary to the characters interaction with that particular storyline. One of Without a Trace’s most interesting aspects is the depth with which it explores the lives and feelings of its main characters, all of whom are interesting human beings with shortcomings as well as virtues. This is truly an ensemble show with each member of the cast playing an integral role in the plot. Nicely cemented by Anthony LaPaglia’s Jack Malone, the show achieves a gravitas or weight that the CSI’s lack. The show also achieves a level of compassion for the victim that the cold hard science of the three CSI shows have difficulty achieving. Also interesting is the shows format, unlike in the CSI’s where you have a body and must work to discover why, in Without a Trace the action is spurred by the absence of a body, a possible victim who in the beginning is essentially a blank slate, however, by the episodes end, becomes as well known to us as a friend or colleague. Without a Trace is an exceptional drama with thought-provoking plot lines and likable characters. Highly recommended for those thirteen/fourteen and up.
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AGE
Awesomeness
I L.O.V.E this show! I usually hate shows with scary stuff like this, but this one is usually quite tame in comparison to other shows. And another thing I love is that in other shows, they don't show how terrible crimes affect the investigators, but this show is very emotional and realistic.
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| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | CBS |
| Cast: | Anthony LaPaglia, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Poppy Montgomery |
| Genre: | Drama |
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