In Plain Sight

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947
USA (ended 2012)

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TesserT

User Score: 745

In Plain Sight
8.1
out of 10
User Rating
1,844 votes
48

SHOW REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Show Summary

In Plain Sight follows the story of a Federal Marshal with the Witness Protection program who must hide her high-risk, high-impact job from her family. To those that know her, Mary Shannon is a glorified meter maid, but her real job is much more dangerous. She must oversee federal witnesses who have been relocated through the Witness Protection program and make sure that they stay safe.

The series stars Mary McCormack in the title role and Lesley Ann Warren as her mother, Jinx. (Working title - Mary Sunshine)

In Plain Sight is produced by Universal Media Studios for USA Network.

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Mary McCormack

Mary McCormack

Mary Shannon

Frederick Weller

Frederick Weller

Marshall Mann

Paul Ben-Victor

Paul Ben-Victor

Stan McQueen

Nichole Hiltz

Nichole Hiltz

Brandi Shannon [Season 1-4]

Lesley Ann Warren

Lesley Ann Warren

Jinx Shannon [Seasons 1-3, recurring Season 4-5)]

Cristian de la Fuente

Cristian de la Fuente

Raphael Ramirez [Seasons 1-3, recurring Season 5]

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SUBMIT REVIEW
  • Hidden. Not Forgotten

    9.0
    This is an emotionally intense and satisfying show. Mary and Marshall are a superbly antagonistic team who complement each other when it counts. Exploring the topic of relocating people into Witness Protection is a brilliant concept, and this show illuminates the unexpected emotional outcomes of our "WitSec" system. Bottom line: I highly recommend this show.
  • Not As Plain As One Might Think

    8.0
    Though I initially avoided the series, after I gave it a chance and got into it, In Plain Sight turned out to be a lot better than I thought. And, each season got progressively better; except for the final season which did a disservice to several key characters. The format of the series allowed for a wide range of different types of stories and for a variety of interest guest stars. The clever writing and witty dialog made the series a truly enjoyable show that was fun to watch.moreless
  • mary in plan site

    10
    Hay why stop the show it is really good and Mary she is why I like in plan site now you all are takeing another good show
  • Likes - great location shots, good humor, solid cast and fine acting. Dislikes - offensive profanity, situations at Mary's home make you want to slap someone.

    8.0
    In Plain Sight is a fun series. We became steady viewers the first time we watched - we admit that's partly because we lived in Albuquerque, and enjoy seeing familiar spots in town, and the backdrop of our favorite mountains and beautiful evening sky shots. Shooting on location is preferable to unending studio scenes - such as those on "Medium," a series which purportedly takes place in Phoenix, but never shows anything from Arizona - it all looks more like Pasadena. IPS makes good use of the high desert scenery.



    IPS is a low-budget drama, evident mostly by the sparse US Marshals' office and the thin cast. Adding Holly Maples as the office administrator made sense - until then the three pros had no support. Even that cast increase had no effect on the show budget - she's married to producer David Maples. And the same abandoned motel on Central Avenue seems to be featured in every episode. Mary continues to drive the same smoky Ford Probe, but now it's part of the scenery, so let's keep it.



    The sniping between Mary's character Mary, and Marshal Marshall (Frederick Weller) often gets us laughing. But be warned - IPS scripts are offensively profane. The first episode I saw had Mary McCormack emitting three vulgarities just for starters. Gratuitous cursing and swearing make us cringe, and we wonder about Ms. McCormack's legacy of work, which she could not even allow her grandchildren to view. We put up with it, but IPS would be far better fare without it.



    The episode titles are some of the most amusing we've ever seen for a series. Puns, word games and pop culture references abound - we love it.



    Like many series, IPS shifts regularly from crime drama to soap opera. The home cast of ne'er-do-well sister Brandi (Nichole Hiltz) and weepy mom Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) was downright tedious in the beginning of Season 2, but later episodes had their dysfunctional ways lessen. We do like the Detective Robert Dershowitz (Todd Williams) character - often at odds with Mary, but showing growing respect for her and bringing in good bits of police-FBI cooperation. Good work also by Paul Ben-Victor as supervising marshal Stan McQueen, who does well when the main storyline revolves around him. Glad it got a Season 3 - hope the audiences are getting used to good shows going into hiatus for months at a time - if we all accept it, maybe they won't lose so much viewer share that they slip into cancellation jeopardy.moreless
  • Takes some time to get into but once you do you absolutely love it.

    8.0
    At first I was annoyed that this show was trying to do the female voiceover narration ala Grey's Anatomy but then I remembered how much I love it on Grey's and was happy to have another show adopting the format. Mary is a lot to handle, hence why you have to ease into this show. She's rude, crass and always gets her way which, as it turns out, is part of her charm. I don't find the cast of this show particularly attractive, nor do I care if Mary and Marshall ever get together, I feel that their 'love connection' is a bit forced, but I love them together as partners. The first season finale was by far the best, and most dramatic, and I wish that they'd go a little darker at times. I enjoy that this show is a hybrid of procedural and serial. You could easily just watch occasionally and just enjoy the cases from week to week but if you stick around there is a definite serial nature to it, especially with Mary's family (a storyline I happen to love). Her family is totally screwed up, her father is a felon on the run and if she ever finds out where he is she'll have to arrest him, and her mother and sister are just plain crazy. All in all Mary is a tough nut to crack, enjoyable to watch, and a great character to come back to week after week.moreless
  • FRIDAY, MAY 4 - SUNDAY, MAY 6

    What to Watch This Weekend: Fringe, In Plain Sight, Saturday Night Live, and Sherlock

    Plus: The Comedy Awards, Game of Thrones, and the Amazing Race finale

  • FRIDAY, APRIL 27 - SUNDAY, APRIL 29

    What to Watch This Weekend: Fringe, The Good Wife, and Breakout Kings

    Plus: Game of Thrones, Supernatural, and BBC America's The Thick of It

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    More Info About This Show

    Themes

    alcoholism, bad parenting, dysfuntional families, gunfights, illegal activities