Susanna Thompson Movies

In this drama, a king and his family navigate the challenges of a modern-day monarchy fraught with power struggles and conflict, while a young soldier rises quickly through the ranks and becomes entrenched in a new and strange world. ~ Brie Hearn, Rovi

The most controversial -- and one of the shortest-lived -- series of the 2005-2006 network season, The Book of Daniel concerned the troubled family of an Episcopalian priest. Aidan Quinn starred as Reverend Daniel Webster, who dealt with most crises by popping prescription pills and brooding over his inability to "reach" his parishioners. Daniel's wife, Judith (Susanna Thompson), spent much of her time drinking martinis and complaining about lost opportunities; his 23-year-old son, Peter (Christian Campbell), was a neurotic homosexual, still plagued by guilt over the death of his twin brother; 16-year-old daughter Grace (Alison Pill) was a would-be manga artist who sold marijuana on the side; and the Websters' adopted Chinese son, Adam (Ivan Shaw), was more concerned about scoring with chicks than anything else. Adding to Rev. Webster's burden was the remonstrative input of no-nonsense Bishop Beatrice Congreve (Ellen Burstyn) and rule-bound senior parish warden Roger Paxton (Dylan Baker). Whenever things became too much to bear for Rev. Webster, he would solicit the advice of his "best friend," Jesus Christ (Garret Dillahunt) -- yes, that Jesus Christ, beard, white robes, and all. It was the calculatedly irreverent portrayal of the Son of God (who trafficked in wisecracks rather than parables) that stirred up the bulk of the controversy surrounding the series. While many big-city critics liked the show, general audiences could not warm up to it at all. Debuting January 6, 2006, on NBC, The Book of Daniel had been slated for a six-week trial run before going to full series; slaughtered in the ratings and roundly condemned by conservative media commentators, it lasted only four episodes before cancellation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young woman kept at arm's length from the world finds it suddenly appearing on her doorstep in this drama. In the 1960s, Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) was a political radical and environmental activist who organized a self-sustaining commune on a small island off the East Coast as an alternative to what he saw as an ugly and destructive way of life. In 1986, the commune is down to two members -- Jack and Rose (Camilla Belle), his 16-year-old daughter from a marriage that ended with his wife's death. Educated by her father and isolated from "corrupting" outside influences, Rose is very close to her father, and keeps a close eye on his emotional needs as well as his health, which has been compromised by heart disease. Jack has an on-and-off relationship with Kathleen (Catherine Keener), a divorced mother of two teenage boys who lives on the mainland, and one day to Rose's great surprise, Jack announces that Kathleen and her boys will be moving in with them. Startled and betrayed by Kathleen's arrival, Rose is also disoriented by the sudden presence of outside influences and a sudden rush of adolescent lust. Rose first attempts to seduce sweet but stocky Rodney (Ryan McDonald), who opts instead to cut her long hair; she then takes up with moody Thaddius (Paul Dano), who takes her virginity. Before long, emotional war breaks out in the household with Rose battling Jack on all fronts; Jack, meanwhile, is taking a more direct tack on dealing with a developer (Beau Bridges) putting up buildings on nearby wetlands, attempting to chase him off with a shotgun. The Ballad of Jack & Rose was written and directed by Rebecca Miller, whose husband is leading man Daniel Day-Lewis and whose father was playwright Arthur Miller. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Despite having been burned by unhappy previous marriages, architect Rick Sammler (Billy Campbell) and online company worker Lily Manning (Sela Ward) have tied the matrimonial knot and are reasonably happy as husband and wife as the third and final season of Once and Again gets under way. Unfortunately, the pressures of living under the same roof are causing friction between Rick's son, Eli (Shane West), and daughter, Jessie (Evan Rachel Wood), and Lily's daughters, Grace (Julia Whalen) and Zoe (Meredith Deane). Also working against the newlyweds' peace of mind are the woes brought about by Lily's mom's losing her battle with Alzheimer's, and the ongoing challenges posed by Lily's mentally challenged brother, Aaron (Patrick Dempsey). Things aren't much rosier for Rick's ex-wife, Karen (Susanna Thompson), who is seriously injured in a traffic accident. On the plus side, Lily finds a measure of personal success as host of a radio talk show; Lily's sister, Judy (Marin Hinkle), has a new boyfriend named Samuel Blue (Steven Weber), who happens to be Rick's co-worker; Lily's ex-husband, Jake, becomes a father again, thanks to girlfriend Tiffany (Ever Carradine), and by season's end has married Tiffany; Rick's daughter, Jessie, has formed a strong and supportive bond with new friend Katie Singer (Mischa Barton); and Karen meets the love of her life in the form of Henry (DB Woodside), the physical therapist who has helped her recover from her injuries. More good news comes Lily's way when her radio program is picked up for national syndication, and she discovers that she's pregnant. But dark clouds begin a-forming when Rick opts to accept a lucrative architectural assignment in Australia -- without making provisions to take Lily along with him. Through the series' three-year run, the characters have occasionally paused, stared straight at the camera, and delivered pithy "confessionals," expressing their innermost hopes and fears. The final episode of Once and Again takes this "nouvelle vague" cinematic technique one step further by having the actors drop character and express their real feelings about what has occurred during the past three seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season seven of Star Trek: Voyager commenced with the conclusion of the previous season's cliffhanger finale, "Unimatrix Zero." The titular world is a place where all Borg Drones briefly become individuals during the Borg Collective's compulsory regeneration process. Determined to destroy Unimatrix Zero, the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) faces formidable resistance in the form of a rebellion, sparked by Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But the uprising threatens to end in disastrous defeat as Seven of Nine's loyalties begin to waver between the Collective and the Federation. "Unimatrix Zero, Part II" first aired on October 4, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

At last divested of her insensitive husband, Jake (Jeffrey Nordling), Lily Manning (Sela Ward) is certain that she can devote her full time to her budding romance with divorced architect Rick Sammler (Billy Campbell) as Once and Again enters its second season. Alas, Rick is suddenly socked with a major crisis of his own: his work on the lucrative Atlantor architectural project comes to a screeching halt thanks to the legal duplicity of developer Miles Drentell -- a scabrous character introduced on Once and Again creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick's previous series thirtysomething, with David Clennon repeating his role herein. When it turns out that the only way Rick can extricate himself from this dilemma -- and a possible prison term -- is to rely upon the largesse of his spiteful ex-wife, Karen (Susanna Thompson), Lily despairs, reasoning that she has now struck out twice in the love department. Happily, however, things manage to smooth out sufficiently for Lily and Rick to finally march down the aisle near the end of season two -- and the couple's respective children, so resistant to their union in season one, have (temporary) smiles on their faces during the ceremony. Even so, the smile comes a bit hard for Rick's son, Eli (Shane West), whose best friend Carla (Audrey Anderson), a heap of neuroses throughout the season, is compelled to leave town. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two people who've known the pain of loss and the sting of betrayal are brought together under trying circumstances in this romantic drama. Dutch van den Broeck (Harrison Ford) is a police detective based in Washington D.C. whose wife works for an upscale department store; flying to Miami on business, she dies shortly after takeoff in one of the worst aviation disasters in the city's history. However, Dutch finds out that his wife wasn't actually traveling on business: Kay Chandler (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a prominent political figure whose husband was also killed in the crash, and Dutch and Kay discover that their spouses were on the plane together because they were having an affair. Random Hearts was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also worked with Harrison Ford on his previous film, Sabrina. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When their boat sinks during a storm in the Caribbean, the Everman family of New York City ends up washed ashore on an uncharted island -- well, not exactly "washed ashore," inasmuch as they were guided to their new home by a pack of highly intelligent dolphins. It soon develops that the Evermans have passed into the 27th dimension, where they are marooned with dozens of other people who've dropped in from a variety of different lands and eras. The problem: young Sam Everman (David Gallagher) is a diabetic, who must receive an insulin injection within the next five days -- and insulin is a nonexistent commodity in this strange new world. Made for television, Bermuda Triangle originally aired April 4, 1996, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The precinct investigates the killing of a bookie. Donna (Gail O'Grady) returns to work, and her temporary replacement John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) moves upstairs to the anti-crime unit. Simone (Jimmy Smits) has no further use for unreliable murder witness Joyce (Susanna Thompson), but she continues to obsess over him. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) suspects that undercover cop Russell (Kim Delaney) is a drinker. And Sipowicz and Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) have a soul-baring session with her priest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once again, one of Jazdia Dax's previous hosts causes trouble for her present incarnation. This time, she comes face to face with Lenara (Susanna Thompson), the wife of Dax's former male host Torias. Despite the rigid taboos of the Trill society (to say nothing of the discomfort of the DS9 crew), Dax and Lenara find themselves on the verge of renewing their romantic relationship. First telecast October 30, 1995, "Rejoined" was written by Ronald D. Moore and Rene Echevarria, and directed by Avery Brooks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A dramatic treatment of a family torn apart by alcoholism and recovering from it, this was a star vehicle for popular actress Meg Ryan, who plays Alice Green, a school counselor who has a serious drinking problem. Her husband is Michael (Andy Garcia), an airline pilot. Though she's lighthearted and loving, Alice is often reckless and, when drunk, even neglects her children, nine-year-old daughter Jess (Tina Majorino) from a previous marriage, and four-year-old daughter Casey (Mae Whitman), whose father is Michael. After an accident, Alice realizes that she has "hit bottom" and goes into a clinic for rehab. When she returns home, she has kicked her addiction and has become independent and strong, and her perfectionist, controlling husband has trouble adjusting. Michael is used to his wife being weak and helpless, and they end up seeing a marriage counselor to recover from Michael's "co-dependency" on Alice's role as an alcoholic. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

This made-for-television drama first aired on NBC and was made shortly after the tragic stand-off in Waco, Texas when a conflict between the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and a group of cultist led by charismatic leader and self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh turned into a bloody battle that left the believers' compound burned and many dead. Soon after the dust settled, investigations revealed that the bloodshed may have been unnecessary. Filmed on location, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, the film recounts events before, during and after the catastrophe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi