Steven Culp Movies

Another of the many serialized adventure shows created in the wake of such similar efforts as 24 and Lost, ABC's Traveler starred Matthew Bomerand and Logan Marshall-Green as Jay Burchell and Tyler Fog, a freewheeling pair of graduate students who have fallen under the spell of an inveterate--and highly secretive--prankster calling himself Will Traveler (Aaron Stanford). For two years, Traveler had been goading Jay and Tyler into performing a variety of prankish stunts, climaxed by a roller-blading excursion in the vicinity of a famous museum. Almost on cue, the museum is blown up, and the boys were suspected of being terrorists. Seeking out Will Traveler to provide them an alibi, the unlucky duo not only found out he had completely disappeared, but also that there was no evidence that he ever existed! Hotly pursued by FBI agents Naj Marlow (Viola Davis) and Fred Chambers (Steven Culp), Jay and Tyler embarked upon a country-wide odyssey, hoping to track down the elusive Traveler and clear their names. As was often the case in such series, there was a vast and sinister conspiracy pulling the plot strings, and also a few "rotten apples" amongst the federal authorities. Traveler was introduced with a limited eight-episode run beginning May 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Screenwriter Richard Alfieri and director Arthur Allan Siedelman adapt Anton Chekhov's classic stage play The Three Sisters to the screen in this film starring Mary Stuart Masterson, Maria Bello, and Erika Christensen as the titular siblings. Upon departing from Charleston, SC, to further their education at a prestigious Manhattan college, sisters Marcia (Bello), Olga (Masterson), and Irene (Christensen) soon become lost in fantasies of what their lives may have been to the point where they are unable to affect change in their real lives. As the three sisters gradually open up to each other and their brother, Andrew (Alessandro Nivola), the specter of their deceased father soon lifts, leaving the nostalgic siblings to realize that the only way to confront the brutal realities of life is through honesty and understanding. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An awful lot of awful things happen in the outwardly respectable neighborhood surrounding Wisteria Lane during the first season of Desperate Housewives, beginning with the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) -- who still manages to stick around in spectral form to serve as the series' narrator. Why did she do it -- and what exactly is her husband, Paul (Mark Moses), trying to cover up by throwing that old box he'd dug up from the backyard swimming pool into the river? Then there are Mary Alice's housewife friends Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria). Divorcée Susan starts dating handsome plumber Mike (James Denton), only to be undercut by the neighborhood's resident vamp, the much-married Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan). Lynette has given up a high-paying business career to take care of her family, only to be rewarded with the cutthroat competitiveness of husband Tom (Doug Savant), the miserable behavior of her children, and the open scorn of such obnoxious neighbors as Maisy Gibbons (Sharon Lawrence). Control freak Bree, described by the ABC publicity folks as "Martha Stewart on steroids," finds her life spiralling out of control when her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), divorces her and her sociopathic son, Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom), adopts a "so what" attitude after striking down an old woman with his car. And sexy ex-model Gabrielle is cheating on her moonstruck millionaire husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), with hunky 17-year-old gardener John (Jesse Metcalfe). And that's only a sample of what season one has to offer. Want more? Well, you asked for it! Susan accidentally burns down Edie's house and is blackmailed on that account by a Mrs. Martha Huber (Christine Estabrook) -- who is later killed by Paul Young, but it is Mike who is arrested for her murder. Later still, Susan is descended upon by her ex-husband, Karl (Richard Burgi), and her intrusive mother, Sophie Bremmer (Lesley Ann Warren). As for Lynette, she finds out that her husband's sainted father (Ryan O'Neal) is a serial philanderer. Also, after painfully adjusting to the breakup of her marriage, Bree starts going out with pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart); Paul Young's son, Zach (Cody Kasch), inexplicably drops out of sight; and it is revealed that the oh-so-judgmental Maisy Gibbons has been sleeping with practically every man in the neighborhood -- including Bree's ex Rex! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A dedicated teacher learns some important lessons about himself years after he retired from the classroom in this drama. William Hundert (Kevin Kline) is an instructor at St. Benedict's School for Boys, an exclusive private academy on the East Coast where Hundert drills his charges on the moral lessons to be learned through the study of Greek and Roman philosophers. Hundert is fond of telling his students, "A man's character is his fate," and he strives to impress upon them the importance of the ordered and examined life. In 1976, however, Hundert finds himself with an especially challenging group of students -- party-minded Fred Masoudi (Jesse Eisenberg) , introverted Martin Blythe (Paul Dano), bright but mischievous Deepak Mehta (Rishi Mehta), and most notably, openly rebellious Sedgewick Bell (Emile Hirsch). The son of a powerful politician, Bell pointedly runs against the current of Hundert's example, questioning the importance of the material, flouting the school's rules, talking out of turn in class, and devoting as much time to his interest in girls as in his studies. However, Hundert sees the possibility of great things in Bell, and encourages him to take part in the school's annual academic competition for the title of Mr. Julius Caesar. Hundert even goes so far as to bend the rules in scoring to favor Bell in the early stages of the contest, but his faith is betrayed when Bell is discovered cheating during the contest finals. Years later, Hundert is reunited with his students, where they learn the years have taught them all a great deal about their virtues and weaknesses. The Emperor's Club also features Harris Yulin, Rob Morrow, and Edward Herrmann. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this feature-length follow-up to the long-running TV series Murder, She Wrote, homespun mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) leaves her Cabot Cove residence to attend a big-city writer's conference. As generally happens wherever Jessica shows up, a murder takes place; in this instance, the victim is a former KGB agent (Duncan Regehr) who was about to publish his tell-all memoirs. Teaming up with fellow author Warren Pierce (Richard Crenna), Jessica sets about to solve the murder -- much to the dismay of the local constabulary. Allegedly written as far back as 1998 (by Babylon 5 stalwart J. Michael Straczynski), Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For finally arrived on the CBS prime-time manifest on May 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally made for cable television, this imaginative biopic chronicles the life of Marilyn Monroe (Mira Sorvino), including the years before she changed her name from Norma Jean Baker (Ashley Judd) and was transformed into the screen persona that made her a legendary sex symbol. The movie employs unconventional, dream-like storytelling techniques in which Marilyn and her former self, Norma Jean, frequently appear in scenes together, with Norma Jean often taunting Marilyn for not living up to her earlier aspirations. Many facets of Monroe's life are examined, including her childhood and adolescence when Norma Jean had to live with foster families because of her mother's psychological problems. In addition to referencing Monroe's work on such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), The Seven Year Itch (1955), and Some Like It Hot (1959), the movie explores her marriages to baseball great Joe DiMaggio (Peter Dobson) and famous playwright Arthur Miller (David Dukes), and her romances, including her purported relationship with U.S. President John F. Kennedy (Steven Culp). The film also offers a hard-hitting look at Monroe's struggle with drug- and alcohol-dependency. ~ Rovi

In the opening episode of Touched by an Angel's second season, Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey) receives orders from On High to submit to an interview with Callie Martin (Dinah Manoff), who is contemptuously skeptical about angelic encounters. Monica tells Callie about her most recent assignment, wherein embittered heart-transplant surgeon Joe Pachorek (Gerald McRaney) was obliged to operate on Ethan Parker (Douglas Roberts)--the man who had killed Joe's children in a drunken-driving accident. Not only must Pachorek find it within himself to forgive Parker, but Callie must also learn a sobering lesson about making snap judgments. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Chapter nine in the Friday the 13th series finds supernatural psycho Jason Voorhees returning from the dead to possess the body of a medical coroner. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

In this made-for-cable thriller, the idyllic life of an upstanding architect is nearly destroyed when his partner attempts to corrupt a city official. When murder ensues, the architect must evade the prying eye of a sleazeball detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Murphy's tough and relentless interview technique has a somewhat negative effect on a corrupt judge (John Capodice), who drops dead right in mid-telecast. Traumatized by this tragedy, Murphy is terrified to conduct any more interviews, meaning that her usefulness to "FYI" may be at an end. To overcome her fear, she begins attending a group therapy session conducted by Dr. Paula Hayes (Janet MacLachlan)--a tough cookie in her own right. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Originally telecast in two parts on March 27 and 28 of 1988, Lincoln was adapted from the bestselling "factual fiction" by Gore Vidal. Sam Waterston stars as Abraham Lincoln, with Mary Tyler Moore frighteningly convincing as the tragic Mary Todd Lincoln. Predictably, Part One of Lincoln deals with the inauguration, the outbreak of War, and the president's tiltings with his cabinet, while Part Two includes the Emancipation Proclamation, the appointment of General Grant (James Gammon), and the assassination. The throughline of the script is the deteriorating mental condition of Mary Lincoln, not to mention her injurious impulsiveness: at one point, Honest Abe must cover up the fact that Mary has stolen a copy of his inaugural speech and sold it. Evidently, the name of Gore Vidal was not considered enough of a drawing card by the NBC publicists, who insisted upon advertising Lincoln as the second coming of Gone With the Wind, adding the teaser tagline "The Untold Story." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi