Without a Trace: The Complete First Season

Starring Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia in a Golden Globe-winning role, the popular CBS series Without a Trace follows a savvy NYC quintet from the FBI's Missing Persons Unit. LaPaglia plays Jack Malone, the adroit hard-edged boss-man whose uncanny intuition works both for him (as in “Suspect,” when Jack uses repulsive imagery to coax a child abductor into revealing his victim's whereabouts) and against him (dealing with the after-effects of 9/11, “In Extremis” finds Jack literally calling the shots--to take out a suspected terrorist--with startling results). Working under Jack: tough, low-key married mom Vivian (Oscar-nominated Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Secrets & Lies), who shines when she goes undercover in an organization for abused women in “Underground Railroad”; aloof firecracker Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery, Blonde), who doesn't let her indiscretions--including an affair with Jack--get in the way of the job; sharp, streetwise, swoon-inducing Cuban Danny Taylor (Enrique Murciano, Sandra Bullock's love interest in the upcoming Miss Congeniality 2); and overeager aristocratically-connected newbie Martin Fitzgerald (Eric Close), whose introduction to the job finds him screwing up in the pilot episode. Featuring gripping and affecting storylines, credible performances, and great guest stars (including Mackenzie Astin, Amber Tamblyn, and Charles S. Dutton, who earned an Emmy for his role), the 22 episodes of the debut 2002-2003 season are presented in a four-disc boxed set, with extras including two audio commentaries, a pair of featurettes, and deleted scenes. Highly recommended. (J. Williams-Wood)