Scott Caan and Dania Ramirez Run The Never-Ending Race Against Time in ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Executive producer John Eisendrath reflexively was preparing to deliver some bad news. Asked about his working partnership with Jamie Foxx – they’re co-creators of the new CTV series ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT – Eisendrath replied, “I got a call one day from (Foxx’s) producing partner, Datari Turner, and he said that he wanted to pitch me an idea for a show. And usually when someone does that, I brace for a polite way of saying, ‘Thank you, but it’s a terrible idea.’ ” However, Eisendrath’s attitude immediately changed when he heard the concept: utilizing the Amber Alert system as a framework, the series would tell the stories of the people who go missing, and their families, as well as the determined law-enforcement personnel who leap into action and work tirelessly to find them. “I was like, ‘wow … that’s actually a great idea for a show,’ ” Eisendrath recalled. The series that emerged from those initial conversations, ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT, debuts Sunday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, before moving into its regular timeslot of Mondays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 9. Starring Scott Caan (HAWAII FIVE-0, ENTOURAGE) and Dania Ramirez (ONCE UPON A TIME, DEVIOUS MAIDS), ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT is a drama set in the Philadelphia Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit. Each episode features a desperate, life-or-death search for a missing person, by a team of experts that includes former married couple Jason Grant (Caan) and Nikki Batista (Ramirez). Beyond the episodic element of the series is the ongoing case of Jason and Nikki’s own son, Keith, who went missing six years ago. Keith’s disappearance ripped apart Jason and Nikki’s marriage, and it’s what led Nikki into this line of work. Jason, who was working overseas with the military when Keith went missing, subsequently went into private security, but circumstances regarding the case in the early episodes of ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT draw Jason into his ex-wife’s professional inner circle, and possibly back into her personal life as well. “I don’t mean to sound too goofy or corny, but if you like being creative, if you like digging in as an actor, there isn’t much out there that is more complicated, or involves more problem-solving as an actor, than this show has been for me, and I think I knew that right away,” Caan said. “It’s really challenging. And I think that the second we aren’t challenged any more at what we do, we should just quit. My point is that this isn’t something that I can just show up and, you know, not give a lot of thought to. And that’s what keeps me excited about it.” Ramirez agreed whole-heartedly with Caan about the emotional challenges of ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT, given the intense subject matter, and the extreme despair that surrounds every one of these situations. “But acting is very therapeutic as well,” Ramirez said. “The first meeting that I ever had with John (Eisendrath, who is also the showrunner) and some of the other producers, and when I knew that (Caan) was doing the job, I was like, you know, I’m excited just to dig in and see how we change as people. (Caan) just had a baby. I have my family here, but I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them and my kids (during filming). So we’re able to really allow each other to be vulnerable in those moments, to share that with the masses, and to feel like, okay, I’m going to unveil that part of me. I think that’s what the world likes to connect to, and to be able to transcend those emotions and get people to connect with that is super inspiring. The show has just been a great opportunity to share those emotions with everyone.” That said, Ramirez admitted, “yeah, it’s hard to leave it behind – and honestly, I think it’s human nature, especially for actors, if you’re really into it, to just really live out those emotions. And that’s not something you can shut off right away.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv