Christian Taylor Movies

Originally slated to make its Fox network bow on September 25, 2007, but held up due to production problems, New Amsterdam was rushed onto the network's schedule during the 2008 Hollywood writers' strike, with only eight of the propose thirteen episodes in the manifest. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau starred as John Amsterdam, an NYPD homicide detective who somehow always found himself assigned to cases involving supernatural or paranormal activity. Though most of his colleagues didn't know it, John came by his sensitivity for other-worldly manifestations honestly: He himself was an "immortal", and had been since 1642. At that time, John was a Dutch soldier serving in the colony of New Amsterdam; in the line of duty, he sacrificed his life to save a Native American girl whose tribe was being massacred. The grateful girl cast an ancient spell on John, allowing him to live forever; the spell could only be broken if John, in true "Flying Dutchman" fashion, were to find his One True Love. While this backstory explained the tinge of sadness in the modern-day John Amsterdam's eyes--after all, over the past 367 years he had outlived everyone whom he ever cared about--it did not quite explain how he'd been able to keep his immortality a secret for so long. At any rate, at the time of the series' premiere John had just experienced an epiphany, indicating that the end of his life was near and that he would soon find both closure and that elusive True Love--but not before a lot of traditional cop-show violence and Highlander-style special effects. Others in the cast included Stephen McKinley Henderson as all-wise jazz club owner Omar, the only person who knew the truth about John; Zuleikha Robinson as John's feisty NYPD partner Eva Marquez; and Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Dillane, who spent much of her time trying to figure out why John had recovered so miraculously after she'd declared him dead of heart failure. Swedish film director Lasse Hallstrom, whose previous credits included What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, served as New Amsterdam's co-executive producer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Debuting January 27, 2003, the weekly, hourlong supernatural-drama series Miracles starred Skeet Ulrich as Paul Callan, a sincere, self-effacing young seminarian whose job it was to investigate "miraculous phenomena" on behalf of the Catholic church. At first, Paul adhered to the party line, declaring that most miracles could be logically explained. All this changed when, after a near-fatal accident, Paul was brought back to life by the mysterious healing powers of a boy named Tommy -- who paid for his act of grace with his life. Just before his recovery, Paul had seen the words "God Is Now Here," scrawled in his own blood. Galvanized by this sign from above, Paul quit his job and became a freelance investigator of miracles, hoping not only to prove beyond doubt the authenticity -- or lack of authenticity -- of those miracles, but also to ascertain the reason that his life was spared and Tommy's was not. Paul was joined on this mission by ex-Harvard professor Father Alva Keel (Angus MacFadyen), an expert in the paranormal -- and like Paul, the sort of true believer who demanded complete verification of his beliefs. Alva also headed a strange Boston-based organization called "Sodalitas Quaerito" ("Brotherhood in Search of Truth"), whose acolytes seemed to be preparing for an as-yet-undetermined "large event" that might well have culminated with the end of the world. The two investigators were occasionally assisted by a sympathetic former policewoman, Evelyn Santos (Marisa Ramirez), likewise a member of Sodalitas Quaerito. A presentation of the ABC network, Miracles might have lasted longer than its six episodes had the series not been constantly pre-empted by news coverage of the unrest in the Middle East. The show was canceled on March 27, 2003, but not before it had attracted a sizeable cult following. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A long-lost relative and a bottle of vodka disrupt the Fisher routine in this episode of HBO's Six Feet Under. Ruth (Frances Conroy), still obsessed with The Plan (see "The Plan"), has decided to mend fences with her jet-setting, artsy sister Sarah (Patricia Clarkson). The Fisher matriarch's typically tight-lipped countenance, however, signals that all is not forgiven -- especially the incident years earlier when an adolescent Nate (Peter Krause) lost his virginity to a much older woman at Sarah's house. Nevertheless, Claire (Lauren Ambrose) is enchanted by her aunt's glamour and artistic encouragement. Meanwhile, Kroehner exec Mitzi Huntley (Julie White) whisks Nate and David (Michael C. Hall) off to a corporate party in an attempt to woo them to sell the business. David wavers, but Nate remains resolute. He's just as firm with Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) about sharing the news of their engagement with his family. But with Ruth tense about her sister's visit and everyone drunk on Nikolai's vodka, the engagement dinner is anything but celebratory. David's new romance with the clingy Ben Cooper (Adam Scott) doesn't turn out any better. When Ben professes his love, David admits that he's still hopelessly hung up on Keith (Mathew St. Patrick). "In Place of Anger" marked season two, episode six of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) attempts to improve Nate's (Peter Krause) skills as a salesman by suggesting they pose as a grieving couple at several area funeral homes, while David (Michael C. Hall) improves his cruising skills when he and his new boyfriend Kurt decide to sample the disco scene. Claire's (Lauren Ambrose) life takes an unexpected turn when a tragedy brings her together with Gabe, the toe-sucking fetishist who humiliated her at school, and Ruth (Frances Conroy) has some unexpected experiences during a camping trip with Hiram. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi