Walon Green Movies

Created by Dave Erickson and co-produced by actor Denis Leary, the weekly, 60-minute legal drama Canterbury's Law starred Juliana Margulies as Elizabeth Canterbury, a tough, ruthless Providence (R.I.) attorney who specialized in defending such "controversial" clients as accused child murderers and pedophiles. Yelling at everyone within earshot and playing fast and loose with ethics, Elizabeth was not by any stretch of the imagination an admirable character, but her abrasive personality was somewhat justified by the fact that she sincerely believed in the innocence of her clients. One of many "flawed" TV heroines of the early 21st century (vide The Closer), Elizabeth battled innumerable personal demons and an alcohol problem which partially stemmed from the loss of her son, who had disappeared without a trace a year or so before the series got under way. Other regulars included Ben Shenkman as Elizabeth's legal partner Russell Krauss, who'd been passed over for a D.A.'s job after clashing with his corrupt boss; Keith Robinson as cocky attorney Chester Grant, a congressman's son who had turned his back on his dad's conformist politicis; Trieste Dunn as fearless attorney Molly McConnell, one of the few people who could stand up to Elizabeth without emerging bloody and bowed; and Aidan Quinn as Elizabeth's college-professor husband Matt Furey, on whom the restless Ms. Canterbury cheated shamelessly. Originally intended as a series about a male attorney, Canterbury's Law switched genders once Juliana Margulies signed onto the project. Though the pilot was filmed in early 2007, the series itself was not added to the Fox network lineup until March 10, 2008, having shed a couple of the original regulars (Jocko Sims as Chester, Linus Roache as Matt) along the way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The jury is in! From creator Dick Wolf comes the most innovative Law & Order series yet: Law & Order: Trial by Jury - The Complete Series. Partner up with Jerry Orbach, Fred Dalton Thompson and Bebe Neuwirth to explore the judicial system like never before: not only from the point of view of police and prosecutors, but also the defense team, judges, jurors and the defendants themselves. This highly collectible three-disc DVD set contains all 13 original episodes of the entire series, including one never broadcast on network TV! Plus witness exciting deleted scenes, a landmark Law & Order: SVU cross-over episode starring Chris Meloni and Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay, the philosophy behind this unique show presented by the cast members, and powerful guest-star performances from Lorraine Bracco, Peter Coyote and Candice Bergen. You have the right to Law & Order: Trial by Jury!

Greene (Anthony Edwards) treats a horse suffering from colic and very loose bowels. A wounded gunman is brought into the ER with explosives wired to his body, making it necessary to "defuse" the man before he can be treated. Carter (Noah Wyle) intubates an elderly and anonymous female patient, only to find that her HMO won't admit her to the ER without permission from her next of kin. Both Ross (George Clooney) and Anspaugh (John Aylward) have news that is guaranteed to make Weaver (Laura Innes) unhappy. And after working hours, Carter sets up a date with a former patient, an aggressive insurance salesperson named Roxanne (Julie Bowen). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A toxic benzine spill in the ER waiting room forces the evacuation of all the patients. With Weaver (Laura Innes) suffering the ill effects of the spill, Carter is placed in charge of the "exodus." Meanwhile, Corday (Alex Kingston) goes on an EMT ridealong, ultimately risking her life to treat Leo Lepziger (Joey Perillo), whose arm is trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building. This episode won an Emmy award for Best Sound Editing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Simone (Jimmy Smits) investigates a gunman's shooting spree, while the media focuses on the bystander who was killed by a rookie cop's stray bullet. Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) learns that his brother Reginald (Michael Jai White), a uniform cop in the eighth precinct, is at the center of a tense racial crisis. Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) receives disturbing news from his doctor. And when the spree-shooter strikes again, one of the cops saves his partner's life -- a turning point in their somewhat prickly relationship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A violent, effects-heavy science fiction adventure, Judge Dredd depicts a nightmarish future in which overcrowded cities are terrorized by brutal gun battles and policed by "Judges," law officers who act as judge, jury, and executioner. Sylvester Stallone stars as Judge Dredd, a punishing enforcer with an unswerving dedication to law and order. Little does Dredd know that a nasty villain (Armand Assante) and a corrupt Judge (Jurgen Prochnow) are plotting to take over the city and plan to frame Dredd for murder in order to prevent him from interfering. Dredd winds up in prison, but he fights back with the help of Judge Hershey (Diane Lane), his partner and romantic interest, and Fergie (Rob Schneider), his friend and comic relief, developing a plan to clear his name and stop the bad guys. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Theodore Bikel guest stars as millionaire Sol Bregman, a longtime friend of District Attorney Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). When his son is snatched by kidnappers, Bregman refuses to cooperate with the police. The reasons for Bregman's behavior go far beyond mere concern for his son's well-being. This is one of the few Law & Order episodes in which stalwart series regular Steven Hill is allowed to carry the ball dramatically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The emphasis is more on law than order as the viewer follows detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) through an extremely eventful 24 hours. Their unusually heavy case load includes five murders -- all unrelated -- and a violent, domestic quarrel, in which the husband gets the worst of it. Evidently, this episode made quite an impression on the series' producers; not only was it referred to in the tenth-season Law & Order episode "Entitled," but its memory was also invoked in a first-season episode of the spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. ~ 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

Having all but defined the "police precinct" TV-series genre of the 1980s with his Hill Street Blues, Steven Bochco did the same for the 1990s with NYPD Blue, which joined the ABC Tuesday-night lineup on September 21, 1993. The setting was New York's fictional 15th Precinct, originally presided over by Lieutenant (and later Captain) Arthur Fancy (James McDaniel). Most of the stories revolved around the cases handled by a team of veteran cops, with one-half of that team represented by the thuggish, moody, emotionally unstable, but occasionally sensitive and sentimental Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Andy's first partner was Det. John Kelly (David Caruso), who was just as tough as Andy but more compassionate. After all but ruining his career by trying to cover up a murder committed by his lover, mob-connected uniformed officer Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman), Kelly retired from the force. Also exiting the 15th around that same time was Kelly's ex-wife, attorney Laura Michaels (Sherry Stringfield), who'd been an eyewitness to the murder of the mob boss who nearly bumped off Sipowicz in the very first episode. Kelly's replacement was Detective Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits), who devoted himself to his work to overcome the recent death of his wife. Like his predecessor, Bobby was the polar opposite of his partner Sipowicz, but the two managed to become friends. Eventually, Bobby would marry again, taking co-worker Det. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) as his bride, but their happiness was tragically brief; by the end of NYPD Blue's 1997-1998 season, Bobby Simone was dead of heart failure. The grieving Diane found brief consolation in the arms of Simone's replacement, Det. Danny Sorenson (Rick Schroder), but eventually transferred out of the 15th. The demise of Bobby was also a crushing blow to Sipowicz, who had already lost his 18-year-old son, Andy Jr. (Michael DeLuise) in a shoot-out. Within the next few years, Andy would endure the death of his erstwhile sweetheart, Assistant DA Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence), and also the passing of Bobby's replacement, Dan Sorenson, who was killed in a botched undercover operation. On a more upbeat note, Andy doted on Theo (Austin Majors), his son by Sylvia Costas; he enjoyed a December-May romance with Det. Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross); and, surprisingly, in light of Andy's homophobia, he developed a close friendship with openly gay administrative aide John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup). Sipowicz also managed to get along with his new partner John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), even though Andy and John Clark Sr. despised each other.
Among the other prominent NYPD Blue characters over the years were Barrio-born Det. James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro), who had a short but torrid affair with Det. Adriene Lesniak (Justine Miceli) before being promoted to sergeant and transferred to another precinct; Martinez's replacement, Det. Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons), who was romantically involved with new Assistant DA Valerie Heywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon); unhappily married Det. James Medavoy (Gordon Clapp), whose main squeeze was voluptuous administrative assistant Donna Abandando (Gail O'Grady) -- at least until Donna quit police work to sign on with a major computer firm; Lt. Tony Rodriguez (Esai Morales), who replaced Lt. Fancy as "skipper" of the 15th precinct; and Det. Rita Ortiz (Jacqueline Obradors), who transferred to the 15th because her husband wanted to get her out of the vice squad. Beyond the above-catalogued intramural relationships and requisite excessive violence, NYPD Blue is best known for breaking down such network-TV taboos as profanity and nudity, though what seemed to be scandalous when the series originally signed on was virtually kid stuff in the early years of the 21st century. Consummately produced, directed, written, and acted, the series had not only ridden high in the ratings ever since its inception, but as of 2003, the program had garnered 15 Emmy awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) run up against a "wall of brass" when they investigate the death of a female Navy officer, who was last seen alive at a wild party. The detectives' only witness is Ensign Evan Walters (Michael Dolan), who claims that he can remember nothing of the events leading up to the woman's death. Resistance to the successful prosecution of the case reaches to the highest levels of Navy bureaucracy -- but assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is determined to break through the official coverup. Future E.R. regular Julianna Margulies is seen as Lt. Ruth Mendoza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When an African-American honors student is found murdered, detectives Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) dig up evidence that the dead girl was stealing from her family to support a drug habit. The number-one suspect is the girl's sleazy crack-dealing boyfriend, but for reasons that defy explanation, he will not plea-bargain with the D.A.'s office. Meanwhile, the search goes on for the missing murder weapon -- or has it been deliberately hidden by a hitherto unsuspected party? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide