John O'Leary Movies

At the end of her rope after a series of emotional setbacks, Diane (Kim Delaney) decides to take a leave of absence, which doesn't please Danny (Rick Schroder). While investigating the murder of a stripper who sidelined in stolen jewelry, Danny becomes very close to the dead woman's co-worker Kristen (Jenna Gering) -- thereby setting the stage for a story arc that will lead inexorably to the series-finale cliffhanger. Meanwhile, Cynthia (Juliana Donald) expresses her hope that Andy (Dennis Franz) is doing the right thing by remarrying Katie (Debra Monk). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) follows in the footsteps of undead-lovin' big sister Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) when she ends up in the arms of a cute teen vamp. Her adventures take place on Halloween -- the same day Xander (Nicholas Brendon) finally announces his engagement to Anya (Emma Caulfield). During the festivities, Tara (Amber Benson) confronts Willow (Alyson Hannigan) about her over-reliance on magic to solve life's problems. Meanwhile, Dawn deals with her own teen angst by shoplifting from the magic shop and sneaking out with a friend for a midnight rendezvous with some handsome young lads. When her date sprouts fangs, however, Dawn is forced to dust him -- shades of Buffy and Angel (see "Becoming, Part 2"). Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Spike (James Marsters), and Buffy eventually rescue Dawn and her friend from the mess they're in. But the Slayer leaves it up to her Watcher to mete out punishment. Elsewhere, Willow seeks to escape further scoldings by casting a spell to make Tara forget their fight. Originally broadcast October 30, 2001, on UPN, "All the Way" marked episode 106 of the cult-favorite series. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The sixth and final season of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys begins as female criminal Arciana (Katie Holmes) breaks out of prison in search of the all-powerful Sword of Hera. Arciana is inexorably linked to the demon Xerxos (Jeremy Roberts), who long ago murdered the family of Hercules' friend and traveling companion Iolaus (Michael Hurst). In their efforts to track down Arciana, Iolaus and especially Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) face an additional challenge in the form of the sinister lookalike of Hercules' lost love Serena (Sam Sorbo). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The prosecution of a Mafia murder faces a stumbling block in the form of a Mr. Dobbs (Philip Bosco), the lawyer of an elderly mob don. Dobbs argues that his client is mentally and physically unfit to stand trial -- and all evidence suggests that the attorney is telling the truth. Adding to the intrigue is the dead witness, and the all-too-eager confession of a two-bit hoodlum. The D.A.'s office arrives at the truth through the "magic" of videotape -- and a steady finger on the slow-motion button. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Princess Jana (Nicola Cliff), a friend of Xena (Lucy Lawless), has been kidnapped, an act that threatens to spark a terrible war. A duplicitous arms dealer who used to be one of Xena's cronies is responsible for the abduction. Can Xena trust another of her old acquaintances, her ex-lover Marcus (Bobby Hosea), to help her save Jana and avert the war? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A wealthy playboy is being stalked by a murderous seductress, and it's up to a seasoned bodyguard to keep him out of the line of fire in director Richard Munhckin's explosive action entry. Lawton Hobbs has it all, but money and fame are nothing when a murderous stalker is tracking your every move. Upon hiring bodyguard Cynthia McKay to keep him safe from harm's way Lawton assumes he has navigated safely out of the danger zone. When the sparks between Lawton and Cynthia begins catch fire though, the self-assured lady's man is about to discover just how wrong he really is. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Haunted is a Fox Network TV-movie purportedly based on eyewitness testimony. The story goes that in the mid-1980s, the Smurl family of Pittston, Pennsylvania began noticing something askew in their four-bedroom Victorian home. Apparently there are agents of Satan at work, bedeviling the family and smashing the crockery. None of the Smurls believes in ghosts--"until," as the ad copy for this film proclaims, "they have no choice." Since this film was shown on Fox, the "standards and practices" people were a wee more lax than they would have been on another network; hence the "Parental Discretion Advised" tag on the film's original telecast. The Haunted is some distance removed from believability, but stars Sally Kirkland and Jeffrey DeMunn seem to be having a high old time playing scared. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A devoted nun endeavors to create a halfway house for female convicts on parole in this drama. To achieve her goal, she must face a daunting series of obstacles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The pressures of his job have caused Harry (Harry Anderson) to come down with a bad case of ulcers. But when exploratory surgery is suggested, Harry balks, insisting that he'd rather endure the pain than go under the knife--or at least, that's what he's insisting at the BEGINNING of the episode. John Astin, who would later show up intermittently on Night Court as Harry's self-proclaimed "long lost father" Buddy Ryan, is here seen as Kenny. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having gone to his Heavenly reward in 1948, lawyer Arthur Morton is "reborn" in 1987 as Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon), a probationary angel who in order to earn his wings must return to Earth and offer help and support to unfortunate mortals. In this debut episode of Highway to Heaven, Jonathan is assigned to Havencrest, a retirement home that is facing demolition. Adopting the earthly guise of a handyman, our hero sets about to improve the quality of life of Havencrest's surly and sullen residents. Originally telecast as a two-hour TV movie, the opening episode of Highway to Heaven has since been divided into two one-hour installments for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide

Robert Conrad plays a long-married husband suffering from perceived boredom. In traditional male-menopause fashion, Conrad walks out on his family in search of greener pastures. Before waking up and smelling the coffee, he has a brief affair with the much-younger Ann Dusenberry. Respectively cast as Conrad's wife and daughter, Jennifer Warren and Mary Crosby are a lot more understanding than our "hero" deserves. Produced by General Hospital mentor Gloria Monty, the made-for-TV Confessions of a Married Man premiered on January 31, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

More formally known as Father Damien: The Leper Priest, this made-for-TV biopic stars a heavily-wigged Ken Howard in the title role. Father Damien was a Belgian priest who, in 1873, was assigned a far-from-desirable congregation: the leper colony of Molokai in the Hawaiian islands. At first appalled by the colony and its denizens, Damien devoted his life to administering to their needs and improving their living conditions. He died in 1889 at the age of 49, having long earlier contacted leprosy himself. When originally telecast October 27, 1980, Damien: The Leper Priest was dedicated to the memory of David Janssen, who before his death was slated to portray Father Damien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide