Call the FBI. There’s another victim of the cancellation axe over at CBS. The network has cancelled long-running crime drama Without a Trace.
First airing in 2002, Without a Trace follows an FBI team that’s tasked with finding missing persons. Each episode follows the search of an individual and tracks the time that they’ve been missing. The series stars Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Enrique Murciano, Roselyn Sanchez, and Eric Close.
The series averaged 15.09 million viewers in its first year on the air and grew to a high of 18.68 million for season three. The show’s ratings have declined over the years and season seven has fallen to about 12.2 million. Like many shows on CBS, the drama tends to skew older.
As part of cost-cutting efforts, CBS put Without a Trace and Cold Case on the bubble this time around. Both Jerry Bruckheimer series have become expensive over the years and the network insisted on cuts in salaries and production costs. Both have had an upsurge in the ratings lately but CBS was leaning towards renewing Cold Case.
And then, Cold Case was renewed for season seven at the beginning of this week. As of Sunday, it was looking possible that Without a Trace could still return for a midseason run but the network has now decided against it. Costs and an abundance of new and cheaper shows are contributing factors.
Coincidentally, the series finale of Without a Trace airs tonight. The episode is called “Undertow” and revolves around a man who disappears after a late night dive. Oscar winner Martin Landau (Mission Impossible) guest stars as the father of Jack (LaPaglia) and Danny (Murciano) and Elena (Sanchez) take their relationship to another level.
Image courtesy CBS.
I AM NEVER WATCHING CBS EVER AGAIN…WITHOUT A TRACE WAS THE BEST SHOW ON TV AND TO HAVE IT CANCELLED IS RIDICULOUS…THERE ARE HORRIBLE REALITY SHOWS ON TV THAT HAVE NO PURPOSE AT ALL AND OF ALL SHOWS TO CANCEL, THEY DECIDED TO CHOSE WITHOUT A TRACE…UNTIL THIS STUPID STATION PUTS IT BACK ON THE AIR, I AM DONE WITH IT
What a waste! GREAT cast GREAT characters GREAT show – SO much better than all the other garbage on TV!!!!!!!!! I say Channel 9 pick this up instead of Leno!!!!!! Hey I like Leno – but I don’t want to watch him every nite!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring back WOT!
I think CBS should put Without A Trace back on the air. It had great stories and a great cast. I am so disappointed that CBS cancelled one of the better shows aired. CBS: Please put Without A Trace back on the air!
I am utterly upset that you idiots took off one of the best shows that you had going for you. Like many people have wrote I hope that someone else will pick up this fine show. Obviously your program director isn’t up on what the T.V. watching audiance would prefer. Yea put another reality show on we really don’t have enough of them. Hopefully with all this fan mail for Without a Trace you guys would reconsider or better yet ABC or NBC would pick it up and then see how sorry you guys will feel. Hey ABC or NBC… Read more »
I loved Without a Trace – I have been wondering what night it had been moved to and now find out it was cancelled. It was one of your best shows. Please bring it back!
whoever decided to cancel without a trace is WITHOUT A CLUE. hopefully someone at CBS will decide to bring it back PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
I am very disappointed that CBS cancelled “Without a Trace”. It does not suprise me though, like any big corporation everything is about the bottom line not necessarily what is the right thing to do. I will leave the timer set on the DVR just in case some other network would happen to pick up this awesome show up.
I cannot believe my favorite show “Without A Trce” has been canceled.
What a mistake. The only show worth watching on TV.
Hopefully someone else will pick it up.
Darleen
I CANT BELIEVE CBS ARE AXING WITHOUT A TRACE ONE OF THE BEST TV SERIES I HAVE EVER WATCHED ,WE LIVE FAR AWAY IN IRELAND AND THE WHOLE FAMILY WATCH IT ALL THE TIME ,REPEATS AS WELL ,ITS BRILLANT CBS YOU HAVE NOT GOT A BRAIN IN YOUR HEAD,LEAVE IT ON THIS IS VERY BAD FORM,I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THIS GET SOME SENSE,HIRE NEW MANAGEMENT THIS SERIES IS A REAL MONEY SPINNER AND IF I WANTED TO PUT AN ADD ON TV, IT WOULD BE IN THE INTERVAL IN THIS SERIES
how could they take this great show off the air??? Isn’t there any way you can keep it on??? It was one of CBS’s finest shows.
I say take something else off and put this one back on!!!!
I really miss Without A Trace. I thought that maybe it was because of all the football games being televised, but no, I just now am reading abut it being cancelled. Too bad – it was a GREAT show. I looked forward each week to seeing it. Nothing can replace it.
Please bring it back. Thanks
Me and my family kept looking for without of trace to come on and every week so far of the new season was a disappointment. Then I learn through the web that it was cancelled! For one it would have been nice to be notified when you ended last season and two should have cancelled some of the other bs shows you have on the air now like your two newest shows. Thank god you didn’t cancelle Cold Case also. CSI Vegas is going down hill without grissom should have cancelled that instead of Without a Trace!!!
I can’t believe it. I’ve been searching for WITHOUT A TRACE season premier. Thought I would check the internet and could not believe that you cancelled it. All these terrible sitcoms that are on and a good show gets canned. Wake up. Please the public.
You kept Cold Case and got rid of Without a Trace? It had to be a financial decision and not an artistic one, right? From what I’ve seen of Cold Case, it seems that most of their cases could have been solved years before if the investigators had done their jobs right. I can’t believe some of the questions I hear being asked, weren’t asked 10 or 20 years ago when the cases were new. Yes, I know it’s TV. Yes, I know it’s not real. I guess what I’m saying is, Cold case is boring and repetitious, part of… Read more »
Please bring back WITHOUT A TRACE I have been a fan from day one. I watch both without a trace and coldcase, and of the two, I like without a trace the best. I kept waiting for it to come on, but nothing. Then I came on the internet and searched for it, and found out it had been cancelled. Soooo sorry to hear this.