William McNamara Movies

This Hallmark Channel TV movie is one of a series starring John Larroquette as McBride (no first name), a hard-nosed cop turned compassionate defense lawyer, specializing in "lost causes." Serving on a jury in the trial of Claire Harriman (Paula Trickey), McBride is not persuaded that Claire attempted to poison her business-tycoon husband. Though the proceedings end in a mistrial, Claire's reputation is in tatters, and she turns to Bride in hopes of proving her innocence during the inevitable retrial. Although it turns out that practically everyone who knew Claire's late husband--especially the members of his immediately family--had ample motive and opportunity to bump him off, McBride begins to wonder if he has allowed his heart to rule his head, and that Claire may just be guilty after all. McBride: Murder Past Midnight initially aired February 4, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season two of the uninhibited, uncensored satirical cable sitcom Beggars and Choosers begins with yet another vicious power play between E.L. Luddin (Bill Morey), doddering owner of the LGT television network, and his avaricious trophy bride Lydia (Carol Kane). In the final analysis, both Luddins lose out when 53 percent of the network's stock is scooped up by flaky dot.com billionaire Dan Falco (Beau Bridges). This upheaval inspires LGT's predatory vice president of development Lori Volpone (Charlotte Ross) to put her romance with poetry-spouting Russian gangster Nicky Krasnakov (Rudolf Martin) on hiatus while she plays up to the fabulously wealthy Falco. Before long, however, Falco has departed the country to enter a Bhuddist monastery, leaving the network in the hands of his dimwitted brother Freddie (James Belushi), whose "experience" in television consists largely of turning his set on and off and changing the channels. Despite Freddie's ineptitude, popular LGT star Sandra Cassandra (Samantha Ferris) figures it is in her best interest to inaugurate an affair with the younger Falco. Meanwhile, long-suffering LGT president Rob Malone (Brian Kerwin) is given all sorts of new reasons to bash his head against the wall, not least of which is the breakup of his marriage to the demanding Cecile (Isabella Hofmann). Elsewhere, the network's "outed" cast director Malcolm (Tuc Watkins) once again stirs up negative publicity when he casts a gay actor in a straight role; Nicky Krasnakov makes a talk show appearance and manages to offend a powerful minority group; the inherent bitterness and backstabbing at LGT gets really up close and personal when the police seal off the network's headquarters during a bank robbery; and the sperm bank containing the "legacy" of late sitcom star Parker Meridian suffers a freezer breakdown. One of the most persistent of the season's many subplots involves a case of industrial espionage, when it appears that a "mole" in the network is leaking LGT's best series ideas to rival web NBC. Intimately involved in this intrigue are two of LGT's newest hires, bed-hopping staff assistant Kelly Kramer (Christina Hendricks) and opportunistic Britisher Nigel Gibney (Justin Carroll). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season one of the racy Showtime sitcom Beggars and Choosers begins as Rob Malone (Brian Kerwin), the harried president of the LGT television network, pins all his hopes for high ratings and job security by greenlighting a reality series about a group of violent extroverts called the Mountainmen. Though Rob's strategy proves successful, it later bites him in the backside when LGT faces a lawsuit after a youthful fan imitates the Mountainmen's destructive behavior. If this wasn't migraine-inducing enough for Mr. Malone, he must also contend with the self-serving program ideas cooked up by Lydia Luddin (Carol Kane), the conniving trophy wife of LGT's comatose owner E.L. Luddin (Bill Morey). Then there are Rob's problems on the home front, namely the neverending efforts by his wife Cecile (Isabella Hoffman) to conceive a child, his son Cary's (Kaj-Erik Ericksen) attempts to have "phone sex" with a beautiful TV star, and his teenage daughter's romance with Parker Meridian (Paul Provenza), the egotistical star of the popular NGT sitcom "Parker's Pals." While the "Parker matter" would ultimately be resolved, there are plenty of other intrigues to keep the NGT employees in a state of constant hysteria. Lori Volpone (Charlotte Ross), the network's sharkish vice president of development, is swept off her feet by poetry spouting Russian gangster Nicky Krasnakov (Rudolf Martin), who is pitching a miniseries based on his career. Casting director Malcolm Laffley (Tuc Watkins) wiffles and waffles about declaring himself a homosexual, until an embarrassing sexual harassment suit forces him to "out" himself on a coast-to-coast network hookup. The lead character in the LGT ethnic soap opera "Puerto Vallarta," who suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, runs afoul of the FCC as the result of her uncontrollable outbursts of profanity. And the much-beloved female star of the heartwarming LGT family drama "An Angel in the Family" is revealed to be sleeping with her teenaged co-star. Amidst all this fictional chaos, real-life TV favorite Bea Arthur makes an appearance as herself, showing up at LGT to pitch a TV biopic about Ethel Merman with herself in the lead -- only to end up competing for the role with a transvestite hooker! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Drug user Jane (Samantha Mathis) lives on the streets, but Jane's addiction puts her in the hospital after she overdoses. A doctor determines she's HIV-positive and plans tests, but she slips away and returns to the streets. She's followed by sick teen Tony (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who sees her as a substitute mother. The two assist each other and use stolen cash to move into a nice hotel. However, Jane is helpless once Tony begins dying of AIDS. Shown at the AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The life of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor is told in this made-for-television drama. Sherilyn Fenn stars as Oscar-winning actress Liz Taylor, whose career began when her mother pushed her into acting as a child in the 1940s. Her tumultuous career ups and downs, and her turbulent personal life are chronicled in the film, which was based on the book by C. David Heymann. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Robert Conrad, William McNamara, and Sharon Farrell star in this crime drama about a police detective assigned to investigate the brutal murders of three children. With few leads but an iron will to put the killer behind bars, the detective is willing to do almost anything, including listening to a woman who claims to have psychic powers and has been visited with visions of the crime. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Although his Mother denies his involvement in a brutal attack that left her critically injured and her husband dead, a college student is forced to deal with his guilt. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

This drama is based on a play by Mones and is set within a grim New York neighborhood where a new kid comes to the neighborhood. Unlike the street-wise and life-toughened gang members around him, the youth is a sensitive poet who teaches the kids about the meaning and beauty of life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A spy discovers information that could put the entire nation in danger, and must struggle to remember the facts while he still can in this suspense thriller. Clayton Pierce (William McNamara) is an American intelligence agent who has infiltrated a cadre of Russian and Saudi gangsters in order to bust them in the midst of what he believes will be a major heroin deal. However, Pierce discovers the briefcase being passed in the deal is actually a portable thermonuclear device with the power to level an entire city; Pierce blows his cover while intercepting the bomb and is shot during the melee that follows. He manages to escape and is treated for his wounds in the agency's private clinic. However, Pierce soon finds that there are large and troubling gaps in his memory -- so much so that he doesn't even remember that he was divorced by his ex-wife Kate (Dina Meyer) six years earlier. With Kate's help, Pierce discovers the startling truth about the bomb he's discovered, and an even more disturbing secret about the agency -- that La Nova (Roy Scheider), his commander, has dosed him with an experimental drug called Oblivion that erodes the memory of anyone who used it. Time Lapse also features musician and author Henry Rollins as one of Pierce's fellow agents.
~ Mark Deming, Rovi

After the success of shock-jock Howard Stern's Private Parts, shock-TV host Jerry Springer made his own foray into celluloid. Fictionalizing only the name of his television show (what is normally called the The Jerry Springer Show, is now called "The Jerry Show"), Springer plays himself as a man who fronts a chair-throwing, dog-and-pony trash TV strip which gets high ratings in the backwoods, armpit communities of America. The story revolves around two sets of guests coming to Los Angeles to be on the show. First, the Zorzak family has slutty 19-year-old Angel (Jaime Pressly), sleeping with her stepdad (Michael Dudikoff). When her mom (Molly Hagan) finds out, she seeks revenge by sleeping with Angel's fiancé, Willie (Ashley Holbrook). The second group consists of Starletta (Wendy Raquel Robinson), who caught her man, Demond (Michael Jai White), sleeping with her best friend, Vonda (Tangie Ambrose). This makes all of them perfect for stardom on The Jerry Show. As all these guests arrive for their big day on national television, more chaos ensues with Springer getting propositioned by Angel and her mother. Even crew members show their stripes by getting involved in the sexual escapades with the guests. The whole scenario is finally brought to a knockdown, gender-bending finale live on national television -- right where it belongs. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi

In this low-budget thriller, which was released directly to video, Donald Sutherland stars as a Ted Robards, a small-time stockbroker who allows promising young Harvard alumnus Jeremy (William McNamara) to move into his home and help run his firm. While pretending to build up the business, Jeremy secretly dismantles it from within, all the while planning to wreak havoc of a more personal nature on Ted; his son Chris; and especially his pregnant new wife, Sandy (Lesley Ann Warren). Flashbacks reveal Jeremy's tortured upbringing and the killing streak it engendered. As things turn out, however, the pampered, beautiful Sandy has some devastating secrets of her own -- one of which may explain why her husband's protégé is out to get her. Natural Enemy also features Joe Pantoliano and Wayne's World starlet Tia Carrere. McNamara previously played another serial killer in 1995's Copycat. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Erika Eleniak and William McNamara star as a couple of young lovers on the run in this breezy road movie, based on James M. Cain's novella The Enchanted Isle. Mandy Baker (Erika Eleniak) is a bored 17-year-old looking for adventure outside of her small hometown of Paint Rock, Texas. She finds it at a bus station, as she is set to head out for Corpus Cristi. There she meets Rick Davis (William McNamara), a handsome and narcissistic dude in a cowboy outfit, whom Mandy lends $17 for a one-way ticket to the lay-over stop of Utopia. The two get familiar on the bus and, upon arriving in Utopia, she tags along with Rick as he meets his Uncle Pal (Michael Lerner), a two-bit crook, and his weird cohort Bud (Bud Cort). The three hatch a plan for a $5,000 bank robbery, and Mandy is talked into going along with them. The robbery itself is a failure, but Rick and Mandy manage to take off with the money, with Pal and Bud chasing after them. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi