Gail O'Grady Movies

Two basketball fans, whose enthusiasm overwhelms their intelligence, come up with a new but legally problematic way of helping their favorite team in this comedy. Physical education instructor Mike O'Hara (Daniel Stern) and plumber Jimmy Flaherty (Dan Aykroyd) are close friends and obsessive followers of the Boston Celtics; to them, the Celtics are everything, to the point where Mike's marriage is falling apart because his wife can't deal with his mood swings, hinged as they are on the Celtic's fortunes. One night, with the Celtics and the Utah Jazz tied at three games each in the NBA championships, Mike and Jimmy spot Lewis Scott (Damon Wayans) in a sports bar. The star player with the Jazz, Lewis is known to sink up to 50 shots a game, and his talent on the court is exceeded only by his arrogance. Emboldened by alcohol, Mike and Jimmy start buying Lewis drinks, posing as Jazz fans; the next morning, they wake up hung over to discover that they kidnapped Lewis while drunk, and he's tied to a chair in Jimmy's living room. Neither of them planned on doing anything like this and at first they think they ought to let him go. But then again, if Lewis can't play the final game of the championship series, the Celtics chances look a lot brighter. Former Celtics star Larry Bird has a cameo as himself; as do sports heroes Bill Walton and Deion Sanders. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The second season of NYPD Blue was transitional in every sense of the word, with a number of major cast changes and the deepening of characterizations within the people who remained. The big news during the 1994-1995 season was the defection of David Caruso as Detective John Kelly, the sensitive younger partner of the irascible Det. Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). It was no secret that Caruso wanted more screen time and a lot more money to continue with the series, and when producer Steven Bochco said no, the actor departed -- four episodes into season two. His replacement proved to be just as popular with viewers as Caruso, if not more so: Jimmy Smits as the recently widowed, pigeon-fancying Detective Bobby Simone, whose single status not only opened the door for a whole new slew of romantic complications with various female cast members, but also set hearts aflutter amongst audience members. Also leaving the series after the first two second-season episodes was Amy Brenneman as Off. Janice Licalsi, who had been found guilty of the murder of mob functionary Angelo Marino -- an act that also precipitated the departure of John Kelly, who, for trying to suppress evidence on Janice's behalf, was given the choice of being demoted or leaving the 15th Precinct altogether (of course, he chose the latter).
Also added to the cast was Kim Delaney as Det. Diane Russell, who like most the series' characters arrived at the 15th carrying a lot of emotional baggage, in her case an extremely abusive husband and, like Andy Sipowicz, a drinking problem. Andy was, in fact, the first to glom onto Diane's closet boozing, and it was he who offered to become her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor -- though it would be the younger and svelter Bobby Simone who would win Russell's heart. During her freshman year on NYPD Blue, Diane Russell appeared only on a recurring basis, as did two other new characters: the precinct's temporary administrative assistant, John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup), the series' first (but hardly the last) openly gay character; and Det. Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli), who'd transferred to the 15th to escape a disastrous inter-departmental romance -- only to find herself the object of the affections of Precinct stalwart James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro). But while neither Delaney, Brochtrup, nor Miceli were as yet listed among the "stars" of the series, two recurring characters from season one, Gordon Clapp as Detective Greg Medavoy and Gail O'Grady as administrative assistant Donna Abandando, were bumped up to full "regular" status. Greg and Donna's very, very close friendship became very, very much closer as the year progressed, despite Medavoy's periodic returns to his estranged wife. This was the year in which the misogynistic Andy Sipowicz finally humanized to the point of proposing marriage to Assistant DA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence), despite having characterized her as a "prissy bitch" during the previous season. This was also the year in which series regular Dennis Franz entered "pop culture Valhalla" by flashing his naked backside to the camera. And this was the year in which NYPD Blue added two more Emmys to its collection, for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (Shirley Knight in the episode "Large Mouth Bass"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jimmy Smits makes his first series appearance as recently widowed Detective Bobby Simone. Immediately upon joining the 15th Precinct, Simone is teamed with Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) to investigate the accidental killing of a bystander by a cop during a mob shoot-out. Simone also staves off a violent confrontation between Lesniak (Justine Miceli) and her disgruntled ex-boyfriend (Bruce Nozick). And once this crisis has passed, Lesniak checks out the claims by a woman who thinks her husband is molesting a little girl -- his own daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) comes to the rescue when a fellow cop dies -- and not in the line of duty -- in the apartment of Andy's prostitute friend Lois (Shannon Cochran). Lesniak (Justine Miceli) is harassed on the job by her former boyfriend -- also a cop. And in the midst of investigating the death of a baby in a drive-by, Kelly (David Caruso) is called on the carpet by the IAB's Cmdr. Haverill (James Handy) for past dereliction of duty. This highly rated episode represents the final NYPD Blue appearance of David Caruso. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The jury reaches a verdict in the murder trial of Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman, in her final NYPD Blue appearance). Internal Affairs wants answers from Kelly (David Caruso) regarding his involvement in Janice's defense and Detective Medavoy's (Gordon Clapp) ledger. Kelly and Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) investigate a series of robberies targeting drug dealers and also a double murder. And Andy and Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) renew their relationship over dinner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robin Wirkus (Debrah Farentino) is upset by the terms of her late husband's will, which will provide for Kelly (David Caruso) so long as he keeps an eye on Robin. Elsewhere, the discovery of the "wrong" corpse leads to a murder conspiracy involving a hotelier and a concierge. And Sipowicz's (Dennis Franz) teenaged son, Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise), faces a drug charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) goes after a private eye who may be cheating his client by feeding him with false hopes about his missing child. The father of a 13-year-old murdered in the street seeks out justice on his own when the killer injures LaSalle (Wendy Makkena) and escapes. Will this incident hurt LaSalle's chances of landing a job at a local equal-employment-opportunity office? Real-life NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly appears, uncredited, as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roy Larson (John Wesley Shipp), the macho-man partner of Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman), is suspected of using steroids and ordered to take a drug test. Assistant DA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence) carries a torch for Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), but he continues to keep his distance. The death of an informant causes trouble for Roberts (Michael Harney) -- and, later, for Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) and Medavoy (Gordon Clapp). And Laura (Sherry Stringfield) wants to re-open a tricky murder case, much to the dismay of her ex-husband, John Kelly (David Caruso). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Christmas may be a little late for Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel), who faces the wrath of Borough Commander Haverill (James Handy) -- until Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) unexpectedly come to the rescue. Elsewhere, the Yuletide season is rudely interrupted by the kidnapping of a wealthy young girl, and by Janice's (Amy Brenneman) ever-deepening involvement with the Mob. Things aren't quite so bleak for Martinez (Nicholas Turturro), who receives a very special gift. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) draws what seems to be the easiest duty of the week: tracking down the Academy Award statuette stolen from a veteran screenwriter. Meanwhile, Sipowicz's colleagues investigate the brutal slaying of a wealthy family, and Janice (Amy Brenneman) is again ordered to infiltrate the Mob. This last turn of events doesn't sit well with Kelly (David Caruso), who has a bitter confrontation with Janice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gerald S. O'Loughlin guest stars as Ben Oliver, a former Army buddy of Cabot Cove physician Seth Hazlitt (William Windom). Arriving in town to pay Seth a visit, Ben is clearly carrying around a great deal of emotional baggage. Subsequently, Ben's new boss is murdered, and Ben is implicated in the crime. Out of friendship for Seth, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) investigates the situation, but doesn't like what she finds out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Contrary to expectations, The Hit Man is not about a mob torpedo but instead deals with a Spielberg-style moviemaker, played by Dennis Boutsikaris. The villain is a loan shark (Nick Pryor) who's been reducing honest folks to penury. Utilizing the special-effects trickery at his disposal, Boutsikaris arranges a major sting to thwart the bad guy (F/X, anyone?) The Hit Man's crew is a lovable polyglot of misfits, the sort that would make excellent "regulars" were this TV movie a weekly series. Could this have been what the producers of Hit Man had in mind? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this adolescent-oriented, loose remake of Some Like It Hot, a lovestruck teenage boy is so desperate to be near his new beloved that he dresses up like a girl and joins the women's tennis team. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide