Without a Trace on CBS

(From Marc Berman's Programming Insider column of Friday, September 30, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

CBS dominated with its combination of Survivor: Guatemala (Overnights: #1, 10.6/16; Viewers: #1, 17.13 million; A18-49: #1, 5.6/16), CSI (Overnights: #1, 19.2/28; Viewers: #1, 27.20 million; A18-49: #1, 9.3/23) and the fourth-season premiere of Without a Trace (Overnights: #1, 14.6/23; Viewers: #1, 21.13 million; A18-49: #2, 6.5/17)

(I don't have the numbers for premiere night last year, but during the season, "Without A Trace" averaged 18.8 million viewers.)

I like it too. It has something like a heart without being maudlin (I'm looking in your general direction, Cold Case), likeable characters, and no gross out.

I watch it and enjoy it, despite the fact that they over utilize the same California back lot "NYC" streets for locations. I sit and watch the show with my wife and play that game, see who can spot the palm tree first.
Come on, get out and shoot some real footage in NYC, or else, just change the location. NY is not paramount to the story line. We don't have mountains in our sky line.

But, I still enjoy the show.

Agree.
There are too many wonderful locations in this country that get over looked.
So many that would make a great back drop for a show. Though I am partial to my home town, I'm interested in new locations.

I most concerned with NY shows being shot here in NY. I hate the old style studio method. Some did it right. NYPD Blue did a decent job of shooting on back lots and mixing in actual NY footage. But there was one quirk they had. I would always get a good laugh when they would show a back lot NY city street. According to the folks at NYPD Blue, every NY City street has one of those orange and white construction tubes with steam coming out. I can't remember one episode without seeing that.

One of my favorites, I'm surprised it doesn't get a lot of reviews around here.

I wish they would as well, either I'm watching too much TV or the producers of these shows need to get more creative. That same back lot shows up in Crossing Jordan all the time too. I think I've seen it so much, I know the whole lot like my own neighborhood..

22 minutes into last nights episode, top right of screen, one big ass palm tree. Can't say I've ever seen one in Manhattan.

The show is getting tired real quickly for me. No production value, weak writing, a shameful waste of decent actors. I'll hang in a little longer but I'm getting ready to bail. Come on, last nights episode dabbled with Abu Grab ironies? Give me a break. If you want to go down that road then put JAG back on.

(From Marc Berman's Programming Insider column of Friday, October 7, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

CBS, as expected, won Thursday with considerable gusto, outdelivering distant No. 2 NBC by an average of 75 percent in the overnights, 11.91 million viewers and 60 percent among adults 18-49. The Eye net ranked a solid first in every half hour with its combination of Survivor: Guatemala (Overnights: 10.9/17; Viewers: 17.88 million; A18-49: 6.2/18), CSI (Overnights: 19.5/28; Viewers: 27.95 million; A18-49: 9.5/24) and Without A Trace (Overnights: 14.2/22; Viewers: 21.54 million; A18-49: 7.0/18)

I'm an old fan of the show, but am puzzled and annoyed by what must be an intentional lighting effect now used in the FBI staff's large work office. None of the many desk lamps and long (fluorescent?) lamps have shades, and they shine brightly/directly into the camera lens. Actually, several desk lamps don't even have shades, but only white glass enclosures of one shape or another.

This isn't normal office lighting. As well, photographers and cinematographers have traditionally avoided allowing raw light to reach the camera's lens. (Think lens sunshades, and large light-blocking panels.)

I will admit, the glare I would expect to see just isn't there. Nevertheless, the result is distracting. What's the point? Are they just trying to see how far they push an HD image?

Jim

CBS's 'Trace' tops NBC's fading 'ER'
Wins 10 p.m. slot for second week in a row

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com Oct 14, 2005

No matter how many times ER reinvents itself, and it's certainly been many, it can't hold up against CBS when the rest of NBC's schedule is so weak.

Last week CBS's Without a Trace topped ER among adults 18-49 for the first time in their four-year timeslot battle Thursday at 10 p.m. It did it again last night, averaging a 6.7 Nielsen overnight rating to ER's 6.1, a 10 percent advantage.

ER and Trace both fell 3 percent week to week undoubtedly because of Fox's coverage of the National League Championship Series, which didn't finish until after 11 p.m. Fox averaged a 3.4 that hour.

ER isn't getting much support from the lineup that used to provide so much momentum. NBC averaged just a 3.9 in adults 18-49 from 8 to 10 p.m. Comparatively, ER is actually holding up pretty well - it built on lead-in The Apprentice's 4.6 average by 32 percent.

But ER is an aging show, now in its 12th year, while Trace is a mere pup at four years old. ER has weathered cast changes and plot twists while still remaining one of the top dramas in 18-49s.

Last year Trace passed ER in total viewers, and many figured it was only a matter of time before NBC's 8-10 schedule slowed down enough that ER became vulnerable in 18-49s.

Now it looks as though Trace's No. 1 finish last week was the start of a new trend. Expect the show to remain there for the foreseeable future, especially as unfamiliar faces continue to cycle through ER.

http://medialifemagazine.com/artman/...rticle_690.asp

While Roselyn Sanchez is quite a beauty, you can tell she is easily out of place with this cast. It doesn't mean she is no good but she is just miscast.

Maybe Danny is leaving the series and they need to fill the spanish quota ?

Yeah, i noticed.

FBI got a grant for some new monitors

(From Marc Berman's Friday, October 21, 2005 Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

Without A Trace averaged a typically dominant 13.9/21 in the overnights and 19.91 million viewers, with a second-place finish behind NBC's ER among adults 18-49 (6.2/16). ER, which featured the addition of John Leguizamo, was second in the overnights (11.1/17) and total viewers (14.53 million), and No. 1 among adults 18-49 (6.6/17)

I mentioned this to the wife almost everytime Vivian came on screen. Me thinks Viv is looking for a little more "exposure" in 2006......

I thought last nights episode on 1/5/06 was great.
The ending of the show made me want to have a women by myside though.
haha cleavage is good

Another excellent show, although I would've liked to see the reaction of the paramedic's fiance. BTW, why isn't this show in Dolby Digital 5.1 like most others?

I'm fairly new to the show and I'm starting to like it. The PQ seems pretty good. I wish it were in 5.1 even though there doesn't seem to be a lot of action that would benefit from it.

The 1/5 episode was kind of tough. I'm like s2silber...I'd have liked to have seen people's reactions. Not just the fiancee's, but the pastor's as well. As I watched, I wondered if that's what it's really like for kids in the hood and assumed that real life is actually worse. Watching the gang-bangers, I could only think to myself that Rosa Parks didn't keep her seat so blacks in the future could kill each other. Sad.

For those of us in the greater NYC market (as you and I are) maybe CBS-NY just figures since the sound is about 400 db's louder than the analog feed that will suffice....?

My receivers blue light which indicates DD5.1 was lit up, however, I noticed no sound coming from my center speaker. Therefore, I guess it is not true DD5.1

Btw the show is great, I just love Poppy Montgomery and the new girl Roselyn Sanchez.

Yeah both Roselyn Sanchez and Poppy Montgomery are good.

Well in the first 30 seconds of the show last night my Denon 3805 indicated that it was DD5.1 .. then my local CBS? cut the DD 5.1
So they have the capabilities too, it just cost too much money to broadcast in DD 5.1?

This is one of those shows that end up sitting on my DVR for weeks and weeks, then when nothing good is on I'll watch four or five of them. The PQ is pretty good but the camera work is more straightforward than Cold Case.

I am going to miss Martin Landau"Frank Malone" . His interactions with Jack always seemed cantankerous yet plausible and affectionate. He added depth to Jack's character. I dvr'ed his final (12/08/2005) episode.

For anyone who's dealt with a father (or in my case grandfather) afflicted with alzheimers/dementia, Landau's interaction with La Paglia and his bizarre behavior hits home.