Trace (2007)
Original title: След
Trace is a 2007 Russian-language mystery series created by ТелеРОМАН. It stars Olga Koposova, Vladimir Tashlykov and Anna Dankova.
The forensic experts of the fictional Federal Expert Service turn physical evidence into answers in this long-running Russian crime drama. Created by Konstantin Ernst, the series follows the FES team as they apply lab work and careful deduction to a fresh case each episode, reading the traces a crime leaves behind. It began on Channel One in September 2007 before moving to 5TV in 2011, where it became a fixture of Russian procedural television. The appeal is steady and methodical: a body, a puzzle, and a group of specialists who let the physical clues do the talking rather than a lone star detective.
Quick answers
What is Trace about?
The forensic experts of the fictional Federal Expert Service turn physical evidence into answers in this long-running Russian crime drama. Created by Konstantin Ernst, the series follows the FES team as they apply lab work and careful deduction to a fresh case each episode, reading the traces a crime leaves behind. It began on Channel One in September 2007 before moving to 5TV in 2011, where it became a fixture of Russian procedural television. The appeal is steady and methodical: a body, a puzzle, and a group of specialists who let the physical clues do the talking rather than a lone star detective.
When was Trace released?
Trace was released on 3 September 2007.
How many episodes does Trace have?
Trace has 3017 episodes across 31 seasons.
Who made Trace?
Trace was created by ТелеРОМАН.
Official site
Cast
- Olga Koposova as Галина Рогозина
- Vladimir Tashlykov as Николай Круглов
- Anna Dankova as Валентина Антонова
- Pavel Shuvayev as Сергей Майский
- Sergey Pioro as Игорь Шустов
- Andrey Lavrov as Константин Котов
- Evgeniy Kulakov as Иван Тихонов
- Olga Zeiger as Татьяна Белая
- Alisa Suprun as Larisa
- Anastasia Chepeliuk as Lilya
- Olesya Brezhneva as Anna Dronova
- Roman Sinitsyn as Vasily Kuznetsov
Similar series
Explore Trace guides
A few thoughts on Trace
For the same evidence-first detective work in other forms, The Kindaichi Case Files and Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning build their manga around pure deduction, while Disco Elysium and Max Payne put you inside the investigation. Agatha Christie's Crooked House delivers the classic gather-the-suspects puzzle on the page.
Forensic teams that let the evidence talk
Trace turns a Russian forensic unit loose on a fresh case each week, letting lab work and physical evidence do the talking. These procedurals share that method. Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Method, Cross and Above Suspicion follow specialists who read wounds, timelines and trace clues until the science, not a hunch, names the guilty party.
Slow-burn crime dramas that unspool one case
Beyond the lab, Trace is about a puzzle patiently assembled from what a crime leaves behind. These dramas take the same unhurried approach. State of Play, Five Days, Suspect, Paranoid, Three Pines and Strike let a single case unspool across hours, trusting method and doubt over spectacle as the truth slowly comes into focus.
Detective games driven by clues
Trace rewards viewers who like watching clues click into place, and these games hand that job to you. Disco Elysium, Max Payne, Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human, The Wolf Among Us and Life Is Strange put you at the scene, gathering evidence and weighing suspects until your own reading of the case decides how it ends.
Deduction mysteries in books and manga
Underneath the lab coats, Trace is a straight whodunit, and these books and manga deliver the same pleasure. Crooked House, Murder in Three Acts, The Big Four, Death Note, The Kindaichi Case Files and Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning all pit a sharp mind against a hidden killer, laying out clues for the reader to solve.