Shawn Piller Movies

First telecast over cable's ABC Family Channel on July 9, 2007, the weekly comedy-drama Greek starred Jacob Zachar as Rusty Cartwright, a nerdy college freshman. Like every other newcomer on campus, Rusty was "rushed" by all the fraternities, and after much consideration he decided to pledge at Kappa Tau Gamma. This was bad news for Rusty's older sister Casey (Spencer Grammer), who was running for the presidency of the girls' sorority Zeta Beta Zeta and didn't want her geeky kid brother messing up her chances. Scott M. Foster played Casey's ex-boyfriend Cappie, the president of Kappa Tau Gamma; Jake McDorman was Casey's current beau Evan, head of Kappa Tau's arch-rival Omega Chi Delta; Paul James was Rusty's best pal Calvin, whose family ties had forced him to bypass Kappa Tau in favor of Omega Chi, and who was afraid to tell anyone (except Rusty) that he was gay; (Clark Duke) was Rusty's roomie Dale, who unlike our hero was a religiously motivated "abstainer", determined NOT to lose his virginity at the first opportunity; and, respectively assuming the roles of Casey's best pal and staunchest rival Ashleigh and Rebecca, were Amber Stevens and Dilshad Vadsaria. Stereotypical to a fault, but a lot of fun all the same, Greek graduated to over-the-air TV when it was picked up by Family Channel's sister network ABC on July 13, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As a condition of her parole from juvenile hall, embittered teenager Kris Furillo goes to work at Raintree Horse Farm, located in Fremont, CA, as the ABC Family Channel series Wildfire inaugurates its first season. Upon her arrival, Kris saves the life of Wildfire, an unbroken horse who'd been slated to be destroyed because it was deemed "useless" and "un-trainable." Having herself been consigned to the ash heap of society as an incorrigible loser, Kris forms a strong bond with Wildfire, who will respond only to her commands. As the friendship between girl and horse intensifies, the owner of Raintree, divorcée Jean Ritter (Nana Visitor), begins to see potential in Wildfire as a racing horse, and before long she is pinning her hopes on the notion that Wildfire -- and by extension, Kris -- will enable Jean to restore her family's fortune. Meanwhile, the Ritter family's traditional rivals, the Davis clan, demonstrate that they are willing to do practically anything to prevent Wildfire from stealing thunder from their own stable of horses. In particular, snooty teenager Danielle Davis (Nicole Tubiola) is determined to force Kris off the Raintree property, if for no other reason than Kris has stolen the heart of Danielle's erstwhile boyfriend, Jean's son Matt Ritter (Micah Alberti). Curiously, Danielle's down-to-Earth brother Junior Davis (Ryan Sypek) ends up as one of Kris' best friends and strongest supporters! During the 12 episodes of season one, Kris has a disturbing run-in with her mother Barb (Stacy Haiduk), who is accused of stealing valuables from the Ritter home; Matt develops a gambling problem which siphons much-needed money from his mom's bank account (already depleted by the exigencies of feed bills, IRS payments, and the like); Jean Ritter's troublesome ex-husband Pete (Joe Lando) pops up at the least opportune moment; Kris risks being returned to "juvie" when she starts taking prescription painkillers; and there is intrigue aplenty involving a famous female jockey named Tina Sharp (Amy Jo Johnson). As the season ends, we see a more vulnerable side of the unlovable Danielle Davis as she desperately seeks out the mother who had deserted her many years before. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second season of the Stephen King-inspired TV series The Dead Zone begins with the conclusion of the cliffhanger introduced at the end of season one, as schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), who ever since awakening from a six-year coma has had the ability to predict people's futures and read their thoughts simply by touching their hands, begins his mission to destroy political candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), whom Johnny knows will destroy the world if he ever becomes president. His crusade against Stillson encounters innumerable unexpected twists and turns throughout the season, notably in an episode wherein Johnny throws his support behind Stillson's political opponent, Harrison Fisher (Gerald McRaney), only to discover that Fisher may prove even more dangerous in the long run. Meanwhile, Johnny's gifts allow him to arrive at the sobering conclusion that his former fiancée, Sarah (Nicole de Boer), would have married Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno) even if Johnny hadn't been rendered comatose by his car accident -- but would Sarah have borne Johnny's son J.J., who now has no idea of his true parentage? Also, more questions arise as to the extent of televangelist Gene Purdy's (David Ogden Stiers) involvement in the death of Johnny's millionaire mother. Season two was to have ended with the episode "Playing God," but the USA network decided to extend the season by several weeks. As a result, audiences were treated to such choice episodes as "Zion," in which Johnny's therapist and best friend, Bruce (John L. Adams), experiences paranormal visions of his own; "The Storm," the series' first episode filmed in the letterboxed format; and "The Hunt," which was titled "The Hunt for Osama" until late-breaking events in the Middle East dictated a name change. The season finale provides a payoff to a recurring plot strand, in which Johnny is stalked by a mysterious man in black (Frank Whaley) -- who turns out to be a visitor from the future that Johnny has so often peered into, and who has a vital message that may or may not save the world from annihilation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Schoolteacher Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall) awakens from a six-year coma to discover himself a stranger in his own land as the TV-series version of The Dead Zone launches its first season. Johnny's wealthy mother has died under mysterious circumstances, and a flamboyant televangelist named Gene Purdy (David Ogden Stiers) is in control of the Smith millions. Worse still, Johnny's fiancée, Sarah Bracknell (Nicole de Boer), is married to Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Chris Bruno), and has a young son named J.J. -- who, unbeknownst to himself and Walt, is Johnny's biological son. Of utmost significance is the fact that Johnny, who harbored minor ESP powers before the car accident that had plunged him into a coma, is now a full-blown psychic, endowed with the ability to predict the future and read people's thoughts by touching their hands. As the season progresses, Johnny dedicates himself to using his mental gifts to help people and to prevent impending disasters -- all the while holding down his old teaching job. Johnny's friend and therapist, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), and our hero's reporter girlfriend, Dana Bright (Kristen Dalton), both suspect there is more to Johnny's uncanny ability to prognosticate than meets the eye, but in general he keeps his awesome powers to himself. Season-one highlights include Johnny's brief cosmic romance with a woman who may have died 60 years before, his psychic link with a century-old Native American shaman, his disturbing visions while serving on a jury, and his growing suspicion that Rev. Purdy murdered Johnny's mother for her money. In one episode, "Netherworld," Johnny awakens in what seems to be a parallel world in which his accident never occurred and he is happily married to Sarah...but appearances, here as elsewhere, are most deceiving. The season ends with "Destiny," the first episode of a two-part cliffhanger loosely derived from the 1983 film version of The Dead Zone, in which Johnny receives truly negative "vibes" when he touches the hand of ruthlessly ambitious congressional candidate Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Take a terrifying trip back to the beginning of one man's waking nightmare as Stephen King's best-selling book comes to life in this made-for-television feature starring Anthony Michael Hall. Following a near-fatal car accident, Johnny Smith (Hall) lies motionless in a deep coma for six years. When he awakens from his deep sleep, Johnny is haunted by psychic visions that allow him to look into the future of anyone he touches. Realizing that he can use his unique powers for the good of humankind, Johnny sets out on an tireless quest for justice that's plagued by danger at every turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) finds herself facing both the issues and the images of the pre-abolition American South in this episode of the popular sci-fi television series Star Trek: Voyager. As a series of supernovas rock the galaxy, Janeway is visited by an alien named Q (John de Lancie) who has a most unusual request to make of the captain -- he'd like her to be the mother of his child. Janeway is not interested, but wants to know what has prompted this offer. Q and Janeway travel to the Q Continuum, where she discovers the dress and behavior are quite similar to that of the South during the Civil War. The Q are also divided against one another over individual rights, and Q is convinced the only answer is to combine the compassion of humans with the gifts of the Q. However, Janeway's support of Q and his followers has dangerous consequences for the captain and her crew. Star Trek: Voyager 53: The Q and the Grey was first aired on November 27, 1996. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi