Linwood Boomer Movies

On the pilot of Malcolm in the Middle, Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) introduces his family. Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) is first seen shaving the back of Hal (Bryan Cranston), his hirsute father. Lois gives Malcolm bad news at breakfast. She's arranged a playdate for him with Stevie (Craig Lamar Traylor), an asthmatic, wheelchair-bound kid from school. Lois admonishes Malcolm, Reese (Justin Berfield), and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) not to take their good health for granted. "Every day is a lottery," she explains, "and first prize is that you don't have to scoot yourself around town on a skateboard with your hands." On the way to school, a friend asks if Malcolm's brother Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) is really in jail. Malcolm explains that Francis, the one person in his family whom he actually likes, has been sent to military school in Alabama for his various misdeeds. At school, Malcolm has an unpleasant encounter with a bully, Dave Spath (Vincent Berry), and his teacher Caroline (Catherine Lloyd Burns) gives him an IQ test. After school, Malcolm unexpectedly bonds with Stevie over their shared love of comic books. Francis calls and tells Lois about the "simmering homoeroticism" of military school, and she actually hears him smoking over the phone. Later, Caroline drops by, and tells a shocked Lois that Malcolm has an IQ of 165. After a brief discussion over breakfast the next day, Lois decides, over his strenuous objections, that Malcolm will move into a "special" accelerated class. "Any kid who makes fun of you," she tells him, "is a creepy little loser who'll end up working in a car wash." "This shouldn't make me feel better," Malcolm tells us, "but it does." The next day, a newly ostracized Malcolm and Stevie improvise a way to turn Spath's cruelty against him. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Night Court moved back from its new Friday-night berth to its original Thursday-evening slot for the series' 100th episode, in which court clerk Mac (Charles Robinson) quits his job after inheriting $2 million from his grandfather. The Night Court staff is sorely annoyed at Mac's defection, especially when his replacement, Eddie Creeger (Jack McGee), proves to be a monumental foul-up. Meanwhile, Mac has troubles of his own, thanks to a huge lawsuit slapped upon the restaurant owned by his wife Quon Le (Denice Kumagai). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Night Court launches its fifth season with the third episode of a four-part story arc, which began at the tail end of Season Four. As former public defender Christine Sullivan (Markie Post) battles an attack of nausea to assume her duties as night court judge, her predecessor Harry T. Stone is still AWOL, plotting the "ultimate prank" to get even with New York City for not reappointing him. Little does Harry know that Christine has arranged for him to be reinstated--and now a nervous Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) must vamp for time to avoid arousing the suspicions of an uptight mayoral aide (Richard Frank). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first episode of a four-part story arc, Christine (Markie Post) fulfills a lifelong dream when she is appointed a judge. But what is good news to Christine is bad news for Dan (John Larroquette), who was passed up for the appointment--and for Judge Harry (Harry Anderson), whose reappointment has been turned down. Elsewhere, the zany Wheeler family of West Virginia is hauled into court on a charge of "detonating" chickens! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bumper Robinson returns to the role of orphaned shoeshine boy Leon, back in New York for Halloween. At first, Leon's onetime foster dad Harry (Harry Anderson) is happy to see the boy--but that is before Leon confesses that he has run away from his adoptive parents, and threatens to disappear from view entire if Harry turns him into the authorities. Meanwhile, Dan (John Larroquette) plunges to the depths of degradation in his efforts to wangle an invite to a Halloween party held by his nasty boss Vincent Daniels (Daniel Frishman). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Snowed in by a Christmas blizzard, the Ingalls family, including married daughters Laura (Melissa Gilbert) and Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and their respective husbands, Almanzo (Dean Butler) and Adam (Linwood Boomer), pass the time by telling stories about their lives. Also on hand is family friend Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester), who imparts a fascinating yarn of her own. This episode features excerpts from the 1974 Little House on the Prairie TV-movie pilot. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the first episode of a two-part story, an accident unexpectedly restores Adam Kendall's (Linwood Boomer) eyesight. Although Adam is exultant, his still-blind wife, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson), is worried that he will fall out of love with her. Meanwhile, Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy) proves to be more than a match for his ever-contentious mother-in-law, Harriet Oleson (Katherine MacGregor). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of Little House on the Prairie's two-part season-seven opener, the wedding of Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) and Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler) is still on hold due to financial problems. When Almanzo's schoolteacher sister, Eliza Jane (Lucy Lee Flippin), has her heart broken by Harv Miller (James Cromwell), she decides to leave town. As it turns out, Eliza Jane's loss is Laura's gain when the latter is hired as the new schoolmarm -- thereby allowing the wedding to go forth as planned. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Laura (Melissa Gilbert) tries to get over the departure of her fiancé, Almanzo (Dean Butler), by helping her sister Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and brother-in-law Adam (Linwood Boomer) set up a new school for the blind in the town of Sleepy Eye. As fate would have it, this is the same town where Almanzo has relocated -- and when she sees her beloved in a compromising situation with a saloon gal, Laura angrily breaks off her engagement. Things change dramatically when Laura discovers a remarkable secret about Almanzo while nursing him through an illness. And Laura's father, Charles (Michael Landon), is prompted to reconsider his insistence that the girl wait until she is 18 to get married. But what of the still-blossoming romance between Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim) and Percival Dalton (Steve Tracy)? This was the final episode of Little House on the Prairie's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this special two-hour episode, a fire at the blind school claims the lives of both Mary's baby and the wife of farmer Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen). In the aftermath of the tragedy, Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) goes into a state of shock and Jonathan angrily rails against God. The only person who can set things right is Mary's adoptive brother, Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) -- but he is also the person who accidentally started the fire. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This program is part of a series that chronicles the stories of some of the great heroes of the Old Testament of the Bible. The colorful stories have made an indelible mark on Western consciousness, as they illustrate great spiritual truths in the plain narratives about ordinary people. This episode tells the story of Daniel who had a gift for interpreting dreams. This asset aids him in his audience with King Nebachadnezzar, who wants very much to understand a dream that has been troubling him. The ensuing drama is one of the most beloved stories in the Christian repertoire, exemplifying the importance of faith in an all-powerful God. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) accompanies her husband, Adam (Linwood Boomer), on a stagecoach trip to an awards ceremony where Adam will be honored. En route, the coach is involved in an accident in a remote area. As the only passenger who is unhurt, Mary must save the lives of Adam, a pregnant woman (played by Michael Landon's daughter Leslie Landon), and the woman's unborn child. Meanwhile, back in Walnut Grove, a seriocomic subplot involving Laura (Melissa Gilbert), Albert (Matthew Laborteaux), Mrs. Oleson (Katherine MacGregor) and a Christmas fund plays itself out. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi