Profiler Online

Although being a long time avid tv series viewer, I can safely guarantee that I'll never watch a tv show so brilliant as Profiler, especially in its first two seasons. By the time the end credits of "Ring Of Fire" (the second episode of the series ever) were rolling, I knew I was hooked big time. The stories were riveting and scary, the characters intriguing and the whole atmosphere of the series just captivating in its uniqueness.

Now, the reason I said the first two seasons in particular are the best television output ever, is because after them the series changed dramatically. And in my opinion, for the definite worse. The concept of the series was totally ruined by the new producers who were not capable of retaining the series' story standards set by the original production team, headed by Kim Moses and Ian Sander. However, I still continued to watch, because I cared deeply for the main character Sam Waters and the other characters as well.

But then, the Profiler world was shattered when it became official that the lead of the series (Sam Waters / Ally Walker) was going to leave. I believe the character of Sam Waters is one of the most positive, inspirational and original female tv characters ever. To see her being replaced by such an offensive, gross stereotype such as the Rachel Burke character was is still something I haven't gotten over.

My advice to anyone who wants to appreciate the real Profiler is to watch the seasons in which Ally Walker stars, and it goes without saying that the first two are the gems of the series. Sam Waters will always be missed.

This TV series is one of the best an original shows ever done for television. I can even say that the actual series like CSI, CSI Miami, CSI Ney York, and other like that, were born from this one.

Great storytelling, great performances, lots of suspense, mystery... What more can we want from this type of TV series? For me is for sure, 10 stars in 10 stars!!! Who hasn't seen it yet, do yourselves a favor and go rent it, buy the DVDs, watch re-runs on television, whatever you need and can, to see all the four seasons (83 episodes, beginning September 21st, 1996 and ending Jully 1st, 2000).

Have great fun!

This is the best TV series I have seen. It's got good acting, GREAT plot (the whole Jack-of-All-Trades plot in the background was brilliant), and even after Sam Waters retired the idea is still very, very captivating.

The part I like best (and which I also find most scary), is all the different motives/backgrounds the perpetrators have. I also appreciate that the main characters have a life besides the VCTF, and that they develop throughout the series.

All in all, I can't point to anything about the series I don't like. It's a must-see.

I started tuning into this show when Samantha (Ally Walker) was still the lead and pretty soon I was hooked. I think it was great. The stories were always interesting, because always there was some new psycho with a different reason and a different twist than the last one. Also there was the whole Jack-of-all-trades- background which gave Samantha and the whole series an immense driving force. After Samantha left the VCTF in came a new profiler, called Rachel (Jamie Luner), who is actually the reason why I'm writing this, for changing lead's often result in a lessening of the quality of a series. First I want to say that Rachel is kind of the same as Samantha because she has the sixth sense. But she brings a whole other character on the tube which I had to start to like and eventually I did, although she can never replace Ally Walker whom I still find much better on screen, plus I liked Walker's character much better. Soon after the replacement of Walker the creators or the writers must have felt what I felt while watching, that without Samantha and Jack-of-all-trades a huge driving force was gone and so they created a new one, ex detective Joel Marks, I don't know about other people, but I like the way they inserted him into the continuous part of the show.

As for the others, they are still great, they were great with Sam and now are on Rachel's side. You have the sarcastic forensic Grace (Roma Maffia) the friendly, in-control and always know what to do Bailey (Robert Davi) and George (Peter Frechette) and of course John (Julian McMahon). Those two last ones are actually the only persons who have really changed on the tube since Samantha lived. I always found that George and Samantha were very good together and I miss that and now she's gone we have a lot more of McMahon with Luner. Not that McMahon and Walker were bad together, but George has been pushed into the background a bit, I feel. Still a good show though, because it still is intelligent and original, because as a viewer you always tend to try a bit of profiling yourself.

With Ally Walker GREAT

Without her (still) good

Dr. Samantha Waters (Ally Walker), a retired Profiler for the FBI, is called back into action by her former co-worker and friend Bailey Malone (Robert Davi), who heads a special unit in Atlanta called VCTF (Violent Crimes Task Force). Shortly after her arrival an old nemesis who goes by the name of Jack of All Trades, a vicious serial killer who has an obsession with Sam, starts going after her and the ones she cares for.

"Profiler" had a cracker jack start. Some stand alone episodes in the first season were very good but the ongoing saga between Jack and Sam was very suspenseful and the character of Jack was truly scary. The series had a special look when it came, very dark, nearly entirely humorless and very brooding characters. It really reached full force in the Sam/Jack confrontations and Season 1 ended with one hell of a climax.

Season 2 mostly carried on in the same vein as the First one with more characters added. Jack received a protegé and together they managed to makes Sam's life a living hell. The same dark tone and humorless approach continued and kept fans of the first season happy.

In Season 3 things changed quite a bit. Jack's nearly MIA in all but a few episodes and the episodes went through changes, such as more attention was payed to the evildoers and their plight rather than the classic detective elements in the previous two seasons. Ally Walker started acting like a character in another series, constantly displaying some off-putting attempts at humor. Ridiculous inconsistencies from the get go on Season 3; one major character disappears without any explanation, Walker's daughter ages a few years very mysteriously and some interesting story lines from the two previous seasons are never brought up again. The overall dark tone and look was mostly gone here and a lighter approach was attempted. Season 3 was the beginning of the end, though it had some interesting episodes and the ones concerning Jack were very solid.

Season 4 was mostly dreadful. The Sam/Jack story was wrapped up in the first two episodes, those two were pretty good but the overall buildup to the climax was always going to be a letdown. Still, it had an ending and that was good. Ally Walker exited the show and Jamie Luner (a terribly annoying actress) took her place. The episodes and mysteries themselves weren't all bad, but this new Profiler never filled Walker's shoes and the personal stories between the main characters were boring and at best half-explained.

Looking at "Profiler" overall, the show had a great cast. Ally Walker was pitch perfect, at least for the first two seasons, as Sam Waters. Her tough, no nonsense approach to the character, while making her somewhat vulnerable, was very impressive and it's only in the third season that she lost her touch. Robert Davi, always a forceful presence, does well as Baily Malone. Always underplaying, going for the quiet impact rather than hot blooded emotions, he is a big reason for the show's success. Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette and Julian McMahon provided solid support and the guest stars were usually good. Plus the guy who played Jack of All Trades was great (don't want to reveal the name for those yet to watch the show). But Jamie Luner was annoying as hell in the fourth and worst season.

It's easy to see that "Profiler" influenced some shows that are still going strong today but it's dead-on serious approach is what eventually distinguishes it from the rest. The two first seasons were terrific, the third one was solid but the fourth was not good.

With no need for conspiracy theories, alien abductions or psychic forevision Dr. Samantha Waters manages to do a very fine job indeed. The photography is brilliant, particularly so when we're led into one of Jack-of-all-Trades' many lairs. The night scenes, too are shot in such a distinctive way that you couldn't possibly mistake this brilliant series for any other currently "out there". This may not yet be a 'realistic' portrayal of life in the bureau, but at least everyone concerned has a field of expertise and seems to excel in it.

Furthermore, this one is a genuine ensemble piece. Ally Walker is undoubtedly the star here, but all the other major characters can easily be defined as being in leading roles themselves.

There IS intelligent life in television after all. Just check out 'Profiler' and take the plunge...

Dr. Sam Waters (Ally Walker) is a detective with the Violent Crimes Task Force. It's a federal agency which often works with the FBI, ATF, and other crime-solving agencies.

It's a pretty simple dark crime procedural with a continuing manhunt for a killer known as Jack of All Trades. Ally Walker has enough presence to lead this show. It also had Julian McMahon, and Robert Davi as star actors. It was a pretty good show at the start, but generally declined as it went on. It lasted 4 seasons. The show really deteriorated in the 3rd season, and then Ally Walker leaves the show and destroys what was left.

profiler was good entertainment with great actresses/actors, the 1st 2 seasons love th way the characters grew together an cared about one another,with the 3rd feeling like they were family not just friends but was not impressed with the ending... huh....what where uh ya...not one of them could come up with a better ending that at least had them have lives i think a 4th grader could have ended it better...to me it seems they take good shows off TV an replace with nonsense, an yes the 4th season could have been better an maybe a 5th+ season(s) would have allowed them to improve the revamped show but nope yank too bad 4 u out there who liked it,,,well my 2 cents worth hope any 1 who reads this has a wonderful day

When Profiler first got aired it felt fresh - its fast pace and neat cuts fitted well for the needs of the new MTV generation. In many ways Profiler made room for all those psychic thrillers that followed and series like "C.S.I.". The characters were well written and their separate story lines and personalities all had something to offer. The mystery surrounding Jack's identity (whose face was never revealed until the 3rd season) kept people hooked. The writes really managed to make Jack appear dangerous - you never knew what he'd do next. The cliffhanger in the end of the second season was powerful - no one could wait for the 3rd season...

Then the writers, the producers and the directors changed and the show started to go downhill. The show had no dynamic anymore. Everything went wrong - the new mythology storyline surrounding Jack's trial was uninteresting. The writers made a poor effort in trying to convince the audience that the person they caught in the beginning of the season was the real Jack - but who believed them? The writers never did their homework - one plot-hole followed another and the standard "nutjob of the week" episodes were uninteresting and boring.

The fourth season came and couldn't save the show either (except the great "Reunion 1 & 2" episodes where both Jack - played by the superb Dennis Christopher - & Sam appeared for the last time). Jamie Luner - the new profiler - wasn't really any worse than Ally Walker - it was just the writers who were unable to write anything good for her (and the same happened with Walker during the 3rd season). The new conflicts surrounding the lives of the main characters - George's drug addiction, the issues with Rachel's brother, romances etc. all felt forced and artificial.

During Profiler's excellent seasons 1 & 2 the show was at times even better than my favorite show The X-Files. It's hard to understand how the new production team managed to ruin everything good the show had and offer nothing interesting in return.

The first two seasons are without a doubt worth having on DVD. Once you have them I suggest that you pretend that the last two seasons never existed.

Once you remove all of the graphic, sensationalistic violence and gratuitous eye candy, Profiler is really nothing more than a silly little soap opera cop show permeated with melodramatic acting, nonsensical/meandering plots, more psycho-babble than an Oprah marathon, and lots of hair flipping by Ally Walker. I'm not sure what this show really sets out to achieve, but that's okay, neither does the show itself. Granted, it does try to expose some X-Files type government evils, but unfortunately that all gets lost in the proverbial sauce.

Profiler falls many many rungs below The Pretender and the British alternative, Cracker. It lacks the ingenious vengeance plots of The Pretender as well as the earthy realism of Cracker. And unlike many fans of the show I believe the problems begin long before seasons 3 and 4, although most of season 4 -- excluding Ep1, Ep2, and the Pretender crossover episodes -- is a total train wreck.

Among its many shortcomings this show lacks fundamental believability. Characters come and go; story arcs simply vanish into thin air; shows are aired out of sync due to "sweeps week" ratings considerations, and ideas that start out interesting soon become onion paper thin after just a few episodes. This series isn't really all that "dark"; what it IS is insufferably DULL.

The acting is wooden and one-dimensional. The internal back stories don't hold much water -- or interest. And because of Robert Davi's Neanderthal/Joe Friday butchering of his role, Profiler more times than not hits with about as much subtlety as a Sybian set on "High" (but with a LOT less pleasure). And you wanna talk about depravity? Look at Davi's hair for a while; you're not hallucinating when you keep getting flashbacks to Eddie Munster. Davi is clearly the weak link in this series. His boorish, stale testosterone act gets old very quickly until his presence grates upon one's nerves like nails grating against a blackboard (very long, very sharp, very annoying nails).

Then there's Ally Walker's performance. She has a repertoire of about 3 "looks", and her character's insights/flashes wouldn't significantly advance a Psych 101 textbook. It gets even worse once her replacement, Jamie Luner, takes over. Her non-stop mono-tribes leave one breathless; but not in a good way. Beyond that she's like a poor man's Jennifer Anniston as far as eye candy goes. Erica Gimpel's role as Angel is dubious/questionable at best. And Julian McMahon would be a better fit for some local neighborhood theater troupe than the prime time spotlight. (He's actually best suited for one of those Ditka/da Bears/Discount Daaaable Check commercials.) And Roma Maffia is...well...Roma Maffia (She has a voice that would blend in perfectly with The Simpsons).

What else is there to say about Profiler? Not much. It's way over-hyped. Typical MSM hackneyed liberal agenda fare. And frankly, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

I dislike TV series in general but this one is something really DIFFERENT!What attracts me is the fact that the most important thing in the series is PSYCHOLOGY.And this is exactly what today's films very often lack.The group tries to probe the minds of criminals-every one of them so different from the rest.This is hundred times more intriguing and scary than 20 action films put together.The plots are BELIEVABLE,the characters are life-like:with their problems,peculiarities,weaknesses,failures.Also I like the intelligent way in which the leading character was replaced by another actress(not the way they do these things in"the bold and the beautiful"for example.) What i lack is a list of all the episodes,so if anyone would be so kind to write them I would be grateful.

This show has totally taken Saturday nights by storm. The exceptional filming and story lines have taken NBC's "Thrillogy" to a higher level of suspense and intrigue. The characters are well played and well suited to the show. The themes are relevant and the overall atmosphere is, well, awesome! Me being slightly partial I can say that this is undoubtedly one of the best, if not THE best show around.

I started to watch this show in reruns (they are on at 4 am eastern time - great for insomniacs like me)on CourtTV and i absolutely LOVE it ... I'm sad that it was only on for 4 years. They need to resurrect this show! I do agree that Ally was better but the show was still addicting with Jamie. The "comedy" - one liners - that Roma's character come out with is great. The subject matter is so dark and involved that this aspect of Roma's character can make you laugh and the timing is always perfect. All of the characters mesh together so well and they bring a wonderful chemistry that makes the show. Overall, it is just a wonderful show and i love it. It is hands down the best (although the ORIGINAL CSI is close :)

I once believed this was the best show on earth (thriller that is) until Ally Walker left. Don't get me wrong, I like Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner) too, but it's just not the same. Rachel is very much like Samantha, yet she is totally different. She's the same kind of pretty female, she's got the sixth sense and all. But still I found the power that drove Sam (Jack of all trades) much stronger. There is just something lost now. But it still is good. I mean you still have Davi, Maffia, George and the other guy who are funny sympathetic and believable. Luner is good too, but no-one could replace Walker. She does the best that can be done.

Rarely do I actually have anything bad to say about a TV show (as I only rarely watch them), but this show has got to be among the worst things produced in a long time. I started watching it because I had nothing better to do on Saturday Nights (as I had a girfriend and she worked that night), so I thought I would give it a shot.

Now I must preface what I am about to say by asserting that I am NOT some Christian fundamentalist or cultural reactionary. I like slasher films, I like serial killer movies. I have read books on many serial killers and find them intriguing... with that said, I must point out that I think that Profiler glorifies serial killers. The show has a tendency to substitute the idea of profiling a killer for explaining his actions. I know that deep down inside we all want to know that serial killers are not random and that they can be understood, but they can't, and this show pushes that too far.

The show either sympathizes with the killer by giving him "reasons" for what he does (like the one with the shrewish mother) which tend to be overly simplified, or it glorifies them by making almost every serial killer out to be some deranged genius. Again, I normally would never say any of this stuff, because these arguments are typically used to censor films. But in the case of this show I simply can't understand it any other way. Also, the acting and stories are pretty bad (hence, I have officially stopped watching it).

I'd like this show back in Columbo style movies. I got kind of sick of Samantha Waters (Ally Walker) though because she had red eyes and swung her head back and forth like a crack addict that I couldn't take her seriously anymore. Therefore I liked Rachel Burke (Jaime Luner) more and just wish she had three seasons just like Sam had. She always seemed to have a screen presence that no one on the show matched. Robert Davi of many action films, most notably "Licence To Kill" was great as well as Bailey. If NBC had let it stay on until 2002 or 2003 it would have had the run it deserved. It even created a new villain that matched Jack of All Trades in the final episodes. But it was on Saturday Night and had no chance to succeed ratings wise. See Dark Skies, She Spies, CBS Saturday's and the NBC mid 90s Saturday comedies for more information.

In "Profiler", Walker walks all over her nuances as she plays a forensic psychologist who uses a combination of forensics, psychology, deduction, empathy, and intuition to catch the bad guys. Unfortunately, Walker's character "Sam" couldn't add 2+2 with a calculator. It -is- possible that I was spoiled by watching "Cracker", a Brit series about a -real- profiler which will seriously mess with your mind thanks to Jimmy McGovern who specializes in writing psychodynamic dramas. In "Profiler", Sam is always prim and cosmetically together, has a perfect little daughter, and a best friend with an ATTITUDE (Oooooo!) who does welding sculptures at her oh so perfect home by the lake. A silly sham and a shameful attempt to delve into the criminal mind, "Profiler" is just plain old every-day TV entertainment straight out of the can. Passable, forgettable, and very underwhelming. (C)

Hey there Profiler fans: My partner, Ian Sander, and I executive produced PROFILER. We now have a new dramatic series on the air called GHOST WHISPERER. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt (Party of Five, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Heartbreakers), Aisha Tyler (Friends, Talk Soup) and David Conrad (Wedding Crashers, Miss Match). It's about a woman who can see and speak to people who have died but have yet to cross over due to unfinished business with the living. It airs Fridays at 8/7 central on CBS. Hope you'll check it out. After you have seen it, feel free to let us know what you think at [email protected].

Hope to hear from you! Kim Moses

I discovered this show in syndication. True, Ally Walker does that thing with her hair, goes all bug eyed and purses her mouth to distraction but I can live with that. The real attraction here is Robert Davi. His understated sexiness and strong screen presence draws this viewer in. He's a real man and a refreshing change from the vapid,pretty boy leading man types who decorate film and TV. His perfomance is always riveting. Whether he's lambasting a "perp" or offering support to another character. The man is believable. He's perfected the hard-boiled, soft-hearted hero, ala Bogart, Bronson and Cagney. He deserves better, more sympathetic, perhaps leading man roles. I hope to see him in some featured parts...as a good guy. Plus, I understand he has a wonderful voice. Maybe someone with an imagination will someday use him to advantage. So far, his talent has been wasted.

I only recently discovered this amazing TV show and I started watching because I realized that Robert Davi was a featured player. Profiler was a great show. Intense, smart and entertaining. But the best thing about it is Robert Davi. Yes, I know. He's not the quintessential leading man. Like Bogart or Bronson, he's no pretty boy and he's not a kid. But he does have a certain dangerous sexiness. That, tempered with that hint of tenderness and vulnerability made his love scenes truly breathtaking. I do wish the "powers that be" would give him a chance to show his stuff. He'd shine in a film along the lines of Casablanca. Just give us more of Davi. This light has been under a bushel for long enough.

This is an example of one of those shows that never quite comes together, but it's got some great pieces, and fine supporting actors. (For my money, Erica Gimpel makes any show better, though I think her talents are largely wasted here - I have never forgotten her guest star turn on Babylon 5, when she let her natural magnetism out of the cage.)

But, for some reason, the plotting is so predictable and banal, my strongest memory of this series is Ally Walker pushing her hair back with her hand three times a minute, or so it seems. Can she say, "barrette?"

Oh yeah, and Robert Davi's excellent turn as a hardnosed FBI agent.

Other than that, I'd rather play an exciting game of Parcheesi.

With a impeccable cast including Robert Davi, Julian McMahon, Peter Frechette, Ally Walker and so many others...this show cannot go wrong. An interesting backstory that follows through all the seasons (till Walker's departure in season 4), Jack is a compelling character. Not only do you have the initial cases, which are interesting and original in themselves, you have these main characters. John Grant the jokester with a dark past, Malone who runs the show with a fatherly fist, Waters who solves the cases with her inept ability to see what others try too... This show is funny, it's sad, it's just damn good. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do.

I never thought I'd get into this show, but after watching syndicated reruns, the genius behind it finally hit me. It's also nice to see Robert Davi scoring a good-guy role for once. I always enjoyed his acting, but "Profiler" really turned me into a fan. The stories are almost always top-notch, especially the episodes that delve into the 'Jack' side of the show. Jamie Luner is a real looker and a perfect successor to Ally Walker as the profiler. Hopefully this series will be around for a long time.

While surfing the TV for something other than repeats of my favorite shows, I discovered Profiler and HAD to add it to my list. Now I don't miss it! I love all the actors/actresses on the show but my absolute favorite is DENNIS CHRISTOPHER who plays Jack of All Trades with PETER FRECHETTE (George Fraley) coming a close second. This show offers one of the rare instances where you just can't hate the bad guy - yes, he's really bad but DC plays him so well that he wins you over. The last time this happened was seeing Tommy Lee Jones in Under Siege. When an actor can do that - he's good!

I just wish they'd show more background on the supporting cast rather than the lead - Ally Walker (Samantha Waters).

While I had my doubts during this show's first season, I stuck with it and have been rewarded. While Ally Walker's acting in the first season was very weak, she has gotten a LOT better, and is now excellent! The stories, the acting, the scenery and filming style are all of high caliber. Just goes to show what can happen to even a weak show when given a fighting chance.