Mark Tinker Movies

Created by the same team responsible for the quirky, iconoclastic HBO western series Deadwood, John from Cincinnati was a magical mystery tour of the California surfing scene. Set in the town of Imperial Beach, the story focused on the multigenerational Yost family, led by Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a onetime surfing legend who had been forcibly retired (except for a few early-morning forays into the waves) by a serious knee injury. The fall of the Yost fortunes had a deleterious effect upon Mitch's son Butchie (Brian Van Holt), who had become a seemingly hopeless druggie; conversely, Butchie's own son Shaun (Grayson Fletcher) was a surfing phenom who bade fare to surpass his grandfather's celebrity--if he ever got the chance. Holding the family together was Mitch's levelheaded wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay), owner of the surfing-goods store that provided their income. Into this dysfunctional family unit came a fabulously wealthy and truly bizarre dude known as John Monad (Austin Nichols), who when pressed for details identified himself as "John from Cincinnati." Outwardly a boorish dimwit with an annoying habit of repeating everyone else's conversations, John was clearly operating on some Higher Plane or other, implicitly possessing the ability to heal the sick and revive the dead, and holding out the hope of redemption for the fractured Yosts. With John in the vicinity, no one found it odd that, for example, Mitch suddenly developed the ability to float in the air; everyone seemed to accept the newcomer without question or prejudice. Only the Yosts' friend Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), a fancier of birds and pro wrestlers, distrusted John and his motives, suspecting that he was more Satan than Saint. The series' events--subtly but inextricably linking each character with the other--unfolded in a leisurely, day-by-day "need to know" basis, with small, tantalyzing clues as to the story's outcome (Rapture? Armageddon? The Perfect Wave?) buried within each episode. Cocreated by Deadwood's David Milch and "surf noir" novelist Kern Nunn, and featuring Luke Perry and Deadwood alumnus Jim Beaver in key supporting roles, John from Cincinnati began its HBO run on June 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bullock makes a proposal for dealing with Hearst. Meanwhile, the Doc's health is in decline. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Recovering from a gunshot wound, Hearst demands retribution. Unwilling to give him what he wants, Swearengen is forced to get creative. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

A power outage at Seattle Grace traps George (T.R. Knight) in an elevator with a seriously wounded police officer (Daniel Bess), forcing him to perform emergency surgery. The outage also causes another patient to lose his "pain medication"--to be exact, his collection of video porn--forcing Cristina (Sandra Oh) to do some clever improvising. Elsewhere, after trying to convince a religious zealot to authorize surgery for his daughter, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has a showdown with Derek (Patrick Dempsey). And Meredith's delusional mother Ellis (Kate Burton) waxes nostalgic over her long-ago love affair--with Seattle Grace's chief surgeon Webber (James Pickens Jr.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Little Theo Sipowicz (Austin Majors) accidentally sees Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) without a stitch on. Back at the 15th, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is saddled with his least-favorite "snitch," Pisano (Lenny Venito), who has apparently been targeted for death by a tough customer known as "The Dentist" (Raymond O'Connor). A witness to a shooting will hand over the videotape of the crime only on the condition that he retains exclusive exhibition rites. And the tormented father (Joe Spano) of Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) commits a desperate act. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The murder of a college coed, who was wearing boots more suitable for a prostitute, occurs in the same location where a hooker is later killed. The hooker's cell phone provides a lead for investigating detectives Andy (Dennis Franz) and John (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), but the medical examiner's findings put a crimp in their conclusions. Meanwhile, Angela Lupo (Jessica Ferrarone), the drug-addicted former wife of precinct skipper Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), comes back into Tony's life in a spectacular manner. And Andy's son Theo (Austin Majors) wonders if his dad and Connie (Charlotte Ross) will ever really get together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As NYPD Blue entered its tenth season, there was a perception that the series had become flat and predictable, and that the leading characters were merely going through the motions. But the series had confounded its critics the previous season by retaining its popularity despite a change to an earlier and less advantageous time slot, and it would continue thriving -- and even improving -- throughout season ten. Some of the emphasis during the 2002-2003 season was on couples. The May-December romance between 15th precinct detectives Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross), tentatively inaugurated during season nine, experienced a number of rocky moments -- many of them tied in with the vacillating feelings of Andy's son Theo (Austin Majors). But their relationship was strengthened and reaffirmed by a major crisis: Connie's determination to retain custody of her baby niece Michelle, whose mother (Katherine La Nasa), Connie's sister, was killed by her low-life husband, Frank Colohan (played by former X-Files menace Nicholas Lea). Despite the efforts by Frank's nasty and manipulative parents to obtain custody of Michelle, the forces of good triumphed, largely because Andy marshalled extra assistance from an old friend, Detective Diane Russell (Kim Delaney, in a most welcome one-shot return to the series). The other couplings of note involved Andy's partner John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Detective Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors), the off-and-on relationship between detective Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) and Assistant DA Valerie Haywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon), and the brief reunion between 15th precinct skipper Lt. Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales) and his drug-addicted former wife, Angela Lupo (Jessica Ferrarone). Two of these three couples would be broken up by season's end, one of them under tragic circumstances, while John Clark Jr. would begin a liaison with police doctor Jennifer Devlin (Chandra West). Back "on the job," the 15th was again targeted for persecution by Internal Affairs captain Pat Fraker (Casey Siemaszko), who was so determined to get something damaging against his longtime enemy Andy Sipowicz that he was willing to engineer a frame-up that sent John Clark Jr. to jail on a trumped-up drug charge. This plot development would result in the disgrace of a longtime NYPD Blue recurring character, the suicide of Clark Jr.'s alcoholic father (Joe Spano), and ultimately a bloody confrontation which, for the season-closing cliffhanger, left Lt. Rodriguez hovering between life and death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first half of NYPD Blue's ninth-season finale, no sooner have Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) returned from Disney World than they join the rest of the 15th precinct in a case involving a missing four-year-old boy. At first, it seems as though the youngster has fallen victim to an online sexual predator, but before long, several other possible suspects come to surface. Elsewhere, gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) inherits a huge amount of money from his late long-estranged father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Abrasive cab driver Ryan Lipe (John Billingsley), who helped the 15th in a previous investigation, is the prime suspect in the deaths of three of his former fares. Offering to help an old friend, Rodriguez (Esai Morales) ends up being accused of taking bribes by the IAB -- and the whole affair smells suspiciously like a set-up. When John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) tells Officer Laughlin (Anthony Mangano) to stop hitting on Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors), Laughlin challenges John to a charity boxing match. Elsewhere, another pugilist denies killing an ex-ballet dancer, and gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) reveals his past problems with his ailing father to a sympathetic Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As NYPD Blue enters its ninth season, Detective Danny Sorenson has been missing for five months, and the members of the 15th precinct are stressed out by the cataclysmic events of 9/11. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (of Saved by the Bell fame) joins the cast as Danny's replacement, former narcotics detective John Clark Jr., the son of a cop who is a longtime enemy of Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Be that as it may, John and Andy must work together while investigating the drug-related murders of four girls. As the episode draws to a close, word comes that Danny's body may have been located. This episode originally aired in tandem with the subsequent installment "Johnny Got His Gold." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Investigating the claims of a fellow cop who insists he was moonlighting when shot during a carjacking, Andy (Dennis Franz) and Danny (Rick Schroder) quickly learn that the victim was carrying on a high-maintenance double life. A holdup in a bodega run by a friend of Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) leads to a potential crisis for Greg when he tries to cover up the existence of an unregistered gun. Later, Andy has his first serious run-in with new precinct skipper, Rodriguez (Esai Morales). And Diane (Kim Delaney) makes a date with the doctor who treated her late husband, Bobby Simone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Worried about the well-being of his son Theo, Andy (Dennis Franz) considers remarrying his ex-wife Katie (Debra Monk). After breaking up with Mary (Sheeri Rappaport) for good, Danny (Rick Schroder) dedicates himself to keeping Diane (Kim Delaney) out of harm's way -- which Diane deeply resents. And a New York police captain (Richard Brooks), the husband of a woman cop wounded in a shoot-out, endangers the successful prosecution of the case by beating up the suspect. Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon makes her first appearance as new Assistant DA Valerie Heywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide