Steven Eckholdt Movies

Already anxious to hide her clandestine romance from her husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is further confounded by the arrival of her troublesome mother-in-law, Juanita (Lupe Ontiveros). Susan (Teri Hatcher) impulsively dates Officer Rick Thompson (Steven Eckholdt), who is investigating a break-in in the neighborhood -- for which Susan's erstwhile beau Mike Delfino (James Denton) may be responsible. And Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and her husband, Tom (Doug Savant), enroll their contentious twins in a private school -- as if that will solve the problem! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tired of being given nothing but "fluff" pieces, Rebecca Chandler (Jennie Garth), a reporter for the Indianapolis Sentinel, demands to write a story with some teeth in it. Unfortunately, her dyspeptic editor Bob Bolton (Victor Raider-Wexler) doesn't see things Rebecca's way, thus he dispatches the reluctant newshound to Hamden, Indiana, there to cover a sappy human-interest story about a mysterious "Secret Santa" who each Christmas bestows money and necessities upon a selected needy person. Not only does Rebecca hate the assignment, but she hates Hamden--especially since she was originally slated to have gone on a Hawaiian honeymoon with her ex-boyfriend. Thus, our heroine is hardly full of the Christmas spirit when she arrives in Hamden and is forced by the holiday tourist crunch to take a room in a nursing home where a fellow named Russell (Charlie Robinson), who has already managed to get on Rebecca's bad side, is the main helper-outer. Inevitably, Rebecca's cold heart is warmed up, not only by the looney but likeable Russell, but also by an unusually perceptive nursing-home resident named Miss Ruth (played by the great Barbara Billingsley). However, Rebecca still has a story to file, and she thinks that she has zeroed in on the elusive "Secret Santa", fingering local millionaire John Martin Carter (Steven Eckholt) as the most likely suspect. But even if Carter is the man in question, the townsfolk aren't about to help Rebecca expose their unknown benefactor--it seems that over the years they've come to believe in the Secret Santa, and they're not about to shatter their own illusions for the sake of a cheap headline! Adapted for television by Beth Polson and Robert Tate Miller from their own novel, Secret Santa first aired December 14, 2003, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A workaholic advertising executive discovers that there may just be more to life than the daily grind in this warmhearted Christmas comedy from director Maggie Greenwald. Jane (Nancy McKeon) is a type-A go-getter who has little time to think about such things as family and the holiday spirit, but when a minor traffic mishap sends her reeling into a strange parallel universe, Jane's hectic schedule is turned inside out. Awakening from the accident to discover that she is suddenly a stay-at-home mother of two and happily married to kindly charity worker Sam (Steven Eckholdt), Jane desperately attempts to sort out her disorienting dilemma while simultaneously preparing Christmas dinner for the family. Could it be that Jane has finally discovered what has been missing from her life for all these years? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Containing much of the same spirit that permeated Tim Allen's The Santa Clause, Santa Who? tells the story of Zack (Max Morrow), a young boy who helps Santa (Leslie Nielsen) figure out who he is after an attack of amnesia caused by a fall from his sled. Tommy Davidson, Steven Eckholdt, and Robyn Lively all play their parts in helping young Zack save Christmas for children everywhere. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

After a brief stint in 1992, this series returns to CBS oozing with 21st century irony and youthful neuroses. The series focuses on busybody Susan (Kristy Swanson), who frets that she doesn't have a boyfriend and obsesses over her friends. She also regularly turns to the camera when asking for advice. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, an argument leads Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) to put their relationship on temporary hold. Elsewhere, Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) fall for Chloe the Xerox Girl (Angela Featherstone), who wants both of them -- but at the same time? And love hits a language barrier when Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) dates a foreign diplomat. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Disgruntled Ross (David Schwimmer) thinks that Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) new co-worker Mark (Steven Eckholdt) is a bit too friendly, while Rachel's former boss Gunther (James Michael Tyler) gets all moony-eyed. Monica (Courteney Cox) dates a poetic and somewhat xenophobic busboy named Julio (Carlos Gomez). And Joey (Matt LeBlanc), anxious to land a job in a Broadway musical, claims on his resumé that he is an expert dancer -- with disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second of two CBS TV movies based on the novels of Lavyrle Spencer, Family Blessings begins as young police officer Greg Reston (Darren Lucas) dies in an auto accident. Having already lost a husband, Greg's mother Lee (Lynda Carter) is all but consumed by grief. In his efforts to comfort, Lee, Greg's fellow officer Chris Lallek (Steven Eckholdt) falls in love with her, despite the 15-year difference in their ages. The question now is whether or not Lee will reciprocate Chris' love, a task complicated by the disapproval of her friends and family members--especially her daughter Janice (Ari Meyers), who once carried a torch for Chris herself. Codirected by actresses Deborah Raffin and Nina Foch (who also plays Lee's mother Peg), Lavyrle Spencer's Family Blessings originally aired September 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Another of several made-for-TV movies based on the best-selling novels of Danielle Steel, this one stars Jenny Robertson as Paxton Andrews, a sheltered Southern belle who falls for law student Peter Wilson (Steven Eckholdt) on the campus of Berkeley in the late '60s. After Peter is drafted and dies in Vietnam, the grief-stricken Paxton becomes the Saigon-based correspondent for a San Francisco newspaper, determined to use her column "Message from 'Nam" to bring comfort and solace to others whose loved ones are mired in the Southeast Asian quagmire. Before the inevitable slam-bang climax during the fall of Saigon, Paxton has not only grown emotionally and spiritually, but she has also enjoyed tender romantic interludes with a hard-bitten Army captain (Nick Mancuso) and a likeable sergeant (Ted Marcoux). Also featuring such formidable personalities as Rue McClanahan, Billy Dee Williams, and Esther Rolle, Danielle Steel's 'Message From Nam' originally aired October 17, 1993, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A brilliant black UCLA student who has managed to rise above his street-gang origins is murdered in a drive-by shooting--not in his old 'hood, but in fashionable Westwood. At first, it appears that the killing was gang-related, perhaps an act of vengeance. But as Hunter (Fred Dryer) delves into the case, he uncovers a sinister investment scheme involving the dead student's white roommate. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Young, ambitious high school students Darcy Elliot (Molly Ringwald) and Stan Bobrucz (Randal Batinkoff) have a hitch thrown into their plans to attend college and pursue professional careers when they discover that Darcy is pregnant. Deciding against abortion or adoption, the couple decides to carry the child to term and to try to raise it themselves; however they are unprepared for the myriad of decisions and responsibilities that they are forced to deal with. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi