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Profiler (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Profiler was an American crime drama that aired on NBC
from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Ally Walker
starred as Dr. Samantha Waters during the first three seasons (1996–1999), and was later replaced by Jamie Luner
during the show's final season. Robert Davi
, Roma Maffia
, Peter Frechette
, Erica Gimpel
and Julian McMahon
co-starred throughout the show's run. In 1998, Evan Rachel Wood
joined the cast as Samantha's daughter, replacing actress Caitlin Wachs
.
Profiler shares a similar lead character and premise with the Fox Network series Millennium
, created by Chris Carter
. Both shows premiered at the beginning of the 1996–97 television season.
) is a forensic psychologist working for the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a "profiler"; she has a unique gift to "see" through the eyes of others which gives Sam a special insight into the workings of the criminal mind. While she performs all of her duties diligently, her real motive lies in a both professional and personal tragedy years earlier in which her husband was murdered by a serial killer known only as Jack of All Trades
(played by Dennis Christopher
, who was never fully seen until the middle of the third season, when he first appeared posing as a buffoonish sheriff of a small California town). Sam is part of an elite team of pros led by her mentor, Bailey Malone (Robert Davi
), and that also includes Detective John Grant (Julian McMahon
), computer hacker George Fraley (Peter Frechette
), and forensic pathologist Grace Alvarez (Roma Maffia
). Together, they solve the toughest of cases. She lives in a former firefighter station, guarded 24/7, with her seven-year-old daughter Chloe Waters (Caitlin Wachs
), and her best friend Angel Brown (Erica Gimpel
), an artist.
Other characters included Michael Whaley playing Nathan Brubaker who appeared throughout season one; a detective who was a former defense attorney. Shiek Mahmoud-Bey played Marcus Payton in season two who was an FBI agent skeptical of Sam's methods. A Martinez
appeared occasionally in the first and second seasons playing Nick Cooper, an ATF bomb disposal expert who was Sam Waters love interest, who was later murdered by Jack. Heather McComb
appeared frequently in the first and second seasons as Frances Malone, the wayward and rebellious teenage daughter of Bailey Malone. Traci Lords
appeared throughout the second season playing a violent, ex-convict named Sharon Lesher, who became the serial killer Jill of All Trades after she was recruited by Jack.
In season three, the VCTF finally closed in on Jack, whose name was revealed to be Donald Lucas (played by Mark Rolston
). With Jack finally in custody (so it seemed), Sam and her daughter Chloe (now played by Evan Rachel Wood
) moved out of the fortress-like firehouse where they had lived for the past two years and into a fancy house in the Atlanta suburbs. Sam had a brief romance with Paul Sterling (John Mese), a district attorney prosecuting Donald Lucas, while Sam also dealt with her estranged father Walter Anderson (Lawrence Pressman
) who had some kind of connection to the imprisoned Donald Lucas. But as it turned out, the arrest of Donald Lucas was a ploy by the real Jack of All Trades (whose real name was revealed in one episode in season two to be Albert Newquay) who had in fact escaped yet again and was revealed to be in hiding in a small California town playing a sheriff, named Ed Post.
In season four, after finally stopping Jack, Sam retired from the VCTF, being replaced by a new forensic psychologist, Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner
). Rachel was a former FBI instructor at Quantico who also had Sam Waters' skill of profiling. But unlike Sam, Rachel had a very brusque take-charge manner that alienated some of the team members. Rachel had her own life problems of being single and dealing with her self-destructive younger brother, Danny, who died from drug overdose near the end of the season. Late in the season, the show established a new over-arching villain, a shadowy urban legend
named Damian Kennasas. Gregory Itzin
also had a recurring role as Joel Marks, an unstable FBI agent who stalked Rachel. As the series came to an end, it appeared that the elite VCTF team might be shut down by the U.S. Congress for the high funds it took to operate.
, with two crossover episodes, one with each with Michael T. Weiss
guest starring on Profiler and Ally Walker making a guest appearance on The Pretender in season 4.
has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in the United States of America.
's 24-hour crime and mystery-themed cable channel Sleuth
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Ally Walker
Ally Walker
Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
starred as Dr. Samantha Waters during the first three seasons (1996–1999), and was later replaced by Jamie Luner
Jamie Luner
Jamie Michelle Luner is an American television actress, best known for her role as Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place and Rachel Burke on Profiler...
during the show's final season. Robert Davi
Robert Davi
Robert John Davi is an American actor and singer. He has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard, the villainous Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and Al Torres in Showgirls...
, Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
, Peter Frechette
Peter Frechette
Peter Frechette is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Born and raised in Coventry, Rhode Island, Frechette earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Rhode Island.- Career :...
, Erica Gimpel
Erica Gimpel
Erica Fawn Gimpel , American television actress. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her major recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel...
and Julian McMahon
Julian McMahon
Julian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
co-starred throughout the show's run. In 1998, Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
joined the cast as Samantha's daughter, replacing actress Caitlin Wachs
Caitlin Wachs
Caitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American actress who has acted in several films and TV series. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi in Profiler, and played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the series Commander in Chief....
.
Profiler shares a similar lead character and premise with the Fox Network series Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
, created by Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
. Both shows premiered at the beginning of the 1996–97 television season.
Plot
Dr. Samantha "Sam" Waters (Ally WalkerAlly Walker
Allene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
) is a forensic psychologist working for the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a "profiler"; she has a unique gift to "see" through the eyes of others which gives Sam a special insight into the workings of the criminal mind. While she performs all of her duties diligently, her real motive lies in a both professional and personal tragedy years earlier in which her husband was murdered by a serial killer known only as Jack of All Trades
Jack of All Trades
Jack of All Trades is a half-hour long syndicated comedy/action television series which ran for two seasons in 2000. With Cleopatra 2525, it formed the Back2Back Action Hour and both shows were notable for being the first American non-animated action series to be produced in the half-hour format...
(played by Dennis Christopher
Dennis Christopher
Dennis Christopher is an American actor. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for playing Dave Stoller in Breaking Away and tragic film buff psychopath Eric Binford in Fade to Black....
, who was never fully seen until the middle of the third season, when he first appeared posing as a buffoonish sheriff of a small California town). Sam is part of an elite team of pros led by her mentor, Bailey Malone (Robert Davi
Robert Davi
Robert John Davi is an American actor and singer. He has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard, the villainous Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and Al Torres in Showgirls...
), and that also includes Detective John Grant (Julian McMahon
Julian McMahon
Julian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
), computer hacker George Fraley (Peter Frechette
Peter Frechette
Peter Frechette is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Born and raised in Coventry, Rhode Island, Frechette earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Rhode Island.- Career :...
), and forensic pathologist Grace Alvarez (Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
). Together, they solve the toughest of cases. She lives in a former firefighter station, guarded 24/7, with her seven-year-old daughter Chloe Waters (Caitlin Wachs
Caitlin Wachs
Caitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American actress who has acted in several films and TV series. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi in Profiler, and played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the series Commander in Chief....
), and her best friend Angel Brown (Erica Gimpel
Erica Gimpel
Erica Fawn Gimpel , American television actress. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her major recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel...
), an artist.
Other characters included Michael Whaley playing Nathan Brubaker who appeared throughout season one; a detective who was a former defense attorney. Shiek Mahmoud-Bey played Marcus Payton in season two who was an FBI agent skeptical of Sam's methods. A Martinez
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue Martinez, III , better known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.-Early life:...
appeared occasionally in the first and second seasons playing Nick Cooper, an ATF bomb disposal expert who was Sam Waters love interest, who was later murdered by Jack. Heather McComb
Heather McComb
Heather McComb is an American actress.McComb started acting at age 2 in a commercial for Publisher's Clearing House. When she appeared in the telefilm Generation X in 1996, she became the first actress to portray the X-Men character of Jubilee on screen...
appeared frequently in the first and second seasons as Frances Malone, the wayward and rebellious teenage daughter of Bailey Malone. Traci Lords
Traci Lords
Traci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
appeared throughout the second season playing a violent, ex-convict named Sharon Lesher, who became the serial killer Jill of All Trades after she was recruited by Jack.
In season three, the VCTF finally closed in on Jack, whose name was revealed to be Donald Lucas (played by Mark Rolston
Mark Rolston
-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
). With Jack finally in custody (so it seemed), Sam and her daughter Chloe (now played by Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
) moved out of the fortress-like firehouse where they had lived for the past two years and into a fancy house in the Atlanta suburbs. Sam had a brief romance with Paul Sterling (John Mese), a district attorney prosecuting Donald Lucas, while Sam also dealt with her estranged father Walter Anderson (Lawrence Pressman
Lawrence Pressman
David M. Pressman, Senior is an American actor, probably best known for roles on Doogie Howser, M.D., Ladies Man, a recurring role on Profiler, the titular character on Mulligan's Stew and as a fictional scientist in the 1971 film The Hellstrom Chronicle.His first role was on the soap opera The...
) who had some kind of connection to the imprisoned Donald Lucas. But as it turned out, the arrest of Donald Lucas was a ploy by the real Jack of All Trades (whose real name was revealed in one episode in season two to be Albert Newquay) who had in fact escaped yet again and was revealed to be in hiding in a small California town playing a sheriff, named Ed Post.
In season four, after finally stopping Jack, Sam retired from the VCTF, being replaced by a new forensic psychologist, Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner
Jamie Luner
Jamie Michelle Luner is an American television actress, best known for her role as Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place and Rachel Burke on Profiler...
). Rachel was a former FBI instructor at Quantico who also had Sam Waters' skill of profiling. But unlike Sam, Rachel had a very brusque take-charge manner that alienated some of the team members. Rachel had her own life problems of being single and dealing with her self-destructive younger brother, Danny, who died from drug overdose near the end of the season. Late in the season, the show established a new over-arching villain, a shadowy urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
named Damian Kennasas. Gregory Itzin
Gregory Itzin
Gregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
also had a recurring role as Joel Marks, an unstable FBI agent who stalked Rachel. As the series came to an end, it appeared that the elite VCTF team might be shut down by the U.S. Congress for the high funds it took to operate.
Principal Cast
- Ally WalkerAlly WalkerAllene Damian "Ally" Walker is an American actress, producer, director and screenwriter.She is best known for her roles as Doctor Samantha Waters on the NBC crime drama series Profiler , as Agent June Stahl on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy and as Gloria Shepherd in the Lifetime drama...
as Dr. Samantha "Sam" Waters (Profiler #1) (Seasons 1-3) 64 episodes - Jamie LunerJamie LunerJamie Michelle Luner is an American television actress, best known for her role as Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place and Rachel Burke on Profiler...
as Dr. Rachel Burke (Profiler #2) (Season 4) 20 episodes - Robert DaviRobert DaviRobert John Davi is an American actor and singer. He has played such roles as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard, the villainous Jake Fratelli in The Goonies, and Al Torres in Showgirls...
as Agent Bailey Malone (Seasons 1-4) - Julian McMahonJulian McMahonJulian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
as Det. John Grant (Seasons 1-4) - Roma MaffiaRoma MaffiaRoma Maffia is an American actress.Maffia was born in Manhattan, New York of West Indian, English and German descent; her Italian surname derives from her stepfather....
as Dr. Grace Alvarez (Seasons 1-4) - Peter FrechettePeter FrechettePeter Frechette is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:Born and raised in Coventry, Rhode Island, Frechette earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Rhode Island.- Career :...
as George Fraley (Seasons 1-4) - Erica GimpelErica GimpelErica Fawn Gimpel , American television actress. She is best known for her roles on television shows Fame as Coco Hernandez and on Profiler as Angel Brown. She is also known for her major recurring roles on the television shows ER as Adele Newman and on Veronica Mars as Alicia Fennel...
as Angel Brown (Seasons 1-3) 45 episodes - Caitlin WachsCaitlin WachsCaitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American actress who has acted in several films and TV series. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi in Profiler, and played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the series Commander in Chief....
as Chloe Waters (Seasons 1-2) 41 episodes - Michael WhaleyMichael WhaleyMichael Whaley is an American film and television actor. He graduated from Culver City High school in 1980. Some of his most known characters are Dr. Wesley 'Wes' Hayes on Sisters, Det...
as Det. Nathan Brubaker (Season 1) 22 episodes - Heather McCombHeather McCombHeather McComb is an American actress.McComb started acting at age 2 in a commercial for Publisher's Clearing House. When she appeared in the telefilm Generation X in 1996, she became the first actress to portray the X-Men character of Jubilee on screen...
as Frances Malone (Seasons 1-2) - Shiek Mahmud-Bey as Det. Marcus Payton (Season 2)
- Traci LordsTraci LordsTraci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
as Sharon Lesher (Season 2)
Recurring Cast
- A MartinezA MartinezAdolfo Larrue Martinez, III , better known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.-Early life:...
as Nick Cooper (Seasons 1-2) - Evan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel WoodEvan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
as Chloe Waters (Replacement of Caitlin Wachs in Seasons 3-4) - Mark RolstonMark Rolston-Career:Rolston played PFC M. Drake in Aliens , Hans in Lethal Weapon 2 , Stef in RoboCop 2 , Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption , J. Scar in Eraser , Chief Dennis Wilson in Daylight , Wayne Bryce in Hard Rain and Special Agent in Charge Warren Russ in Rush Hour...
as Donald Lucas (Season 3) - John Mese as Paul Sterling (Season 3)
- Lawrence PressmanLawrence PressmanDavid M. Pressman, Senior is an American actor, probably best known for roles on Doogie Howser, M.D., Ladies Man, a recurring role on Profiler, the titular character on Mulligan's Stew and as a fictional scientist in the 1971 film The Hellstrom Chronicle.His first role was on the soap opera The...
as Walter Anderson (Season 3) - Gregory ItzinGregory ItzinGregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
as Joel Marks (Season 4)
Unconfirmed cast
- Dennis ChristopherDennis ChristopherDennis Christopher is an American actor. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for playing Dave Stoller in Breaking Away and tragic film buff psychopath Eric Binford in Fade to Black....
as Jack of All Trades/Albert Newquay (Uncredited or credited as 'Jack' during the entire first and second seasons)
Ratings
| 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 |
The Pretender universe
Profiler shared the same universe with The PretenderThe Pretender (TV series)
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...
, with two crossover episodes, one with each with Michael T. Weiss
Michael T. Weiss
Michael Terry Weiss is an American actor best known for playing the title role in The Pretender.-Early life:Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a steel-industry executive and his mother was a homemaker. He has a sister, Jamie Sue Weiss, who became a make-up artist for television...
guest starring on Profiler and Ally Walker making a guest appearance on The Pretender in season 4.
DVD releases
A&E Home VideoA&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 in the United States of America.
- Episode #1.4 'I'll Be Watching You' from Season 1 was not included in the set due to music right issues over the title song.
DVD Name Ep # Release Date Profiler – The First Season 22* July 29, 2003 Profiler – The Second Season 20 November 25, 2003 Profiler – The Third Season 21 April 27, 2004 Profiler – The Fourth Season 20 October 26, 2004
Syndication
Profiler is currently airing weeknights at 1AM and 4AM Eastern on NBC UniversalNBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
's 24-hour crime and mystery-themed cable channel Sleuth
Sleuth (TV channel)
Cloo is a digital cable television channel with programming dedicated to the crime and mystery genres. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal. It launched on January 1, 2006, replacing Trio...
.