In an effort to continue to grow as an online media company, and give readers a vast amount of blog talent, b5media has been in the process of reorganizing its blog/company structure. Unfortunately with change comes the end of some wonderful things, and sadly I must tell you this is the last post for this site, FBI Dramas, as this site will no longer be a part of b5media’s amazing entertainment line-up.

It has been my extreme pleasure to write here, and get to know you all in the crime drama community. I hope you will continue to support the amazing series that were covered, as well as the new ones coming in the fall.

I also hope you check out some other b5media blogs, CSI Fanatic, Searching Bones, and 24 Headquarters, as they cover three great crime drama series. Please do show them some love! Thank you to everyone who has visited this site, made comments, rated posts, and emailed me questions. It was an honor.

One of the amazing things about crime drama is this: It reminds you that anyone and anything can be a hero. From the store clerk who remembers the nervous twitch of a killer, the insects that happen to be near a crime scene, to the nosy neighbor who always looks out her window and notices everything, and even the innocent looking math equation, all of these play an important and interesting part in what we enjoy about this genre of drama.

As FBI Dramas walks away into the sunset, remember that Mark Twain said “If everybody was satisfied with himself, there would be no heroes”.

a silhouette appears against the orange sky, heroic music swells…”The End”…

Image via Creative Commons.org

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If you saw the episode last night, it seemed a bit like a final episode with all the role reprisals (Martin Landau and Adam Kaufman). The series has been described as a veteran modest performer, ratings wise, however, many fans still love the show. I’ve even seen a few online petitions for fans who want it back.

Some are saying the series never had a chance, as it was being pre-empted constantly. Some fans also say the series was just starting to move again, but the writers simply wrote out all the intrigue.

Other crime drama series to get the ax by CBS are the newbie, Eleventh Hour, and The Unit.

So now that Without A Trace is gone, do you agree with some who say it was time for the series to go after 7 seasons, or do you think the series was canceled prematurely, or wrongly canceled? What did you think about last night’s finale episode, called Undertow?

Image via Amazon.com

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One series stars Fringe’s Mark Valley as an unusual private contractor who works to keep his clients alive.

The other series (Past Life) pairs an NYPD detective and a gifted psychologist (Kelli Giddish, seen here) who work to solve crimes that must be solved in the present and past(?). Are we talking time travel here, or past lives?

Human Target

Courtesy of DC Comics, and executive producers McG and Simon West, Mark Valley will star as Christopher Chance, a very “different” sort of private contractor in Human Target. He’s charged with protecting clients at all cost, even if it means he becomes a human target.

Based on the graphic novel by Peter Milligan, the series features Valley’s character, Chance, as having the unique ability to morph into the appearance and persona of people who have contracts out on them.

Are viewers ready for a show like this? Well, we seem to love McG’s Terminator Salvation film (based on the trailers), and Simon West did a great job with Con Air and Tomb Raider. Mark Valley portrayed a compelling FBI agent in Fox’s Fringe. Human Target debuts on January 17.

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Past Life

Past Life stars Nicholas Bishop (Home And Away) as an NYPD detective who works with a psychologist portrayed by Kelli Giddish (All My Children) who has a unique ability. Together, they work to solve crimes that must be solved in the past and present.

Is it just me, or did someone lift a past life regression episode from Fringe, and decide to make a series of it?  I’m not sure if there is a past-life regression episode actually, but it’s a darn interesting premise for sure.

The series is based on the book, The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose, and is described as an emotional thriller.

The book features a photojournalist who begins to have flashbacks from 1,600 years earlier…memories of another’s life.

The book takes off from there, and some say it pays homage to The Da Vinci Code, based on the amount of intrigue.

Image via Newscom, Amazon.com, info via Fox Press

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Not only is Lie To Me coming back for Season 2 this fall, but it’s coming back in a BIG way. It gets the coveted spot of Monday nights at 9:00 PM, right after ratings monster, House. What makes this series so popular? Maybe it’s because the science of body language and truth telling have always been popular.

Tim Roth portrays Dr. Cal Lightman, the world’s leading deception expert, who heads a team of experts called The Lightman Group. Together, they help the FBI, police and other federal law enforcement agencies to solve their most complex cases. Lie To Me just debuted its season 1 Finale on Wednesday night, which starred Mekhi Phifer, and featured the case of a terrorists bombing outside of Washington, DC. Gerry at Blogcritics has done an awesome review of the season finale, called Sacrifices.

Lie To Me also stars Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines and Monica Raymund. Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced the series renewal last Wednesday, saying “Lie To Me came out strong, built a solid audience throughout its run and promises to be one of our big assets next season and beyond.” Not only is this series compelling, but it’s based on a real science that I’ll discuss in a later post.

For now, catch Lie To Me on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM ET on Fox.

Image ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FO

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Amid all the amazing season finales last Friday, some of us probably needed two DVRs just to keep up. Flashpoint, the riveting police drama that’s full of tense scenarios with an emotional backdrop, had some modest ratings for its Season 2 finale, Exit Wounds (8.4 million…just behind Numb3rs’ 9.6 million).

Hugh Dillon, who portrays sniper Ed Lane, talks about the finale, the camaraderie of the actors on and off the series, and what it’s like to be the lead singer of a hardcore rock band.

My favorite part of the TV Guide interview is when he mentions how he was able to originally get into his character, a sniper. Dillon says he spent some time with a real police officer, and from that he was able to glean some of what it’s like to be an elite officer, and then apply his own life experiences to make his portrayal of the character real.

So what’s next for this amazing series? We wont know for sure until CBS announces its Fall schedule. Flashpoint may begin in the summer again in case they decide not to air it this fall. Another scenario is the series may stay on Fridays nights, and switch time slots with Numb3rs. Also, the show could be moved to a different night in place of another completed series (Harper’s Island). I think the current slot, Friday nights at 9:00 PM, is a perfect time for the series.

Whatever the network decides to do, the series has staying power and will no doubt continue to wow us in Season 3 with its storytelling and emotion that somehow seems to go together well in this high energy police drama. For now, you can still catch the rebroadcasts on Friday nights at 9:00 PM on CBS.

Image via CTV

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How ironic is this? On the same weekend that the Ron Howard and Dan Brown film Angel and Demons debuts, Numb3rs’ exciting season finale, called Angels and Devils airs! In this exciting season 5 finale episode, Amita (Navi Rawat) is kidnapped, and Charlie (David Krumholtz) puts aside his feelings to help find her. It seems that in the eyes of the Eppes brothers, there’s no such thing as being too close to a case. Check out the the short video preview above and catch up on the review of the Season finale.

Numb3rs creators pulled out all the stops on this one. James Callis of Battlestar Galactica fame (Dr. Gaius Baltar) stars as a sociopath named Mason Duryea, the prime suspect in this case. Sarah Drew of CW’s Everwood fame stars as Piper, a devoted follower of Duryea. (Remember she portrayed that shy young thing named Hannah Rogers in Everwood?) Lou Diamond Philips returns as Agent Ian Edgerton.

I’ve decided that British actor James Callis is a master of voices. He passes as Southerner quite nicely (Ok maybe not a Southerner from Georgia but he does well all the same. Maybe a Missouri southerner?).

Agent Edgerton does that thing again in which he manages to appear out of nowhere, and rather quietly. Guess that’s a good skill to have if you are master sniper. I’m ready to call him ninja at this point.

Duryea is a genius cult-figure, charismatic in the all the right ways to runaways and wayward girls. Those who are held by his sway become a part of his girl gang…called The Tribe, and for them, kidnapping Amita was no coincidence.

While under duress, Amita finds a unique way to contact Charlie and the team (the only way a genius girl math nerd could…). Overall, the episode was awesome, but it felt a little understated for a season finale(?)

In the end, Nikki and Edgerton end up going out after work, and Alan does a great job of summing up the season. Don mentions some spiritual elements he experienced, and Charlie ends up asking someone a very important question. By the way, if you missed this season finale, you can check it out online for free over at CBS video.

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Roselyn Sanchez was recently sued by her ex-managers, Collective Management Group, and they claim she owes money in commission payments for her work on Without A Trace. Both she and the company have responded back and forth on the matter.

She says they were paid and are not entitled to the fees they claim. They say she owes commissions and fees for her role in the film, Yellow. Is Sanchez being treated unfairly, or is she trying to ignore her obligations?

Keifer Sutherland’s head-butting incident (he “head-butted” a fashion designer inside a Manhattan night club recently) has already been mulled over much in the news. He was basically arrested for what amounts to a speeding ticket. The latest is a plea from actress Brook Shields, who some say is the reason for the incident. She says the media has put an unfair spotlight on her because of this incident.

I suspect Sutherland and Shields are both reasonable people, and I have a general distrust and dislike for paparazzi because they do bad things. However, in the scheme of things, do you think Shields is secretly glad to have this attention? After all, the last big media story about her seems to be her tiff over comments made by Tom Cruise, and some blurbs about her alleged Cougar status.

Image via Newscom

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Notably, David’s Krumholtz’s family and friends can not only celebrate his birthday tomorrow, but they can do it in style by watching the season finale episode of Numb3rs which airs Friday May 15, at 9:00 PM on CBS.

I’m particularly fond of his role as Charlie Eppes, but Krumholtz is also know for roles in Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, Demption, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Eric Close portrays Agent Martin Fitzgerald on Without A Trace. Close directed the latest episode of WAT, called True, which aired this week on Tuesday May 12.

Although I’m a fan of Close as an FBI agent, I admit that his roles in two sci-fi series were also my favorites (Taken and Dark Skies).

As Agent Fitzgerald on Without A Trace, he’s been through a lot. From a questionable shooting incident in Season 2, to an office romance, an estranged relationship with his dad, and a painkiller addiction in Season 4, Fitzgerald seems to have done it all.

Happy Birthday, guys!

Images via Newscom

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Besides the episodes of Law and Order tonight (reruns) I caught this evening, at 8:00 PM on Fox, Lie To Me airs it Season 1 finale. It features the Lightman Group investigating a terrorist attack that occurs just outside of Washington, D.C. Mekhi Phifer stars as FBI Agent Reynolds, and he contacts the group and brings them on board to find the terrorists. Cal and Zoe also get a scare as they are concerned their daughter might be in danger.

Criminal Minds’ new episode, Amplification, airs tonight at 9:00 PM. A BAU team member is in danger as a killer releases a new strain of a deadly virus into the air. Dan Lauria stars as General Lee Whitworth, MD in this episode. I wonder which BAU member will be in danger. Well, in the video above it looks pretty clear that it’s Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler). Not Reid..say it aint so!

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Special Agent/Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson)

Brooding, deep-thinking, recently divorced, and available? He may be the type of guy you want to literally “save” because he’s so serious. Married to his job, he stayed with the BAU against his wife’s wishes and his family paid the price.

Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi (Joe Mantegna)

This seasoned founder of the BAU might never have realized the impact of what he began so many years ago. Although he has quite a few fans between his books, and FBI standing, Agent Rossi has yet to have a real love interest on the show. Until then, Agent Rossi continues to charm us with his special wit and deep insight. He stepped back onto the scene in Season 3 to solve the mystery of a case that had gone unsolved for 20 years (Episode 11 – Birthright).

Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore)

Strong yet caring, Agent Morgan knows his speciality, and how to take the tough guys down. Agent Morgan has a black belt in Judo and formerly served on a bomb squad unit when he was a Chicago police officer. Will he have a chance at heading up his own field office? We’ll have to see what the next season brings.

Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reed (Matthew Gray Gubler)

He’s the loveable geek, full of facts, and sometimes shy specialist who lives and breathes criminal analysis. Although we know he’s had few romantic encounters, we’re hoping love comes his way. Dr. Reid is the resident genius, holding PhDs in Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics. He also holds BAs in Psychology and Sociology.

Some info via CM Wiki

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