Seasons 1–3 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).
Season 4 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, but 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 but this resulted in these cliffhangers never being answered after the show was cancelled. ==Episodes==