Josh Berman Movies
- 2006
Debuting August 21, 2006, the hour-long Fox network series Vanished was a serialized drama in the tradition of 24 and Prison Break, this time with a bit of the "procedural" genre (à la Without a Trace) thrown in. Things got under way when Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly), the wife of prominent Georgia senator Jeffrey Collins (John Allen Nelson), abruptly disappeared during a fundraising dinner, the apparent victim of a kidnapping. Assigned to locate -- and, possibly rescue -- Mrs. Collins were FBI agents Graham Kelton (Gale Harold) and Lin Mei (Ming-Na). While Lin approached her job with a cynical sense of humor and an abundance of energy, Kelton was morose and taciturn, still blaming himself for the horrible death of a youthful kidnap victim which occurred right before his eyes. As the plot thickened, it became obvious that the two agents had more than a common, everyday abduction on their hands: the number-one suspect was killed off at the very start of the series; the trail was strewn with bizarre, contradictory clues and DaVinci Code-like cryptic messages; and finally, not only had Sara Collins mysteriously vanished on previous occasions, there was every indication that she wasn't really Sara Collins at all. Clearly, the missing Mrs. Collins was but a cog in the wheel of a larger conspiracy, in which (naturally) no one could be completely trusted. Other characters included Rebecca Gayheart as an unusually ubiquitous investigative reporter and Eddie Cibrian as Kelton and Mei's enigmatic FBI superior. Vanished was created by Josh Berman of CSI fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Harold, John Allen Nelson, (more)
- 2005
Created by CSI's Josh Berman, the tension-laden Fox detective series Killer Instinct chronicled the activities of San Francisco's Deviant Crime Unit, headed by the tough, flippant Lt. Matt Cavanaugh (Chi McBride). The unit's mission was to track down and eliminate the most vicious and heinous of serial killers and sex criminals, which may explain why this series received a lot of negative prerelease press; indeed, the acts of violence perpetrated on the victims of these deviants had to be seen to be believed (in the most notorious example, one nutcase rendered his female captives helpless by covering them with poisonous spiders!). Lt. Cavanaugh's top man was Det. Jack Hale (Johnny Messner), who had just come off a six-week leave of absence after the death of his female partner. Hale may or may not have spent several of those months in a mental institution; whatever the case, he was one seriously disturbed individual, and in some ways he was almost as unbalanced as the perpetrators he went after. Endeavoring to keep Hale "on program" was his new partner, Det. Danielle Carter (Kristin Lehman), a former forensic lab assistant. Executive-produced by Charles Craig (The X-Files) and Ed Zuckerman (Law & Order), the weekly, hour-long Killer Instinct debuted September 23, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Messner, Kristin Lehman, (more)
- 2004
- Add CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season 05 to QueueAdd CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season 05 to top of Queue
As season four of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation drew to a close, it appeared as though a contract dispute would rob the series of two of its most popular characters, Las Vegas PD forensic specialists Sara Sidel (Jorja Fox) and Nick Stokes (George Eads). At the last moment, however, a suitable financial arrangement was worked out, and both characters -- and the actors who played them -- were retained for the whole of season five. Reiko Aylesworth stars in the first episode ("Viva Las Vegas") as Chandra Moore, a dedicated, no-nonsense lab tech who is to replace Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) when Greg is promoted to CSI field duty. Both Chandra and Greg prove to be worthy of their new responsibilities, though both are somewhat nonplussed by being dropped head-first into a whole new world of investigation. (Aylesworth's character was dropped after Fox and Eads resolved their contracts.) In a major mid-season development, a storm of controversy attending the apparent bungling of a murder investigation prompts CSI boss Ecklie (Marc Vann) to split the forensics bureau into two teams, with senior officer Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen) heading one team, and his former assistant Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) heading another. The arrangement is hardly to the liking of either party, especially when the efficiency their investigations is compromised by radical and often arbitrary budget cuts. Other demons plaguing the CSIers this season include the return of a particularly vicious (and brilliant) serial killer from the earlier episode "The Execution of Catherine Willows," the revelation that a man with whom Catherine flirted in a bar is the prime suspect in a high-profile murder case, and the unpleasant childhood memories of Sara Sidel. The Grissom and Willows teams are reunited for the season's unbearably suspenseful finale, "Grave Danger" (a two-parter directed by Quentin Tarantino) as the combined officers search for their colleague Nick Stokes (George Eads), who has been buried alive in a casket filled with red ants by a maniacal murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, (more)
- 2004
Six people are killed when an amusement-park roller coaster derails, causing one of the cars to plummet into a crowded parking lot. In the course of their investigation, the CSI members conclude that the "accident" was anything but. And in another case, the body of a 13-year-old girl is found near a lake. According to fans and series insiders, this episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation set a record for the highest body count within a single 60-minute timespan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Eleven of the 12 jurors in a murder trial are all for convicting the defendant. The 12th juror is a holdout -- and worse, he is an awful man who has incurred the hatred of the other 11. Thus, there is no shortage of suspects when the holdout is found dead in the jury room. Elsewhere in town, a woman whose sister disappeared four years ago claims that her brother-in-law killed her sister; alas, the woman also insists that the killer burned the body and disposed of the ashes in a river, leaving CSI with literally nothing to work with. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
A person is electrocuted at a Vegas hotel where an exhibit of rare Japanese artifacts is being held. As it turns out, the killing was merely a diversion, designed to allow the perpetrators to steal a priceless 17th century samurai sword. As Sara (Jorja Fox) and Nick (George Eads) investigate this case, Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) head to the headquarters of cult of "modern vampires" to probe the death of a woman whose blood was siphoned from her veins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Warrick (Gary Dourdan) is certain that he has a rape-murder suspect dead to rights when he recovers a key piece of evidence, a bloody knife. But when he drops in at the suspect's preliminary hearing, Warrick is shocked to hear the judge declare that the knife is inadmissible. With only 24 hours remaining before the suspect has to be set free, the CSI team scrambles to prove his guilt. Xander Berkeley makes his first series appearance as Sheriff Rory Atwater. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Three people are killed in a car bombing outside a Vegas casino. One of the victims was the driver, who turns out to be a federal air marshal. Under pressure from the higher-ups to solve the case, Sheriff Atwater (Xander Berkeley) runs with the prevailing theory that the bombing was an act of terrorism -- but CSI chief Grissom (William L. Petersen) isn't about to hoist the red flag just yet. Meanwhile, Sara (Jorja Fox) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) investigate the murder of a woman whose husband is a popular Vegas singer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Hank Peddigrew (Christopher Wiehl), the paramedic boyfriend of the CSI's Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), is among those injured when an old woman (Sandra Gimpel) crashes her Jaguar into a bar-restaurant during a crowded "happy hour." Was it a random accident, or a deliberately mapped-out murder? As she investigates, Sara is unnerved when she finds out why Hank was at the bar in the first place. Meanwhile, Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Nick (George Eads) probe the death of a woman who succumbed to a gas leak in her home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
- Add CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season 04 to QueueAdd CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season 04 to top of Queue
Some dangling plot strands left over from season three of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation were tied up in season four; others were not, and of course, new complications ensued throughout the latter season's 23 episodes. Facing surgery to correct (or at the very least forestall) his hereditary hearing loss, CSI team leader Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen) emerged from the operation somewhat better off, though his hearing was still not 100 percent. Struggling to overcome the death of her husband and relieved that injuries sustained by her daughter were not fatal, team member Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) nonetheless faced several other crises, not least of which was the discovery that unsavory casino owner Sam Braun (Scott Wilson) was her biological father; a hefty check given to Catherine by Braun for her indirect assistance in helping him beat a murder rap also caused a great deal of soul-searching on her part, not to mention an embarrassing situation when she came up for her annual departmental review. And the already seething tensions between Catherine and her fellow CSI'er Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) were exacerbated by decisions made from the top pertaining to job assignments and promotions. Sara's inner demons threatened to overwhelm her by the end of season four, culminating in a drunk-driving charge that figured into the season-ending cliffhanger. The regular cast remained intact, though there were hints that at least two of them would be gone before season five began due to contract negotiations. New to the series was Xander Berkeley as Nevada sheriff Rory Atwater, who was prominently featured in at least one episode that, in true CSI tradition, was "ripped from today's headlines." Some critics carped that the series' storylines were more gratuitously kinky than in previous seasons, with episodes involving modern-day vampires, a cult of fur fetishists, and the like. Also, there were those who felt that the personal problems of the major characters tended to impede the investigations to an excessive degree. But most viewers didn't mind, as witness the excellent ratings posted by CSI throughout season four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Momentarily distracted by his passenger, an Indian taxi driver (Anjul Nigam) apparently strikes and kills a young boy at a busy intersection. Grissom (William L. Petersen) is among those called on the scene when the driver is nearly beaten to death by an angry white mob, whose members claim that the cabbie was trying to flee the death scene. What begins as a hate-crime investigation deepens into a baffling murder mystery when Grissom discovers that the dead pedestrian didn't die from the impact of the cab, but had in fact been stabbed -- and gutted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
A body covered in lye is found in a Las Vegas park. Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Sara (Jorja Fox) try to build a case on what is left of the rapidly decomposing corpse, but it isn't easy. Meanwhile, Nick (George Eads) wrestles with an even more baffling mystery: It seems that the body of a hiker has been found in the middle of the desert -- and the victim had died of drowning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
As usual, one group of CSI members investigates a death, while another group checks up on a second murder. Specifically, Grissom (William L. Petersen), Warrick (Gary Dourdan), and Nick (George Eads) look into a shooting that occurred during a casino heist, while Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Sara (Jorja Fox) probe a homicide at a remote desert convenience store. As the team compares notes, it appears as if there is a strong connection between the two crimes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A bomb goes off in the lobby of a Las Vegas office building, resulting in several casualties. Investigating, Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) zero in on a security guard with a working knowledge of explosives. After going to bed with the hooker he has befriended, Nick (George Eads) is the primary suspect when the woman turns up dead -- and Eckley (Marc Vann) has the unenviable task of determining Nick's innocence or guilt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
At first, all evidence points to suicide when a construction worker plummets 12 stories to his death. Grissom (William L. Petersen), however, flies in the face of conventional wisdom when he surmises that the victim was murdered -- a verdict staunchly opposed by Sheriff Mobley (Glenn Morshower). Meanwhile, Nick (George Eads) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) investigate the death of a teenaged epileptic who was undergoing an unorthodox form of therapy with a female psychologist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
The CSI team investigates when a young coed, about to move back home, disappears without a trace from her campus dorm room. Even more curious, all of the girl's belongings were left behind. This and other baffling clues lead the crew to conclude that the case's solution may lie in the Chaos Theory, wherein seemingly harmless and unimportant events culminate in disaster. Originally scheduled to air on September 27, 2001, this episode was moved back one week due to network coverage of the 9/11 tragedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
When a deaf man is run over by a car, the early evidence suggests that this is just another case of vehicular homicide. But the CSI unit quickly determines that the victim was actually dead before the accident occurred. Making things difficult is the obstructive attitude of the school in which the dead man was enrolled. And in another case, five customers of an upscale coffee shop are slain in an apparent mob hit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Early evidence indicates that the man found killed at a pottery store died while attempting to rob the establishment. But Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) soon discovers a link between this death and an unsolved kidnapping 16 years before. And, in another development, Sara (Jorja Fox) is convinced that a woman has died of spontaneous combustion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
The body of a woman, infested with bugs and insects, is found in the desert. Grissom (William L. Petersen) does not follow the conventional wisdom that the woman's husband is responsible. In other developments, a missing person's car turns up unexpectedly at a bus station, several valuable art treasures are stolen, and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) is suspected of gambling while on duty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Timothy Carhart makes his first series appearance as Eddie, the ex-husband of CSI member Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger). When Eddie is accused of rape, Catherine risks losing her job by conducting her own investigation. Elsewhere, a cop accused of murder may or may not be exonerated by a missing bullet, and the skeleton of an unidentified female is found encased in cement under a house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A college fraternity pledging ends in tragedy when a rejected student apparently commits suicide. Nick (George Eads) and Sara (Jorja Fox) discover that the case is not as open-and-shut as it seems. And while looking into the discovery of a woman's body -- with one leg missing -- Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) conclude that either the victim's husband or her boyfriend might have had a hand in her death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
