This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2016) |
Profiler | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime drama |
Created by | Cynthia Saunders |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Angelo Badalamenti |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 83 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Running time | approx. 42 min, hour with commercials (per episode) |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | September 21, 1996 – July 1, 2000 |
Profiler is an American crime drama created by Cynthia Saunders that aired on NBC from September 21, 1996, to July 1, 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) based in Atlanta, Georgia.
The show initially starred Ally Walker as profiler Dr. Samantha Waters, the victim of a stalker known as "Jack of All Trades". At the end of the third season, Walker departed the series and was replaced by Jamie Luner as prosecutor-turned-profiler Dr. Rachel Burke during the show's final season. [1] [2] Robert Davi, Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette, and Julian McMahon co-starred for all four seasons. Caitlin Wachs and Erica Gimpel also co-starred for the first two seasons; Wachs was replaced by Evan Rachel Wood in a recurring role for the third season, while Gimpel appeared as a guest star.
Along with The Pretender , Profiler was a staple of NBC's Saturday night lineup during the late 1990s. The series shared a similar lead character and premise with the Fox series Millennium , which also premiered at the beginning of the 1996–97 television season.
Dr. Samantha "Sam" Waters (Ally Walker) is a forensic psychologist working for the FBI's (fictitious) Violent Crimes Task Force ("VCTF"), based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a criminal profiler with her own unique gift to "see" through the eyes of others. This gift gives Sam an added special insight into the workings of the criminal mind.
Sam performs all of her duties diligently and competently, her drive coming from experiencing both a professional and personal tragedy years earlier in which her husband was murdered by a serial killer known only as "Jack of All Trades." Due to Jack's dangerous and pathological nature, Sam must live under 24/7 police guard in a former firefighter station with her seven-year-old daughter Chloe (Caitlin Wachs, later Evan Rachel Wood); and her best friend, artist Angel Brown (Erica Gimpel).
After helping her mentor Bailey Malone (Robert Davi) on a difficult case, Sam comes out of retirement and reclusiveness to join the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. Also on the team are detectives John Grant (Julian McMahon) and Nathan Brubaker (Michael Whaley), computer hacker George Fraley (Peter Frechette), forensic pathologist Grace Álvarez (Roma Maffia).
In season two, Brubaker leaves the VCTF and is replaced by Marcus Payton (Shiek Mahmoud-Bey), who creates tension on the team due to his skepticism of Sam's methods. Jack also recruits violent ex-felon Sharon Lesher (Traci Lords) to become his partner-in-crime "Jill of All Trades." Bailey is also faced with the rebellious behavior of his daughter Frances (Heather McComb) after she becomes involved in criminal activity.
In season three, all three of the new characters were dropped while Chloe was downgraded to a recurring character. With "Jack" seemingly being captured as a childhood schoolmate of Sam named Donald Lucas (Mark Rolston), the series began to focus more on VCTF cases and Sam's attempts to reintegrate back into society. Sam and Chloe move into an upscale house in the Atlanta suburbs, while Sam also begins to reconnect with her estranged father Walter Anderson (Lawrence Pressman) and pursue a relationship with prosecutor Paul Sterling (John Mese). Bailey also reconciles with his ex-wife Janet (Patricia Healy).
It is discovered at the end of season three that Lucas is not the real "Jack"; he was instead framed by violent sociopath Albert Newquay (Dennis Christopher). To mislead and tease the viewers, Albert Newquay, the real Jack's true name, was first mentioned in season two when he took refuge at the Maryland home of his wealthy mother Miriam (Louise Fletcher) to recover after being shot by Sam. Newquay then appeared on-camera for the first time in season three posing in disguise as Ed Post, the seemingly buffoonish sheriff of a sinister fictional small northern California town.
At the start of season four, Sam is kidnapped by Newquay. Bailey calls in for assistance from profiler Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner), a former FBI instructor at Quantico who also had Waters' skill of profiling. After being freed, Sam departs VCTF and Burke joins the team.
Burke initially alienates the team members due to her brusque take-charge manner that is unlike Sam. She and John Grant, who had met her previously, in particular clash due to a disagreement on whether they had actually engaged in intercourse during a liquor-filled nightcap. Rachel struggles to help her self-destructive younger brother Danny (Raphael Sbarge); Grace faces dealing with her second pregnancy after her husband leaves her; and George develops an addiction to painkillers after being injured in a minor car accident.
Rachel soon receives a stalker of her own with the shadowy urban legend named Damian Kennasas. Unstable FBI agent Joel Marks (Gregory Itzin) is initially presented as the main suspect. However, the season ends with a cliffhanger as Rachel is framed for Joel's murder by the real Damian. The VCTF also faces disbandment from U.S. Congress over its high budget. The cancellation of the series resulted in these cliffhangers never being answered.
Actor | Character | Seasons | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
Ally Walker | Dr. Samantha "Sam" Waters | Main | Guest | ||
Robert Davi | Agent Bailey Malone | Main | |||
Julian McMahon | Agent John Grant | Main | |||
Roma Maffia | Dr. Grace Alvarez | Main | |||
Michael Whaley | Agent Nathan Brubaker | Main | |||
Peter Frechette | George Farley | Main | |||
Erica Gimpel | Angel Brown | Main | Guest | ||
Caitlin Wachs | Chloe Waters [Note 1] | Main | |||
Evan Rachel Wood | Recurring | ||||
Heather McComb | Frances Malone | Recurring | Main | ||
Shiek Mahmud-Bey | Agent Marcus Payton | Main | |||
Traci Lords | Sharon Lesher | Main | |||
Jamie Luner | Agent Rachel Burke | Main | |||
Profiler shared the same universe with The Pretender , with three crossover episodes, three with Michael T. Weiss guest-starring on Profiler, Ally Walker made a guest appearance on The Pretender in season 3, episode 19, and Jamie Luner making a guest appearance on The Pretender in season 4, episode 10.
Profiler was first syndicated to Court TV in 2000. [4] Profiler aired weeknights at 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Eastern on NBC Universal's 24-hour crime and mystery-themed cable channel Sleuth in 2007. From 2018 to 2022, reruns aired at 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. daily on the network channel Start TV.
In Europe, the series aired on CNBC Europe.
A&E Home Video (under license by NBC Entertainment) has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in the United States of America. The four-season release box set has been discontinued and is now out of print.
Title | Format | Ep # | Discs/Tapes | Region 1 (USA) | Special Features | USA Distributor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Profiler (Season 1) | DVD | 21 | 6 | 1 July 2003 29 July 2003 | Profiles of Evil: Inside the Criminal Mind episode of A&E's American Justice series Commentary by Ally Walker and Robert Davi on the pilot episode "Insight" Photo gallery Cast Biographies | A&E Home Video |
Profiler (Season 2) | DVD | 20 | 6 | 28 October 2003 25 November 2003 | Commentary with Investigative Criminal Profiler Pat Brown on episode "Victims of Victims" Cast Biographies | A&E Home Video |
Profiler (Season 3) | DVD | 22 | 6 | 30 March 2004 27 April 2004 | Commentary with Roma Maffia on the episode "Heads You Lose" Ally Walker's final season Cast Biographies | A&E Home Video |
Profiler (Season 4) | DVD | 20 | 5 | 28 September 2004 26 October 2004 | Interview with series consultant Howard Teten, Former FBI Unit Chief and Criminal Profiler Commentary with executive producer Clifton Campbell on the final episode "On Your Marks" Cast Biographies | A&E Home Video |
Title | Format | Ep # | Discs/Tapes | Region 4 (Australia) | Special Features | Australia Distributor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Profiler (Season 1 & 2) | DVD | 42 | 12 | 22 May 2019 | Bonus Episode – “I’ll Be Watching You” | Via Vision Entertainment |
Profiler (Season 3 & 4) | DVD | 41 | 12 | 10 July 2019 | None | Via Vision Entertainment |
Profiler (The Complete Series) | DVD | 83 | 23 | 16 November 2019 | None | Via Vision Entertainment |
Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1996–97 | 7.4 million | NBC | #82 |
2 | 1997–98 | 9.9 million | NBC | #86 |
3 | 1998–99 | 8.9 million | NBC | #89 |
4 | 1999-00 | 8.1 million | NBC | #86 |
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise.
Caitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American production coordinator and actress. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi on the NBC television series Profiler in the role of Chloe Waters. She went on to star as part of the ensemble cast of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Wachs played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the ABC television series Commander in Chief.
The Pretender is an American action drama television series created by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle, that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 19, 1996, to May 13, 2000.
Without a Trace is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hank Steinberg that aired on CBS from September 26, 2002, to May 19, 2009 with the total of seven seasons and 160 episodes. The series focuses the cases of a Missing Persons Unit (MPU) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New York City. It starred Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Enrique Murciano and Eric Close with Roselyn Sánchez joining the cast in season 4.
Wiseguy is an American crime drama television series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987, to December 8, 1990, for a total of 75 episodes over four seasons. The series was produced by Stephen J. Cannell and was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, to avoid the higher studio costs associated with filming in Los Angeles.
Jack Crawford is a fictional character who appears in the Hannibal Lecter series of novels by Thomas Harris, in which Crawford is the Agent-in-Charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. He is modeled after John E. Douglas, who held the same position.
Jamie Luner is an American actress. She is widely known for her roles as Cindy Lubbock on Just the Ten of Us (1988–1990), Peyton Richards on Savannah (1996–1997), Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place (1997-1999) and Rachel Burke on Profiler (1999-2000). More recently, she portrayed Liza Colby on All My Children (2009–2011) and Cassie Siletti on Murder in the First (2015-2016).
Philip Abbott was an American character actor. He appeared in several films and numerous television series, including a lead role as Arthur Ward in the crime series The F.B.I.
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis and Erica Messer that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), using behavioral analysis and profiling to investigate crimes and find the unsub, the team's term for perpetrators. The show tells the story of the team as they work various cases and tackle their personal struggles.
Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based on the work of Sydney Water Police who fight crime around Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney Harbour.
Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas True Blue (1989–1990), and Moon Over Miami (1993).
Peter Paul Fix was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career between 1925 and 1981. Fix portrayed Marshal Micah Torrance, opposite Chuck Connors's character in The Rifleman from 1958 to 1963. He later appeared with Connors in the 1966 Western film Ride Beyond Vengeance.
Law enforcement is an integral part of the HBO drama series The Wire. The show has numerous characters in this field and their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to those setting laws citywide. The Baltimore City Police Department has been explored in detail from street level characters to the upper echelons of command. The show has also examined those setting laws in city politics and touched upon the FBI, the correctional system and the family of police officers.
Life is an American crime drama television series created by Rand Ravich that aired for two seasons on NBC. It was produced by Universal Media Studios under the supervision of executive producers Rand Ravich, Far Shariat, David Semel, and Daniel Sackheim. Semel also directed the pilot.
The eighth season of the American drama television series 24, also known as Day 8, premiered in the United States on Fox on January 17, 2010. The eighth season was announced as the final season of 24 and the show's series finale aired on May 24, 2010. However, the series returned with a ninth season as 24: Live Another Day, which aired in 2014. The season's storyline begins and ends at 4:00 p.m.
Scott & Bailey is a British police procedural series that debuted on ITV on 29 May 2011 and concluded on 27 April 2016. The series stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller and Pippa Haywood. The show, mainly written by Sally Wainwright, revolves around the personal and professional lives of detectives Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey. Both characters are members of the Syndicate Nine Major Incident Team (MIT) of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police.
The 20th Youth in Film Awards ceremony, presented by the Youth in Film Association, honored outstanding youth performers under the age of 21 in the fields of film and television for the 1997–1998 season, and took place on March 6, 1999, at the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, California. The hosts for the ceremony that evening were Jena Malone, R.J. Arnett, Roland Thomson, Justin Thomsom, Selwyn Ward and Tracy Lynn Cruz.
The third series of the British children's television series The Story of Tracy Beaker began broadcasting on 25 September 2003 on CBBC and ended on 1 April 2004. The series follows the lives of the children living in the fictional children's care home of Stowey House, nicknamed by them "The Dumping Ground". It consists of twenty-six, fifteen-minute episodes. It is the third series in The Story of Tracy Beaker franchise.
Blindspot is an American crime drama television series, created by Martin Gero, about a mysterious, heavily tattooed woman with no recollection of her past or identity. It stars Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander. Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ashley Johnson, Ukweli Roach and Marianne Jean-Baptiste co-star. Archie Panjabi, Luke Mitchell, Michelle Hurd, Ennis Esmer and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio joined the main cast in later seasons. The Warner Bros. Television-produced series premiered September 21, 2015, on NBC. On May 10, 2019, NBC renewed the series for a fifth and final season, which aired from May 7 to July 23, 2020.
Luner's character, former prosecutor-turned-FBI-profiler Rachel Burke, will be introduced in a two-part season premiere...
The set features all but one episode from the premiere season -- the fourth episode is missing because of the very expensive music rights for the Police classic "Every Breath You Take," which is prominently featured in the episode.