THIS UNIQUE EPISODE, TOLD FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE MISSING PERSON'S LOVED ONES, FEATURES THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER OF THE PARENTS OF A MISSING 15-YEAR-OLD BOY AS THE TEAM DOES ITS BEST TO FIND HIM, ON "WITHOUT A TRACE," THURSDAY, NOV. 17

Multiple Emmy Award Winner Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne"), Matt Craven ("Crimson Tide") and Andrea Bowen ("Desperate Housewives") Guest Star

"A Day in the Life" -- This unique episode, which, in a first for the series, is told from the point of view of the missing person's parents, features the emotional rollercoaster of the mother and father of a missing 15-year-old boy as the team does its best to find him, on WITHOUT A TRACE, Thursday, Nov. 17 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Jeannot Szwarc directed the episode written by Hank Steinberg, the series' creator and one of the series' executive producers.

Multiple Emmy Award winner Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne") guest stars as the missing boy's mother, Matt Craven ("Crimson Tide") as his father and Andrea Bowen ("Desperate Housewives") as one of the boy's friends.

Following Susan (Metcalf) and Larry (Craven) Hopkins' desperate call to the authorities when they realize their son, Shawn, missed his curfew, the team's involvement ends up adding to the Hopkins' feelings of powerlessness, angst and frustration, especially when they're questioned as potential suspects in Shawn's disappearance. They begin to resent the team for the seemingly slow pace of their investigation and for not relaying every twist, turn and procedure involved in the search. Additionally, the Hopkins begin to turn against each other when the team's findings make it clear that Shawn has been involved in much more than they ever knew or imagined.

Jack Malone: Anthony LaPaglia
Samantha Spade: Poppy Montgomery
Vivian Johnson: Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Danny Taylor: Enrique Murciano
Martin Fitzgerald: Eric Close
Elena Delgado: Roselyn Sanchez
Shawn Hopkins: Josh Wise
Larry Hopkins: Matt Craven
Susan Hopkins: Laurie Metcalf
Cop: Barry Sigismondi
Ricky Johnson: Quentin Price
Becky Grolnick: Andrea Bowen
Marsha Grolnick: Cynthia Sophiea
5-Year-Old Shawn: Nikolas Jade Fortune
Doctor: David Goldman
Nurse: Damali Scott
10-Year-Old Shawn: Benjamin Bryan

RATING: To Be Announced