Stana Katic

Stana Katic plays Emily Byrne in Absentia and is also an executive producer of the series. Before that, she spent eight seasons as Detective Kate Beckett in Castle, the role that made her a familiar television lead.

Absentia puts much of its weight on her performance. Emily returns from captivity to a life that has continued without her, and Katic has to make her competence and vulnerability believable at the same time. I particularly like how she handles the character's reaction to water. The fear remains convincing even when Emily is otherwise determined to get on with an investigation.

Her earlier television work includes guest appearances in Alias and The Shield, followed by Collette Stenger in 24 and Hana Gitelman in Heroes. She also appears in The Unit. Those credits preceded the longer leading roles in Castle and Absentia.

Her film work includes Quantum of Solace, The Spirit, Feast of Love, CBGB and The Possession of Hannah Grace. Absentia remains the performance that interests me most here: she gives a fairly modest thriller a character I was happy to follow through all three seasons.