# Profiler (1996)

> A brilliant FBI criminal profiler and her Atlanta task force team hunt serial killers across the country while struggling to live their own lives.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2519

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 84
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Ally Walker, Jamie Luner, Robert Davi, Julian McMahon, Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette, Michael Whaley, Erica Gimpel
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115322/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, dark, gripping, methodical

## What critics say

Audiences rated the series positively, with a steady and gently rising appreciation across its four seasons.

## Synopsis

Profiler (1996-2000) is an American network crime drama created for NBC. Criminal profiler Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner) leads a sophisticated team of specialists on the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force in Atlanta, where they investigate serial killers and violent offenders across the country. Robert Davi plays fellow team member Bailey Malone, Julian McMahon plays John Grant, and Ally Walker plays Samantha Waters, each bringing a distinct weight to the squad's cases. The engine of the series is the close reading of a killer's mind: each case demands that the team climb inside the offender's psychology to predict the next move before another victim falls. Episodes are largely self-contained case-of-the-week investigations, though personal lives and relationships carry across the four-season run. Set in the 1990s American South and across the country, the show carries a tense, procedural tone with a dark, psychological edge. Its focus on profiling and forensic psychology places it in the lineage of Criminal Minds and Millennium for viewers who want investigators who think like the criminals they chase. The result is a grounded, character-driven crime drama with steady suspense and a strong sense of purpose.

## Shows like Profiler

- [The Closer (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/1366)
- [Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/29638)
- [Lie to Me (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/7760)
- [The Following (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/40965)
- [Perception (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/36656)
- [Those Who Kill (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/55419)
- [Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/4379)
- [Instinct (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/63402)
- [Stalker (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54242)
- [FBI: Most Wanted (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79751)

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