Lisa Dean Ryan Movies

Based on actual events which occurred aboard the "USS Constitution", this made-for-cable movie begins as young Maddie Nolan (Hayden Panettiere) boards the Naval carrier under the command of her father Gary (Bill Pullman). Maddie is participating in a traditional "tiger cruise", wherein the family members of Naval personnel are invited to join the men and women in uniform during a typical days of maneuvers. Unlike her fellow passengers, however, Maddie has an ulterior motive: Weary of being a "Navy brat" who has spent her childhood moving from one base to another, she is hoping to persuade her father to give up the service and settle down in one place. But on the third day at sea, Commander Dolan's carrier is ordered to assume "combat mode": the date is September 11, 2001, and America is under attack! Tiger Cruise debuted August 6, 2004, on the Disney Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) really has his hands full, dividing his time between moving his belongings into Connie McDowell's (Charlotte Ross) apartment and helping John Clark Sr. (Joe Spano) wrest free of the IAB's grasp. Andy also continues having problems concerning his relationship with his son Theo (Austin Majors). Back at the 15th, a schizophrenic who attacked his own father is the prime suspect in another murder; and precinct skipper Rodriguez (Esai Morales) tries to help his drug-addicted former wife, Angela (Jessica Ferrarone). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A woman searches for her biological mother with her mind set on murder in this suspense thriller. Susan Miller (Andrea Roth) was born to an unwed mother who felt she would be unable to care for her properly; after being put up for adoption, Susan bounced from one set of abusive foster parents to another. Now grown to adulthood, Susan is beautiful on the outside, but inwardly has been twisted into a violent hatred of her mother, even serving time in a mental institution. Now free, Susan has vowed to track down the woman she believes abandoned her and get her revenge. Susan discovers her birth mother was Maggie Conner (Cindy Pickett), whose husband Jesse (Gil Gerard) operates a successful horse-breeding operation. Susan ingratiates herself with the Connor family, landing a job working at their ranch and moving into their home, but Maggie and Jesse's daughter Linda (Lisa Dean Ryan) senses there's something odd about Susan, and when she uncovers Susan's secret, the whole family is thrown deep into danger. The supporting cast includes Jaimz Woolvet, Matt Farnsworth, and Lee Dawson; director Peter Liapis appears in a supporting role as a plumber. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Another in a series of NBC TV movies originally telecast under the umbrella title "Moment of Truth", Playing to Win stars Lisa Dean Ryan as 17-year-old Dana Erikson, whose new boyfriend Marshall (David Lascher) is a compulsive gambler. Drawn in to Marshall's "special" world, Dana finds that she herself is unable to stop gambling--in fact, she is even more obsessive and self-destructive in he. In short order, Dana loses her money, her job and her reputation, and is reduced to cheating and stealing to feed her habit. Clearly, a visit to Gamblers Anonymous is called for--but is it too late for Dana to save herself? Playing to Win: A Moment of Truth Movie was first broadcast on February 11, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The perils and pitfalls of the so-called "repressed memory syndrome" are brought home in a chilling fashion in this fact-based TV movie. After attending a Christian retreat, young Rebecca Bradshaw (Lisa Dean Ryan) returns home to accuse her deputy sheriff father Matthew (John Shea) of sexually abusing her as a child. Matthew protests that he is innocent, but as Rebecca's claims become more vivid and outrageous--involving satanic rituals and the like--even he begins to wonder if there is any truth to the story. Making matters worse, Rebecca spreads her accusations to Matthew's old poker-playing buddies, insisting that they are all involved in a diabolical coven which requires the molestation of children! With nowhere else to turn, Matthew goes to the local pastor for advice--only to be bluntly informed that the only way he can find peace is to confess to horrendous crimes that may never have happened. Adapted from a series of articles by Lawrence Wright, Forgotten Sins originally aired March 7, 1996 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season Three proves to be a year of transition on Doogie Howser M.D.. Figuring that he has reached his majority at age 18, child prodigy Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), America's youngest practicing physician, decides to move out of his family's house and into a bachelor apartment, sharing the digs with his best pal Vinnie (Max Casella), who is now attending college as a film major. While Doogie is still fond of his teenaged sweetheart Wanda (Lisa Dean Plenn), she has left town to attend art school and as such is largely incommunicado. As a result, Doogie drifts away from Wanda, transferring his affections to attractive nurse Michele Faber (Robyn Lively)--with time out for a lengthy relationship with a woman named Cecilia, who "forgets" to inform him that she has a 4-year-old son. And in another development, Doogie finds himself short one colleague when his fellow resident Dr. McGuire leaves his post at LA's Eastman Medical Center. While most of the Season Three episodes maintain the series' delicate balance of comedy and drama, several are played strictly for laughs. Case in point: "Mummy Dearest", wherein Doogie and his fellow physicians ruminate over the possibility of being cursed as they examined the remains of a centuries-old mummy! On a more serious note, the episode "My Father, My Self" details a schism in the relationship between Doogie and his doctor father David (James B. Sikking) when the latter asks a stranger to join his medical practice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Although 16-year-old prodigy Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris) is America's youngest physician, he still has a lot to learn in the maturity department, as amply demonstrated during Season One of Doogie Howser, M.D.. Doing his appointed rounds as second-year resident at Eastman Medical Center in L.A., Dr. Howser has earned the (sometimes grudging) respect of Chief of Services Dr. Canfield (Lawrence Pressman), fellow resident Dr. McGuire (Mitchell Anderson) and Nurse Spaulding (Kathryn Layng), in his own home our hero is generally treated like the shy, awkward youngster he truly is, especially by his strict but loving mom Katherine (Belinda Montgomery). While Doogie can rely upon his doctor father David (James B. Sikking) to keep him abreast of the latest advances in medical science and technology, his main conduit to his "own" world--that is, the world of pimply-faced, hormone-driven teenagers--is his best pal Vinnie (Max Casella),who regularly delivers reports from the high-school front in his weekly visits to Doogie via the bedroom window. The pilot episode firmly establishes the strange dichotomy in Doogie's life, as he passes his driver's exam and enjoys his first kiss with girlfriend Wanda (Lisa Dean Ryan) while struggling to cope with a tragedy involving a young, critically ill patient. The eternal inner struggle between Doogie the typical teen and Doogie the boy genius is further illustrated in the famous episode wherein he and Wanda are out on a date when she suffers a sudden appendicitis attack--and he is forced to give her a rather intimate examination just before she undergoes emergency surgery (this is the one in which a jealous Vinnie asks Doogie: "Did you put your hand on her conundrum?") One of the more fascinating first-season episodes is "Use a Slurpy, Go to Jail", in which Doogie and Vinnie find themselves in the middle of a botched convenience-store holdup. The ill-tempered gang member who tries to pull off the heist is one Raymond Alexander, played by Markus Redmond. Beginning with the series' second season, Raymond Alexander would be a Doogie Howser MD regular, hired as an orderly at Eastman Medical. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi