Kidnapped (series)

A short-lived Cop Show that aired on NBC for part of one season in 2006. Created by Jason Smilovic, a screenwriter best known for the film Lucky Number Slevin, and executive produced by David Greenwalt of Profit fame, the series lasted just five episodes before being canceled, with the remaining eight episodes eventually broadcast online.

The series follows the investigation into the kidnapping of fifteen-year-old Leopold Cain (Will Denton), the son of Wall Street billionaire Conrad Cain (Timothy Hutton) and his oil heiress wife Ellie (Dana Delany). Because the kidnappers demand that the police not be called in, the Cains instead turn to the mysterious Knapp (Jeremy Sisto), a shady "retrieval expert," and his assistant Turner (Carmen Ejogo), to help rescue their son.

The FBI is soon involved anyway, however, as it is revealed that Leopold's bodyguard Virgil (Mykelti Williamson), who was critically wounded in his abduction, is the brother-in-law of Special Agent Latimer King (Delroy Lindo), the head of the Bureau's anti-kidnapping squad. With sidekick Agent Archer (Linus Roache) and rookie Agent Atkins (Michael Mosley) in tow, King sets up shop in the Cain's apartment and gets to work.

Meanwhile, Leopold finds himself chained to a bed and watched over by a pair of goons, the violent sociopath Bellows (Robert John Burke) and the kindly Otto (Otto Sanchez). The resourceful Leopold quickly escapes, only to discover that his captors have spirited him to Mexico. Although recaptured, he redoubles his attempts to escape.

As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that this is no simple criminal gang out to make a quick buck, nor is money even the motivation, as the abduction is eventually revealed to be the work of an international criminal conspiracy of incredible complexity, dedicated to one proposition: the utter destruction of the Cain family.

Not to be confused with the adventure novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Provides examples of the following tropes:

 * Best Served Cold: The Big Bad has been planning his revenge for eight years.
 * Bodyguard Betrayal: Deliberately invoked by the kidnappers, who set Virgil up to look like a conspirator, in order to tar Agent King by association.
 * Career Killers: The Accountant is an assassin.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * Clueless Mystery: There is one clue, but its significance to the culprit is not explained until his identity has already been revealed to the viewer.
 * Cold Blooded Torture: Gibson threatens Knapp with this.
 * Contract On the Hitman: When the Accountant screws up one too many assignments, his employers decide to have him killed.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: It is broadly implied that Conrad Cain is one.
 * Cowboy Cop: Agent King becomes one by the end of the series, after spending too much time around Knapp.
 * The Danza: Otto is played by Otto Sanchez.
 * Deadly Euphemism: The Accountant doesn't kill people. He closes accounts.
 * Defective Detective: Knapp, who escaped from a cult as a child and was eventually kicked out of the FBI and sent to a mental hospital.
 * Detective Mole:
 * Disc One Final Boss: James Devere.
 * Dueling Shows: Vanished (which doesn't have a TV Tropes page) had a similar sounding premise (though the shows were different) and aired at the same time on a different network. Neither of them survived beyond a half season, even though both of them weren't really set up as shows that could go on beyond a single season.
 * Eureka Moment: The show often likes to have King and Knapp have the same one, at the same time, after arriving at it through two very different methods.
 * Everyone Is a Suspect
 * Finger in The Mail: The kidnappers send the Cains an ear in a box.
 * Friend On the Force: King, to Knapp.
 * The Handler: The Operator. As it turns out, he has a handler, too.
 * He Knows Too Much: A lot of members of the conspiracy end up dead because of this.
 * Hoist By His Own Petard: The Big Bad arranged for Knapp, King, and Virgil to be involved in the case. This turns out to be not such a smart move.
 * Hollywood Silencer: Most of the bad guys have them.
 * Human Shield: A favorite bad guy tactic. It never ends well for them.
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick: Turner, who is not just a pretty face. Not just a computer geek, either.
 * Internal Affairs: Agent Vance.
 * The Irish Mob: Conrad Cain's childhood friend now leads one. And may be involved in the kidnapping.
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Knapp uses it on the Accountant. It doesn't really work.
 * Karma Houdini: The Accountant.
 * Magical Computer: Turner has one.
 * The Man Behind the Man: And you thought "Mr. Schroeder" was the Big Bad? Please.
 * Minion With an F In Evil: Otto.
 * Mission Control: The Operator and Turner.
 * The Mole:
 * Motive Misidentification: "We don't want your money."
 * Mugged for Disguise: Devere does this to a cop.
 * My Greatest Failure: The case that got Knapp kicked out of the Bureau and into a mental hospital. He caught the kidnapper, but never found the girl.
 * No Name Given: The Accountant.
 * Odd Couple: Bellows and Otto.
 * Only a Flesh Wound:
 * Only One Name: Gibson. Gutman. Bellows. Otto. Mr. Greene. The Operator's name is revealed only to be "Bill."
 * Pet the Dog: The Accountant and Devere love their wives. The Operator loves his daughter.
 * Prisoner Exchange: When Gutman is captured, a sniper threatens to kill King's daughter unless she is released.
 * Private Detective: Knapp and Turner.
 * Private Military Contractors: The Gracen Group.
 * Psycho for Hire: Bellows.
 * Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: Used often.
 * Red Herring Mole:
 * Redemption Equals Death:
 * Retirony:
 * Screw The Rules, I Have Money: pulled this one too many times.
 * Sequel Hook:
 * Shocking Swerve
 * Shout Out: One of the conspiracy's lackeys is a mercenary who also works for a firm called the Gracen Group. Executive producer David Greenwalt was the co-creator of the series Profit, which was set at a company called Gracen & Gracen.
 * Sidekick: Turner and Agent Archer.
 * Sinister Surveillance: The conspiracy has eyes everywhere. Especially on the Cains.
 * Sins of Our Fathers: The Big Bad's reason for targetting Leopold.
 * Spotting the Thread: King flushes a fake FBI agent by telling him to call in a nonexistent code.
 * Spy Speak: The members of the conspiracy converse in code on the phone.
 * Stalker Shrine: has one in his basement.
 * Step Three Profit: Once the Big Bad has Leopold, it seems like he doesn't really have any idea for what to do next.
 * That Makes Me Feel Angry: The Accountant's reaction to.
 * That One Case: Knapp's last case at the Bureau.
 * Those Two Bad Guys: Bellows and Otto.
 * The Un Reveal: They never did explain how stole all that money from the Ramone bust without being seen.
 * Well Intentioned Extremist: Gutman.
 * What Could Have Been: It's quite apparent watching the finale that end conclusion isn't what was intended and clearly just quickly put together resolution for the series.
 * Your Princess Is in Another Castle: If is the Big Bad, why do we have a whole other episode to get through?