The BEST episodes directed by Matthew Penn
#1 - Fade Out
New York Undercover - Season 3 - Episode 13
A 13-year-old boy has a videotape of a murder. Torres and Williams try to protect him, but it's complicated when the boy's mother turns out to be one of JC's old girlfriends. Musical performance by Aaliyah.
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#2 - Less is Morte
NYPD Blue - Season 9 - Episode 18
Clark Jr. readies himself for next week's fight with Laughlin. Sipowicz meets with Rodriguez and tells him what Martens told him. Sipowicz leaves promising to be in touch. Sipowicz and company start investigating an armored car robbery, where one of the drivers was killed when one of his drivers gets into a shootout with the three criminals. Clark Jr.'s informant, Julian Pisano is brought in to see if he's heard anything about the armored car robbery. Before he tells them anything, he wants them to see if they can recover his video equipment for his "Guys Gone Nuts" videotape. They tell him about the reward and he mentions a guy who was looking for a shotgun. McDowell and Ortiz start looking into the death of a woman whose body was found in a garbage truck. Sipowicz tells Clark Jr. about his upcoming vacation plans and then they talk about his relationship with McDowell. Then they spot Julian seemingly playing on the other side of their case. McDowell reports to their interim
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#3 - Twin Petes
NYPD Blue - Season 5 - Episode 13
Bobby, Diane (and later Andy) investigate two stickup murders held at ATMs. When they get a line on a possible suspect, they use Jill to appeal to his mother to help them reach out to him. Meanwhile, Greg attempts to sort out a case where he can't determine if there really is a twin, when a man comes in to report that his twin brother has threatened violence against his former girlfriend. All along, Andy contends with a medical problem involving his prostate and he is less than forthcoming with what the doctor has told him about his condition. Sylvia tells Andy that she is ready to get back to work.
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#4 - Seminal Thinking
NYPD Blue - Season 5 - Episode 21
Bobby and Diane talk about making a long-term commitment to each other. At a murder scene a couple of bodies are found and Medavoy is disgusted by the amount of semen found on one of the corpses. One body belongs to a car salesman and the other to a prostitute. Simone and Sipowicz look into the car salesman's death. The other detectives look into the prostitute's death. While Andy seems to be fully recovered from his surgery, the results of a recent blood test are not entirely favorable and he is nervous about telling Sylvia. The MO of the suspected perp in the prostitute's murder is to buy used condoms from a prostitute and then mix the spent semen with his own to cover his crime. However, Medavoy gets tough and is clever with the perp during the interview. Meanwhile, the uniforms bring a man into Simone and Sipowicz. They can tie the man to their victim, but are convinced that the man's honest account of the event leading to the shooting is true. Realizing that the man wasn't capable
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#5 - Cicatriz
Queen of the South - Season 1 - Episode 13
Teresa risks her life to protect Güero’s book by any means necessary. Camila’s takeover becomes rocky and Epifanio gets new intel that changes everything.
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New York Undercover - Season 2 - Episode 22
Williams investigate the murder of his son's tutor.
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#7 - Road to Nowhere
Detroit 1-8-7 - Season 1 - Episode 13
When a respected philanthropist is found dead in his car, Detective Fitch is the main suspect; three murder victims are found on a bus.
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#8 - Invaders
Law & Order - Season 16 - Episode 22
The family of a man who once turned his customers into the police is slain, and the ensuing fracas pits McCoy against a corrupt D.E.A. agent.
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#9 - Sleep Over
NYPD Blue - Season 7 - Episode 14
Sipowicz and Sorenson investigate a robbery that's turned into a murder. A former traffic cop, who is now working as a security guard for the daughter of the victims, makes their investigation. Sorenson's street informant J.B. has info about the case and Sorenson is still disappointed by J.B.'s continued drug use. A wealthy woman, Kathleen Gallagher, comes to the squad to report to Medavoy and Jones that her former housekeeper has been evasive about the circumstances regarding her baby's death. With Russell and Kirkendall they interview the housekeeper who claims that she and her husband don't know where the baby is buried. The husband says that he doesn't know where the baby is and it didn't matter to him as the baby wasn't his, but rather the baby was the son of his wife's boss. J.B.'s information is good and the case is easily put down. Later, Danny takes J.B. to stay in his apartment in an attempt to help him get clean again; however, Mary, who was waiting in Danny's apartment for
#10 - Borderline
Fairly Legal - Season 2 - Episode 11
Kate and Ben settle a dispute in Lake Tahoe; Lauren helps Justin with an impossible case.
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#11 - About Face
Royal Pains - Season 4 - Episode 6
HankMed treats an absentminded country club manager while Evan, with Paige's help, lands the business opportunity he's always dreamed of.
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#12 - All in the Family
Royal Pains - Season 6 - Episode 2
Hank worries a rising tennis star’s health may prevent her from taking her career to the next level, while a fellow pro at her club may have fallen ill from an unexpected source. Later Hank and Evan adjust to a startling revelation about Eddie’s past. And Evan and Paige reach a new milestone. Elsewhere Jeremiah finds peace in an odd place.
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#13 - A Man Called Grandpa
Royal Pains - Season 3 - Episode 5
In order to save Eddie's chance at parole, Evan attempts to curry favor with his newfound grandfather at the horse races, but his luck runs out when he and Hank discover the real reason they've never met Ted.
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#14 - Raphael's Inferno
NYPD Blue - Season 6 - Episode 14
Sorenson's sister, Lori comes to town and spends the day in the city trying to hook up with him. However, he and Sipowicz are investigating the murder of a nine-year-old girl who was found murdered in the basement of the building where she lived. The building's superintendent is only interested in getting his tools back. Sipowicz and Sorenson find the tools in the possession of a tenant of the building who has his own passageway into the basement. Meanwhile, Medavoy and Martinez investigate the case of an elderly man who comes to the precinct claiming he's been embezzled by his young girlfriend through influence by a friend of hers. The detectives debate about how to tell the old man about the nature of "girl" who's been giving him great pleasure. Dolores Mayo's long estranged father comes looking to visit her, Diane and Jill give him the news of her death.
#15 - Bad Blood
New York Undercover - Season 2 - Episode 15
Williams and Torres investigate the murder of a free-lance writer. Moreno gets a visit by her missing husband.
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#16 - Open Season
Law & Order - Season 13 - Episode 7
A defense attorney who managed the acquittal of the defendant in the attempted murder of a cop is gunned down outside a Manhattan restaurant. The detectives start with police officers in the precinct of the injured officer, then to his brother, before they are led to a white supremacist who is part of a national network. McCoy is faced with the unlikely prospect that the defendant's attorney, his friend of 20 years and a friend of the slain lawyer, played a part in the murder of a Florida district attorney following the defendant's arrest. McCoy is able to make a deal that perserves the integrity of his adversary, but not without a cost.
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#17 - Born to Run
Rizzoli & Isles - Season 1 - Episode 7
The Boston Marathon turns into a crime scene when a shooter begins targeting runners. Racing to catch the killer before another shooting, Jane and Maura must conduct their investigation in secret so as not to cause a mass panic.
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#18 - C.O.D.
Law & Order - Season 14 - Episode 24
Briscoe bids farewell to the 27 as the prosecution of two women for killing each other's husbands comes to a successful conclusion.
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#19 - Crazy Like a Witness
In Plain Sight - Season 4 - Episode 2
Mary's paranoid witness wants to reconnect with his son.
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#20 - Punk
Law & Order - Season 9 - Episode 8
The murder of a corrections officer leads detectives to a women's prison where a guard was linked to an inmate Carmichael put away on drug charges and a confrontation with defense attorney Danielle Melnick.
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#21 - Bad Rap
NYPD Blue - Season 4 - Episode 19
Simone and Sipowicz catch a very early morning case involving a shooting with a rap artist who refuses to cooperate in identification of the perp. His lack of cooperation and a very tired (and a sometimes slaphappy) Andy makes for a very interesting investigation. Abby tells Greg what was on her and Kathy's mind; they are looking for a donation that will get Abby pregnant. Off. Szymanski implies that Fancy was one of the ones responsible for his being set-up and caught in the alleged theft of a drug dealer's money. Fancy conducts his own investigation. Later, Bobby is propositioned by the Feds to help them with their ongoing investigation into the affairs of Joey Salvo. Greg tells Abby his decision concerning her proposal.
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#22 - Fluency
Law & Order - Season 15 - Episode 14
Fontana and Green are baffled by a series of flu-related deaths until they discover that the victims were given fake vaccine. McCoy goes after the con man who distributed the vaccine for murder.
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#23 - Saviors
House - Season 5 - Episode 21
Cameron postpones her vacation with Chase in order to ask House to accept the case of an environmental radical who collapsed at a protest with unexplainable symptoms. Although suspicious of her motives, House agrees. Since she pushed him to take the case so emphatically, House forces Cameron to take the lead and run many of the tests on the patient. Meanwhile, House is unsure of Wilson’s new healthy diet.
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#24 - The Shaw/Hank Redemption
Royal Pains - Season 3 - Episode 4
On a trip to Florida to attend Eddie's parole hearing, Hank and Evan find him in the company of an ex-con seeking spiritual salvation whose erratic behavior has Hank worried.
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#25 - The Haircut
Unforgettable - Season 3 - Episode 3
After releasing a salacious story about the director of the NSA, a reporter is murdered; Agent Simms comes back to help Carrie; Al reconnects with an ex who might be able to assist with the case.
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#26 - A Bridge Not Quite Far Enough
Royal Pains - Season 6 - Episode 3
Hank, Evan and Paige try to help Eddie have a relationship with Emma; Hank treats a private investigator; Divya must find a nanny; Jeremiah makes a friend.
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#27 - A Hit Is a Hit
The Sopranos - Season 1 - Episode 10
Tony has a disheartening experience when he tries to strike up new friendships in the civilian world. Christopher and Adriana try their hand in the music recording business, but their plans backfire in their faces.
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#28 - Empire
Law & Order - Season 9 - Episode 20
The death of a corporate mogul caused by an overdose of a sexual performance-enhancing drug leads to a case with a witness that puts Curtis in a compromising position.
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#31 - Blood Donut
Orange Is the New Black - Season 1 - Episode 7
Piper wants the prison's outdoor running track reopened, but in order to get it, she'll have to give her corrections officer something he wants.
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#32 - Locomotion
Law & Order - Season 15 - Episode 24
After a man causes a massive train crash that results in multiple deaths, McCoy tries to prosecute him for murder despite his insanity defense. But McCoy finds himself hampered by a defense attorney whose own agenda may undercut that of his client.
#33 - Cuarenta Minutos
Queen of the South - Season 1 - Episode 2
Teresa has to prove her worth to Camila. Meanwhile, Epifanio gets closer in his hunt for Teresa. Back in Mexico, Brenda desperately tries to find Teresa and hide from the cartel.
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#34 - Amends
Law & Order - Season 11 - Episode 7
Under pressure from the department's top brass, a 20-year-old murder case, initally investigated by Briscoe's now retired boss, is reopened involving the slaying of a teen-age girl with the spoiled son of a politically connected family as the prime suspect.
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#35 - Talking Points
Law & Order - Season 17 - Episode 13
The shooting of university student Jason Miles at a political rally hosted by controversial speaker Judith Barlow leaves any number of suspects, but after Green and Cassady prove that two of the people they've questioned are lying about their alibis, they turn their attention to Malcom Yates, a grad student who claimed to be with Jason's girlfriend at the time of his death. McCoy and Rubirosa realise that Yates went after Barlow because of her open criticism of stem-cell research, something that Yates had high hopes could help find a cure for his own Parkinsons.
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#36 - Corruption
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 5
Curtis, angered by the attitude of an old colleague of Briscoe's, looks beyond the findings of an IAB investigation and turns up evidence of police corruption that puts the DA's office into competition with an ambitious judge and Briscoe under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup.
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#37 - Cruel and Unusual
Law & Order - Season 5 - Episode 19
The death of an autistic youth in custody reveals a multitude of unusual and possibly illegal therapies being used, but also parents reluctant to pursue a prosecution.
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#38 - The All-American
Bluff City Law - Season 1 - Episode 6
Sydney and Elijah try two separate cases for ex-college football star Marcus Wright, who is dying. Della is presented with a lifetime achievement award from the LGBTQ community.
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#39 - Ramparts
Law & Order - Season 9 - Episode 11
Briscoe and Curtis reopen a case that was closed in the '60s when a vehicle is dredged from the Hudson River containing the remains of a murdered man.
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#40 - Suicide Box
Law & Order - Season 13 - Episode 16
A media-savvy attorney defends a black teenager accused of shooting an off-duty policy officer.
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#41 - Paradigm
Law & Order - Season 15 - Episode 1
An Iraqi immigrant who murders a former military policewoman in retaliation for torturing her brother at Abu Ghraib prison claims that she is covered as an enemy combatant under the terms of the Geneva Convention.
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#42 - Role Models
Golden Boy (2013) - Season 1 - Episode 4
When a police officer who worked with Owen and Arroyo is killed while moonlighting for a rap mogul, Clark is called to investigate. Meanwhile, Clark threatens to expose Arroyo and McKenzie's relationship.
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#43 - Blood Money
Law & Order - Season 10 - Episode 8
A taxi driver finds that his passenger is dead, leading the detectives to a case involving an insurance scam and Holocaust victims.
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#44 - Humiliation
Law & Order - Season 6 - Episode 7
The investigation into a prostitute's murder leads to a married plastic surgeon as the obvious suspect, but Kincaid has a hunch that an elaborate frame-up is in play.
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#45 - Double Blind
The Closer - Season 4 - Episode 15
Brenda and Fritz's attention is diverted by problems on the job even though their wedding day has finally arrived, and bad blood between the members of the Priority Homicide Division threatens to cause one of the officers to leave the department.
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#46 - Model Behavior
Blue Bloods - Season 1 - Episode 19
Danny and Jackie investigate the cut-throat world of fashion after Linda’s runway model niece and a reporter are poisoned at a fashion show.
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#47 - Red Ball
Law & Order - Season 16 - Episode 1
A young girl is abducted in broad daylight, and the only link to the girl is an ex-convict who wants a deal before he's willing to talk.
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#48 - Attorney Client
Law & Order - Season 12 - Episode 22
The wife of an attorney with many disgruntled clients is killed but the detectives believe that he was the intended target as he was willing to reveal information despite confidentially agreements. As the investigation continues, his tumultuous love life is exposed and the prosecutors are suspicious of his desire to return to the courtroom.
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#50 - Encore
Law & Order - Season 6 - Episode 15
A jogger killed in Central Park turns out to be the second wife of a former comedy club owner, who was acquitted of killing his first wife. And convicting him this time may hinge on tracing the path of a Columbian coin used as a subway token slug.
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