Without a Trace returns tonight for its sixth season, with the team investigating the disappearance of a two-year-old boy who was adopted from Sudan.  They question whether the abduction is related to his parents' celebrity or his Sudanese origin.

For those who are unfamiliar with Without a Trace, the series is centered on an FBI Missing Persons unit.  Each episode features the team as they investigate a person's disappearance while dealing with issues of their own.  The show debuted in 2002, and was the first to score strong ratings against NBC's long-running medical drama, ER.

The cast of Without a Trace includes Anthony LaPaglia as Missing Persons Unit Head Jack Malone, Poppy Montgomery as Special Agent Sam Spade, Eric Close as Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Special Agent Viv Johnson, Enrique Murciano as Special Agent Danny Taylor and Roselyn Sanchez as Elena Delgado.

Actor James Marsters, known for playing Spike on the cult series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has been given a recurring role on the show's new season.  Marsters begins his stint on Without a Trace in tonight's season premiere.

“I play Detective Mars,” Marsters told Entertainment Weekly.  “He's from Baltimore and he has been working on a case for a good while and hasn't been able to crack it.  The FBI in New York [on] that same case call him in to help.  And then, in dramatic fashion, they stumble into something bigger than they expected.”

The case Mars is handling has to do with human trafficking, and according to the 45-year-old actor's website, Mars will eventually “become part of a task force to deal with human trafficking.”

Following tonight's premiere, Marsters is expected to appear in four more episodes.

Another actor set to appear in the new season of Without a Trace is Henry Thomas.  Most known for playing Elliot in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film ET, Thomas will portray Anthony LaPaglia's new archrival and leader of the human trafficking group the FBI is pursuing.

Without a Trace season 6 premieres tonight at 10pm on CBS.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: CBS, Entertainment Weekly, jamesmarsters.com, TV Guide
(Image Courtesy of CBS)