Henry Simmons

The lives of four random strangers converge on the streets of a sprawling Los Angeles thoroughfare in a tale of interconnecting lives starring Kip Pardue, Gina Torres, and Henry Simmons. In Los Angeles, Pico Boulevard is the dividing line that separates the rich from the poor. Upon witnessing a tragic and devastating accident, four ordinary people with little in common find their lives permanently changed when they are forced to contend with a situation that will leave them each forever changed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Actor and playwright Tyler Perry returns as Madea, a brash but loving African-American grandmother with her own way of doing things in this screen adaptation of his popular stage comedy drama. Madea has her work cut out for her when she finds herself dealing with a handful of family crises the same weekend that she's planned a massive family reunion. Her niece Lisa (Rochelle Aytes) is engaged to marry a handsome and successful man (Blair Underwood), but the good news is blunted when she reveals to her friends that he beats her. Another niece, Vanessa (Lisa Anderson), has been having romantic problems of her own, and isn't sure she should take another chance on love with a humble but good-hearted bus driver (Boris Kodjoe). Madea's older sister dies, with the funeral landing the same weekend as Lisa's wedding. And on top of all this, a court order forces Madea to look after Nikki (Keke Palmer), a troubled and angry teenager from a broken home. Madea's Family Reunion also stars Lynn Whitfield, Jennifer Lewis, Cicely Tyson, and Maya Angelou. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben Junior's parents were from Lackawanna, a city in Upstate New York, and were living in a rooming house run by Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson), whose place was a hub for the local African-American community. When Ruben Junior's parents split up, he and his mother return to Lackawanna and Nanny's rooming house; with mother overworked physically and in sad shape emotionally, Nanny takes Ruben Junior under her wing, and offers him the sort of nurturing she gives all her boarders. Nanny's house is full of people struggling for a fresh start in life, ranging from former convicts to recovering drug addicts, and she opens both her doors and her heart to them as they strive to make themselves better people. Ruben Junior finds a loving home amidst the colorful eccentrics in Nanny's circle of friends, but as America changes over the course of the 1950s and '60s, so does the neighborhood where Nanny and her tenants live -- and not for the better. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Lackawanna Blues features a stellar supporting cast, including Delroy Lindo, Louis Gossett Jr., Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, and Ernie Hudson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This television miniseries tells the familiar story of Spartacus, played in this endeavor by ER regular Goran Visnjic. Spartacus, who was enslaved by the Romans after they murdered his father, leads fellow slaves in an attempt to overthrow the repressive Roman Empire. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Jones (Henry Simmons) seriously considers taking the law into his own hands when Valerie (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) is seriously injured by a stalker. The other detectives of the 15th investigate a series of murders in which the victims were all African males. And the parents of Frank Colohon, the no-good brother-in-law of Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross), demand custody of Frank's baby daughter, Michelle, while Connie's significant other, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), continues dragging his heels on the subject of matrimony. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Little Theo Sipowicz (Austin Majors) accidentally sees Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) without a stitch on. Back at the 15th, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is saddled with his least-favorite "snitch," Pisano (Lenny Venito), who has apparently been targeted for death by a tough customer known as "The Dentist" (Raymond O'Connor). A witness to a shooting will hand over the videotape of the crime only on the condition that he retains exclusive exhibition rites. And the tormented father (Joe Spano) of Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) commits a desperate act. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The domestic problems between Andy (Dennis Franz) and Connie (Charlotte Ross), exacerbated by the resentful Theo (Austin Majors) and the colicky baby Michelle, spill over into their work at the 15th. Cases on this week's docket include the beating death of a woman in her own kitchen, and the discovery of a body in an SVU well stocked with picnic supplies. All of this pales into insignificance when Andy's partner, Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), is arrested on a drug charge by the relentless Internal Affairs Bureau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

NYPD Blue returns after a five-week hiatus with Detective Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) under intense scrutiny of both the IAB and the media. It all started during a shoot-out with a suspect, in which an innocent bystander, a 13-year-old teenager, was killed. Jones' future looks bleak until evidence reveals that the "innocent" victim may have been anything but. And in the aftermath of his father's suicide, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is unable to control his grief, which spills over into his relationship with Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors) -- who is having enough trouble investigating an unsavory case of improper police procedure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) goes after the low-life who may be hiding the identity of the stalker who attacked Valerie Haywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon). A murder brings Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) in contact with a lapsed alcoholic and a former loan shark who claims to have mended his ways. And in her efforts to prevent the parents of her scummy brother-in-law, Frank, from gaining custody of baby Michelle, Connie (Charlotte Ross) tracks down Frank's sister, Adrian (Katy Selverstone), who may have been raped by a member of her own degenerate family. Chandra West makes her first appearance as Dr. Jennifer Devlin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arrested on a trumped-up drug charge, John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) turns down the helping hand extended by his detective father (Joe Spano). Meanwhile, John Jr.'s partner, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) puts the screws on Officer Laughlin (Anthony Mangano), whom Andy believes is responsible for the frame-up. Alas, the one clue that could clear John evaporates in the wake of an unexpected -- and tragic -- plot twist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While John (Bill Brochtrup) is in Africa with his new beau, the squad's temporary PAA is part-time screenwriter Dave Moore (Dan Bucatinsky), whose presence arouses the muse deep within Det. Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp). Valerie (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) waits an inordinately long time to inform Baldwin (Henry Simmons) that she has miscarried. After their passionate kiss, Andy (Dennis Franz) goes out of his way to avoid Connie (Charlotte Ross). A drunken Don (Stan Cahill) humiliates his wife, Rita (Jacqueline Obradors), in public. And back on the job, a rookie cop inadvertently tampers with evidence, a perp Andy (Dennis Franz) brought down 20 years earlier seems to be leading an exemplary life, and several skeletons are revealed in the closet of a saintly doctor who has been murdered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide