Charles Eglee Movies

Based on the series of graphic novels from Robert Kirkman, AMC's horror series The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick, a lawman who wakes up from a coma to discover that a cataclysmic event has transformed much - though not all - of humanity into zombies. He goes searching for his wife and child, using his intelligence and training to stay alive. Eventually he reunites with his loved ones, who have gone on the run with a motley crew of survivors that include Rick's former partner on the force (Jon Bernthal), who has fallen in love with Rick's wife. Written and executive produced by Frank Darabont, the program debuted in October of 2010 and quickly became the biggest ratings hit in AMC history to that point in time. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Aceveda (Benito Martinez) arranges for Monica (Glenn Close) to meet with community leaders to sell her forfeiture program. Antwon (Anthony Anderson) is at the meeting and attacks the program as racist. Julien (Michael Jace), speaking as a former resident of Farmington, defends it, but Aceveda sandbags Monica by coming out against the seizures. Later, Julien begins to have his own doubts about the fairness of the program. Claudette (CCH Pounder) finds out about Dutch's (Jay Karnes) deal with the DA's office, and gets very angry about it, even though the detectives are given a murder case. She attacks Monica because a low-level pot dealer's property was seized. Monica reprimands her, but later complains to ADA Encardi (Anna Maria Horsford) about the way her detectives were used. Lem (Kenny Johnson) wants to come back to The Barn, but Vic (Michael Chiklis) is worried about bringing him back because Lem and Shane (Walton Goggins) are on the outs, and Vic wants to keep Shane close. A drug counselor is murdered by a heroin dealer. Lem brings in Angie (Bree'Anna Banks), a juvenile whose addict mother, Hoda (Fylicia King), had a connection to the victim. This leads to Vic and his people finding a massive cache of heroin and weapons, which, unfortunately for Shane and Army (Michael Pena), turns out to be the property of Antwon. They don't have time to warn Antwon about the bust, and later, he makes his displeasure known. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Although the gritty cop drama The Shield would become the FX's network longest-running dramatic series during its fourth season, a serious drop in ratings at the end of season three could well have precipitated the show's cancellation. Giving the program a major shot in the arm was the addition of two new regulars, Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson. Close is introduced as Monica Rawling, the new captain of the Farmington District Strike Force and the new (nominal) boss of tough, brutal, and borderline-corrupt Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis). Rawlings has been appointed to her post after Mackey's former captain and longtime enemy David Aceveda (Benito Martinez) is elected to the city council. Though certainly not enamored of Vic's strong-arm tactics and questionable ethics, Rawling is willing to give the detective a relatively free hand in dealing with the district's most vicious drug dealers. Even so, both Aceveda and Rawling intend to closely monitor Vic's movements, forcing him to play it "straight" (or as straight as he's capable of being) throughout the season. The promotion of Rawlings has a profound effect not only on Vic but also on his fellow detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), who is bitter over not being promoted to captain herself.

Anthony Anderson is cast as Antwon Mitchell, at once the most formidable and most frustrating adversary that Mackey and his team have ever come up against. Once a powerful drug lord, Mitchell has managed to win release from prison, and is now regarded by many of the power elite as a reformed man, a dedicated community activist. Of course, Vic (and the viewers) known that Mitchell hasn't changed a bit, and in fact is a more dangerous mob leader and drug pusher than he'd been before his arrest thanks to strong ties with the Russian mafia. But to the public at large, Mitchell is virtually a saint, and thus above suspicion when the you-know-what hits the fan. Even when Vic and Rawlings have Mitchell dead to rights, he manages to wriggle out of their clutches, leading Vic to suspect that there's a mole in the ranks of the strike force -- a mole who may or may not be his longtime colleague Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins). Vic's determination to expose Mitchell heats up after several cops are murdered in a well-planned ambush. In giving Vic a tacit carte blanche to blast Mitchell's operation apart, Rawling puts her own job on the line. Ironically, what ultimately seals Rawling's doom is not her war against drugs, but her fierce determination to bring the city's most heinous child abusers to justice. Bringing Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson to the fold turned out be the best thing that had happened to The Shield in years. The series ended its four season posting its best-ever ratings -- indeed, some of the best ratings in the entire realm of cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ronnie (David Rees Snell) discovers that there is 7,000 dollars missing from the "Money Train" stash. He and Lem (Kenny Johnson) suspect Shane (Walton Goggins), but Vic (Michael Chiklis) doesn't believe it. Shane, meanwhile, decides to buy an engagement ring for Mara (Michele Hicks) from Taylor (RonReaco Lee), a fence. Julien (Michael Jace), desperate to have a child with his wife, visits a doctor about his sexual dysfunction. Dutch (Jay Karnes) takes Danny (Catherine Dent) out to look for the "cuddler" rapist, and later learns that an elderly woman was sexually assaulted and murdered just a few blocks away. A minor oversight by Claudette (CCH Pounder) endangers the lives of Trish (Nicki Micheaux) and Waylon (Gareth Williams), who are working undercover to bust a gang-related contract-murder business. Waylon's cover is blown, putting the cops in the precarious position of needing to alert Waylon not to go forward with the sting, without putting Trish in further jeopardy. Tommy (Matt Gerald) returns to the station to beg for his old job back. When neither Julien nor Danny seems enthusiastic about helping him, he takes drastic action. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Matthew (Joel Rosenthal) sets fire to the Mackeys' kitchen, forcing the family to move in with Vic (Michael Chiklis), and making Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) consider the possibility of putting her son in some type of home. Danny (Catherine Dent) and Julien (Michael Jace) turn again to Taylor (RonReaco Lee) for help in tracking down some stolen booze. Tavon (Brian J. White) regains consciousness, and remembers getting into a fight with Shane (Walton Goggins). O'Brien (Jim Budig) disappears after being targeted by the Armenians, as a few more footless bodies turn up. Aceveda (Benito Martinez) learns that a mole within the treasury department has been feeding information to the Armenians, as they next target the Byz Latz, getting that much closer to Vic and his crew. Vic's slip of the tongue arouses Dutch's (Jay Karnes) suspicion that the Strike Team has some nefarious connection to the missing Armenian loot. The AGC surveillance uncovers a connection between a local gang, the Spook Street Souljahs, and the notorious Horde. Claudette (CCH Pounder) joins the Decoy Squad in an undercover operation to bust a kiddie porn purveyor and learn more about the gangs' planned collaboration. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Max (Jessica Alba) is assigned to act as bodyguard for a federal witness in a government corruption trial. The job becomes doubly difficult when Max learns that the man whose life is in her hands is Bruno Anselmo (Douglas O'Keefe) -- the same man who put Logan (Michael Weatherly) in a wheelchair. Complicating matters is the omnipresence of the Red Series, an elite South African group who need Max's technology to make themselves completely and utterly invulnerable. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On Halloween night, the fugitive Manticore mutants are able to move freely through Seattle without attracting attention; after all, who's to know that their grotesqueries aren't merely masks and costumes? In the course of the evening, Max (Jessica Alba) clashes with a recalcitrant Manticore 'nomlie named Sally (Todd Stashwick), whose head and body are separate but equal nemeses. The climax revolves around the impending assassination of a resistance leader -- not to mention Rafer's (Kris Pope) growing awareness that Max is more than she seems to be. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Max (Jessica Alba) attends a conference on genetic engineering at the Steinlitz Hotel, where Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) is working as a translator for geneticist Dr. Yuiko Tanaka (George Kee Cheung). A world-renowned "miracle worker" in his field, Tanaka may be able to help Max with her mixed-up DNA. Unfortunately, the conference is being attended by another figure: Max's arch enemy, Manticore scientist Lydecker (John Savage). When Tanaka's audience is captured and held hostage by an anti-tech terrorist organization led by John Darius (Troy Ruptash), Max and Lydecker are forced to rely upon each other to survive. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kendra (Jennifer Blanc) and Original Cindy (Valarie Rae Miller) unwittingly dispose of Max's supply of Tryptophan, the drug which calms her seizures. In desperation, Max (Jessica Alba) tries to steal more of the drug, landing herself in prison, minus her superpowers and at the mercy of a corrupt warden (Alan C. Peterson). After a failed escape attempt, Max is billeted in the lecherous warden's house -- where her salvation may be in the hands of her tormentor's sexually abused maidservant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

During its first year on the air, the weekly, hour-long ABC series Murder One was unique among legal dramas, in that it dealt with only a single murder case per season. Debuting September 19, 1995, the series spent all of season one focusing on the murder of a young substance-abusing woman, with her lover, obnoxious movie star Neil Avedon (Jason Gedrick), as prime suspect. Handling Avedon's defense were Chris Docknovich (Michael Hayden), Arnold Spivak (J.C. MacKenzie), Justine Appleton (Mary McCormick), and Lisa Gillespie (Grace Phillips), all ambitious young attorneys working for celebrated, controversial, and not entirely ethical criminal lawyer Theodore Hoffman (Daniel Benzali). Appearing for the prosecution were ruthless Assistant DA Miriam Grasso (Barbara Bosson), who worked for the even more ruthless DA Roger Garfield (Gregory Itzin). The Grasso-Garfield team included police detective Arthur Poulson (Dylan Baker) and investigator David Blalock (Kevin Tighe). Among the other first-season regulars were Patricia Clarkson as Theodore Hoffman's long-suffering wife, Ann; John Fleck as Hoffman's office manager, Louis; and Grace Phillips as his receptionist, Lila. While the "one case per year" gimmick attracted a lot of publicity, and -- for a while, anyway -- a lot of viewers, the ratings for Murder One fell precipitously as season one wore on. Thus, when the series returned for its second season, several changes had been imposed, the first being that three cases would be dramatized, rather than merely one. On the docket for season two were a political assassination in which DA Garfield was implicated, an O.J.-like celebrity murder case involving an arrogant basketball star, and a case involving a serial killer who preyed only on professional criminals. Series co-star Daniel Benzali was gone, replaced by younger but no less crafty and cunning defense attorney James "Jimmy" Wyler (Anthony LaPaglia). Also missing was Grace Phillips as Lisa Gillespie, whose replacement, hotheaded junior attorney Aaron Mosely, was played by David Bryan Woodside. Concluding its weekly run on January 23, 1997, Murder One briefly returned five months later in a miniseries format, remaining on the air from May 25 to 29, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Investigating the murder of a chiropractor's wife, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) suspect that the victim's husband is the guilty party. Elsewhere, Simone's friend (Isabel Glasser) finds out that her young son is hiding a gun, and while moonlighting as a security guard, Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) is attracted to the person he is protecting, who lives in mortal fear of her father. This is the legendary NYPD Blue episode in which, while sharing a shower with his lady love Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence), Andy Sipowicz unabashedly displays his bare backside (and viewers couldn't say they weren't warned). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having all but defined the "police precinct" TV-series genre of the 1980s with his Hill Street Blues, Steven Bochco did the same for the 1990s with NYPD Blue, which joined the ABC Tuesday-night lineup on September 21, 1993. The setting was New York's fictional 15th Precinct, originally presided over by Lieutenant (and later Captain) Arthur Fancy (James McDaniel). Most of the stories revolved around the cases handled by a team of veteran cops, with one-half of that team represented by the thuggish, moody, emotionally unstable, but occasionally sensitive and sentimental Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Andy's first partner was Det. John Kelly (David Caruso), who was just as tough as Andy but more compassionate. After all but ruining his career by trying to cover up a murder committed by his lover, mob-connected uniformed officer Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman), Kelly retired from the force. Also exiting the 15th around that same time was Kelly's ex-wife, attorney Laura Michaels (Sherry Stringfield), who'd been an eyewitness to the murder of the mob boss who nearly bumped off Sipowicz in the very first episode. Kelly's replacement was Detective Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits), who devoted himself to his work to overcome the recent death of his wife. Like his predecessor, Bobby was the polar opposite of his partner Sipowicz, but the two managed to become friends. Eventually, Bobby would marry again, taking co-worker Det. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) as his bride, but their happiness was tragically brief; by the end of NYPD Blue's 1997-1998 season, Bobby Simone was dead of heart failure. The grieving Diane found brief consolation in the arms of Simone's replacement, Det. Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder), but eventually transferred out of the 15th. The demise of Bobby was also a crushing blow to Sipowicz, who had already lost his 18-year-old son, Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise) in a shoot-out. Within the next few years, Andy would endure the death of his erstwhile sweetheart, Assistant DA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence), and also the passing of Bobby's replacement, Dan Sorenson, who was killed in a botched undercover operation. On a more upbeat note, Andy doted on Theo (Austin Majors), his son by Sylvia Costas; he enjoyed a December-May romance with Det. Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross); and, surprisingly, in light of Andy's homophobia, he developed a close friendship with openly gay administrative aide John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup). Sipowicz also managed to get along with his new partner John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), even though Andy and John Clark Sr. despised each other.
Among the other prominent NYPD Blue characters over the years were Barrio-born Det. James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro), who had a short but torrid affair with Det. Adriene Lesniak (Justine Miceli) before being promoted to sergeant and transferred to another precinct; Martinez's replacement, Det. Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons), who was romantically involved with new Assistant DA Valerie Heywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon); unhappily married Det. James Medavoy (Gordon Clapp), whose main squeeze was voluptuous administrative assistant Donna Abandando (Gail O'Grady) -- at least until Donna quit police work to sign on with a major computer firm; Lt. Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), who replaced Lt. Fancy as "skipper" of the 15th precinct; and Det. Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors), who transferred to the 15th because her husband wanted to get her out of the vice squad. Beyond the above-catalogued intramural relationships and requisite excessive violence, NYPD Blue is best known for breaking down such network-TV taboos as profanity and nudity, though what seemed to be scandalous when the series originally signed on was virtually kid stuff in the early years of the 21st century. Consummately produced, directed, written, and acted, the series had not only ridden high in the ratings ever since its inception, but as of 2003, the program had garnered 15 Emmy awards. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi