Perry Lang

From the creators of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider came this weekly, 60-minute ABC adventure-fantasy series. The titular Veritas was a high-tech archeological team headed by brilliant scientist Solomon Zond (Alex Carter) and his long-estranged teenaged son Nikko (Ryan Merriman). As the two Zonds awkwardly tried to reconnect after so many years apart, they also embarked upon thrill-packed missions aimed at solving the riddles of long-dead civilizations. Helping Solomon and Nikko in their quest (and also dodging innumerable villains and mercenaries along the way) were gorgeous female computer geek Maggie (Cynthia Martells), narrow-visioned pedant Calvin (Eric Balfour) and Solomon's raffish buddy Vincent (Arnold Vosloo). Veritas: The Quest debuted January 27, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Writer and director John Sayles returns with another multi-layered look at an American community, subtly exploring how race, class, economics, and both national and regional history come together to shape people's lives. Plantation Island is a community on the coast of Florida; the island was once a notorious hotbed of segregationists, with most of the African-American population centered in the neighborhood of Lincoln Beach, while Delrona Beach is primarily home to white residents. Marly Temple (Edie Falco) is the sixth generation of her family to live in Delrona Beach, where she helps run a motel and cafe owned by her elderly and ill-tempered father (Ralph Waite) and drama instructor mother (Jane Alexander). Marly's former husband, Steve (Richard Edson), is a scruffy ne'er do well who's a sucker for get-rich-quick scams, while her current boyfriend, Scotty (Marc Blucas), is struggling to make something of himself as a golf pro. Meanwhile, Desiree Perry (Angela Bassett) is an actress who is returning to Lincoln Beach for the first time since she was a teenager, hoping to introduce her new husband, Reggie (James McDaniel), to her mother, Eunice Stokes (Mary Alice). Desiree was the center of a minor local scandal when she became pregnant as a teenager and moved away. Eunice has never quite forgiven her, while Flash (Tom Wright), Desiree's high school boyfriend and the man responsible, hasn't seen her since. Eunice is looking after Terrell (Alex Lewis), a troubled youth recently found guilty of arson, and Desiree and Reggie soon find themselves bonding with the misguided youth. In time, Delrona Beach and Lincoln Beach are brought together by a common concern; Greg (Perry Lang) and Lester (Miguel Ferrer) are representatives from a nearby resort community looking to expand, with Plantation Island looking like their most likely target. As homeowners debate whether to sell or stay put, local government officials and the town's business community argue the merits and faults of the resort's expansion into Plantation Island. Meanwhile, Marly becomes romantically involved with Jack (Timothy Hutton), a landscape architect affiliated with the developers who seems to believe his work is doing more harm than good. Sunshine State also features Mary Steenburgen, Alan King, and Bill Cobbs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Hoping to someday run her own business, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) is delighted with the abandoned inn located by Rachel (Lisa Ann Hadley). (Incidentally, the set used for this inn was a virtual landmark on the Paramount backlot, having previously done service as the family home on The Waltons.) But there may be an emotional price tag to all this: Rachel wants Lorelai to put in a good word with Luke (Scott Patterson) on her behalf. Elsewhere, Emily briefly casts aside her high heels in favor of sneakers when she is given her first guided tour of Stars Hollow. And weird, old Rune (Max Perlich), whom Lorelai had dated a few episodes back, makes a return appearance. ~ All Movie Guide

Still under suspicion for the murder of a nurse, ill-tempered cop Tommy Richardson (Michael Wiseman) is transferred to another precinct. Still hoping to get the goods on Richardson, Bobby (Jimmy Smits) and Diane (Kim Delaney) persuade Tommy's abused wife, Laurie (Charlotte Ross), to wear a wire. In another case, the body of a shooting victim is found in the bathtub of his former girlfriend, whose father has been seriously injured in a freak accident involving an electric chain saw. And when his CAT scan tests yield discouraging results, Andy (Dennis Franz) decides to react quickly -- by changing doctors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Investigating the murder of a young woman who was burned to death, leaving only a tattoo as identification, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) receives unexpectedly helpful input from veteran cop Vince Gotelli (Carmine Caridi). Meanwhile, Medavoy (Gordon Clapp), endeavoring to steer clear of his marital problems, pulls a double shift, volunteering to protect a numbers runner who's been targeted for extermination. As Medavoy and his charge get to know each other, a friendly game of poker develops -- with not-so-friendly results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fresh from the recently closed South Side hospital, new ER chief of staff Anspaugh (John Aylward) imperiously asserts his authority by imposing patient quotas on each doctor. Though they resent Anspaugh, the staff is more politely inclined to the other South Side expatriates, doctors Abby Keaton (Glenne Headly) and Maggie Doyle (Jorja Fox). Elsewhere, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) has trouble keeping her HIV-positive status a secret from Weaver (Laura Innes), while Benton (Eriq La Salle) is uncertain that Jeanie should even continue working; and Greene (Anthony Edwards) is taken aback when Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) suggests that they both take a vacation to Hawaii. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mare Winningham stars as a sister determined to find out the truth in this fact-based made-for-television drama. Patricia Arquette stars as an FBI informant who has a secret affair with a married agent (Stephen Webber). When her older sister Dana (Winningham) admonishes her to be careful, she refuses to heed the warning and plunges deeper into the relationship, which unfortunately has deadly consequences. TV-movie veteran Winningham is good as always and Arquette and Webber are a believable duo. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the 1994 exchange-of-murders melodrama Dead On, this 1991 film was originally shipped out under the title Relentless 2: Dead On. You may recall that in the first Relentless in 1989, Judd Nelson starred as a serial killer. Nelson isn't around for the sequel, though two of his near-victims, a mother (Meg Foster) and her son (Leo Rossi), make return appearances. Relentless 2 elaborates on the possible aftereffects of Nelson's psychotic behavior, as manifested in young Rossi. Could the kid have learned too much about the inner workings of a murderer's mind? The premise is a workable one, and the film makes the most of it, with several genuinely frightening setpieces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic drama set on the Hawaiian Islands, a police detective pursues both some ruthless criminal and a comely prosecuting attorney. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Anthony John Denison stars as Carmine DeCarlo, a man trying to break free of familial mob ties after his middle-aged lover (Anne Francis) dies. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Writer/director John Sayles' dramatization of the most infamous episode in professional sports -- the fix of the 1919 World Series -- is considered by many to be among his best films and arguably the best baseball movie ever made. This adaptation of Eliot Asinof's definitive study of the scandal shows how athletes of another era were a different breed from the well-paid stars of later years. The Chicago White Sox owner, Charlie Comiskey (Clifton James), is portrayed as a skinflint with little inclination to reward his team for their spectacular season. When a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein (Michael Lerner) gets wind of the players' discontent, it offers a select group of stars -- including pitcher Eddie Cicotte (Sayles regular David Strathairn), infielder Buck Weaver (John Cusack), and outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (D. B. Sweeney) -- more money to play badly than they would have earned to try to win the Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Sayles cast the story with actors who look and perform like real jocks, and added a colorful supporting cast that includes Studs Terkel as reporter Hugh Fullerton and Sayles himself as Ring Lardner. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide