Ramona Milano Movies

The fourth and final season of the lighthearted cop show Due South finds the naïve but sharp-witted RCMP Constable Benton Fraser (Paul Gross) still attached to the Canadian consulate in Chicago, enabling him to assist his friend, Chicago police detective Stanley Kowalski (Callum Keith Rennie), in various investigations on an unofficial basis. It should be noted, however, that to the world at large, Kowalski is known as Det. Ray Vecchio, the name of Fraser's former partner, who has gone undercover as a mob "mole" named Armando Logustini. Ray's sister Francesca (Ramona Milano), who has always had a thing for Benton, is now working with the 27th Precinct as a civilian aide, answerable to Kowalski's superior Lt. Welsh (Beau Starr). In the series' final two episodes, the real Ray Vecchio (David Marciano) makes a return appearance, just in time to nab the illegal arms dealer who, years before, had murdered Benton Fraser's mother (Ray and Benton received outside help in this matter from the ubiquitous ghost of Fraser's father). An epilogue then fills in the viewer as to what happened to all the main characters once the series was over. Without giving too much away, it should be no surprise to reveal that Benton's longtime rival detectives, Huey (Tony Craig) and Dewey (Tom Melissis), eventually quit the force to become a comedy team -- "The Duck Boys." The 13 episodes of Due South's fourth season were filmed at the same time as the 13 installments of the series' third season. Though telecast over a two-year period in Canada, these two seasons were combined into one for American syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the tongue-in-cheek cop show Due South was canceled by CBS at the end of its second season, the series remained a fixture of Canada's CTV network for two additional years. It was also kept alive in certain American markets through the magic of off-network syndication. As season three begins, Canadian mountie Benton Fraser (Paul Gross) returns from an above-the-border vacation to his new stamping grounds in Chicago, only to discover that his apartment has been torched and his best friend (and sometimes) partner, Chicago police detective Ray Vecchio, has disappeared (series co-star David Marciano had left the show to bargain for a starring series of his own). It soon develops that he has gone deep undercover on behalf of the A.T.F., posing as mob functionary Armando Logustini. To cover up Ray's absence, Detective Stanley Kowlaski (Callum Keith Rennie) has been assigned to impersonate Vecchio and to work as Benton's new partner whenever the mountie is inclined to assist in a local investigation. And just like his predecessor, whose life was occasionally complicated by an ex-wife, Stanley Kowalski is saddled with a former spouse of his own, an assistant states attorney named -- you guessed it -- Stella Kowalksi (played by Melissa DeMarco). As for Ray's loudmouthed sister Francesca (Ramona Milano), she has chosen to remain close to her "beloved" Benton Fraser by hiring on as the 27th precinct's new civilian aide, replacing Elaine Besbriss (Catherine Bruhier), who has joined the police force as a full-fledged officer (but not for long: having opted to move from Toronto to L.A., actress Bruhlier would leave the series three episodes into its third season).
Back on the job are Benton's two superiors, Chicago police lieutenant Welsh (Beau Starr) (newly promoted from Captain), and Inspector Margaret Thatcher (Camilla Scott), the constable's boss at the Canadian Consulate. As for Frasier's rival detective Jack Huey (Tony Craig), who in partnership with Det. Louie Gardino had been known as one of the "Duck Boys," he has now latched onto a new partner, Det. Thomas Dewey (Tom Melissis), keeping his Disneyesque nickname intact. (In case you haven't caught on, Huey has gone from Louie to Dewey!) Also added to the cast this season is the 27th precinct's new medical examiner and resident opera buff, (Mort Gustafson). The 13 episodes of Due South's third season were filmed at the same time as the 13 installments of the series' fourth season. Though telecast over a two-year period in Canada, these two seasons were combined into one for American syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite Ray's best efforts, killer Charles Carver (Colm Feore) is paroled for good behavior. Although the authorities believe that the soft-spoken, intellectual Carver has mended his ways, Ray (David Marciano) is convinced that the parolee intends to knock off everyone responsible for his arrest--and Carver confirms this by tauntingly leaving clues for Ray to uncover. As if this wasn't bad enough, Carver manages to persuade the public that he was wrongly imprisoned in the first place--and that Ray had framed him on a phony charge. Originally broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on May 3, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a computer glitch declares that Ray (David Marciano) is dead, he and Fraser (Paul Gross) head to their bank to correct the error and free up Ray's money. Once at the bank, the two lawmen recognize one of the cleaning crew as a crook of their acquaintance--and before long, our heroes are in the middle of a bank robbery. Locking themselves in the vault, Ray and Fraser set off the bank's sprinkler system in hopes of foiling the thieves, only to nearly drown themselves in the process. And as if this isn't bad enough, Ray's sister Francesca (Ramona Milano) manages to get herself snatched as a hostage. Camilla Scott makes her first series appearance as Constable Margaret Thatcher, Fraser's beautiful but contentious new boss. Originally broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on December 8, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, Fraser (Paul Gross) is unexpectedly reunited with Victoria Metcalf (Melina Kanakaredes), the only woman he has ever truly loved--even though he'd been forced to arrest her the last time they met. Now, Victoria claims that she is being pursued by her former partner in crime Jolly (Denis Forrest), who thinks that the woman has absconded with $500,000 from a recent bank robbery. Protesting her innocence, Victoria turns to Fraser for protection--but could she have another, more sinister agenda in mind? First broadcast on Canadian television, this episode made its US debut on June 2, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shoemaker Joey Paducci (Rod Wilson) is arrested for stealing from a church collection box. It turns out that Paducci has been reduced to poverty by a gang of extortionists, headed by Frank Zuko (Jim Bracchita), childhood classmate and schoolyard tormentor of Detective Raymond Vecchio (David Marciano). In order to free Paducci and others from Zuko's iron grip, Ray must personally stand up to the bullying gang boss. Meanwhile, Fraser (Paul Gross) has quite a time avoided the amorous advance of Ray's sister Francesca (Ramona Milano). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Juvenile-hall parolee Lenny (Fab Filippo) lands a job as a pizza delivery man--only to have his car stolen right in front of Benton Fraser's building. With Diefenbaker the wolf leading the way, Fraser (Paul Gross) and Ray (David Marciano) trace the stolen vehicle to a disreputable used-car dealership. Ultimately, Ray ends up trapped in the hood of a car bound for the bottom of Lake Michigan--while robbery victim Lenny, acting on his own, makes the situation worse (if such a thing is possible). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Accompanied by his trusty pet wolf Diefenbaker, RCMP constable Benton Fraser doggedly pursues the murderer of his Mountie father (whose death has been officially deemed an "accident") from the snowy environs of the Yukon to the urban sprawl of Chicago. Once in the Windy City, Fraser meets wisecracking local police detective Ray Vecchio, whose career has likewise been motivated by the death of his father. Forming a tentative friendship, Fraser and Ray become an unofficial team, determined to track down miscreants by combining their separate but equally effective police methods. Along the way, our heroes discover that Fraser's father was killed while investigating a large-scale coverup involving a hydroelectric dam project. This two-hour pilot episode of the weekly seriocomic cop series Due South has since been divided into two hour-long episodes for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide