The BEST episodes written by Gardner Stern
#1 - Guns 'n Rosaries
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 21
Medavoy tells Donna that he's caught his wife in the act of being unfaithful, so he is moving out. Racial hostilities flare up after Martinez shoots a belligerent black motorist who draws a gun on Medavoy, but the gun is missing. Distressed by recent events, Licalsi searches for direction, John points her to his friend, Father Downey. After talking with him, she then confesses to Fancy that she killed Angelo Marino and his chauffeur and then the circus begins. Sipowicz tries to attend an open meeting.
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#2 - Vishy-Vashy-Vinny
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 11
After discovering a key piece of evidence, Simone gets his chance to question the serial killer suspect. The detectives work on stopping the armored car robbery and then Fancy plays the incriminating tape that he had Vinnie record for him. Haverill is given the choice of retiring or a trial and he elects retirement. Martinez and Lesniak arrest an odd extortionist. James tells Adrianne that he enjoys working with her.
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#3 - Bombs Away
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 15
Bobby and Andy collide with a Rumanian immigrant who has a woman locked in the trunk of his car, later investigation shows him to be a terrorist. While transporting the serial killer out of the station house, the Webster serial killer is shot and his last victim's father is on the premises. Bobby begins to investigate the father and another member of a victim's support group. Greg tries to talk with Dana about his relationship with Donna, but she takes advantage of the situation. James asks Adrianne out for dinner; however, she rejects him because she does not want to be involved in relationship with someone she works with, given her previous history.
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#4 - Liar's Poker
The Practice - Season 6 - Episode 4
Lindsay represents a young man, Martin Jenks, accused of murder. There is only one eyewitness in the case, but Lindsay doesn't believe that she can keep Jenks out of jail. She goes to A.D.A. Ron Lowe and offers a plea bargain, but the deal is rejected. After the eyewitness dies unexpectedly, Lowe then decides to accept the original plea bargain. Lindsay has difficulty convincing her client to plead guilty, but he reluctantly accepts the offer and gets the five-year sentence. When Lindsay discovers that Lowe tricked her, she goes back to the judge and argues that her client should be set free. In a closed-door meeting in the judge's chambers, the judge says that he cannot free Jenks. But the judge also chastises Ron Lowe and D.A. Kenneth Walsh for their unethical behavior. Meanwhile, Jimmy represents a seedy client, Sid Herman (Jeffrey Tambor), who is a bookie. Jimmy has incurred a serious gambling debt, and represents Sid in a hostile divorce as a way of paying off the debt. When Sid's
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#5 - Vanished (2)
The Practice - Season 6 - Episode 6
Chad Baldwin, the boy who was kidnapped 18 years ago, shows up at Bobby's office, along with the woman who raised him, Allison Tucker. She claims that John Pierce ""left"" the boy with her, claiming that the child was his own son. Allison Tucker agrees to testify as part of the trial against John Pierce, and can provide crucial testimony to keep him behind bars. But she is worried that she could also be charged as an accessory to the crime, so she first cuts an immunity deal with the district attorney's office. After she testifies, however, unsettling news is uncovered. According to Allison Tucker's sister, Allison had a few miscarriages, and once threatened to ""go to a hospital and steal a baby."" Bobby believes that Allison Tucker is the real kidnapper, and that she brilliantly framed John Pierce. He shares this news with the Baldwins, who ask that Bobby not tell the district attorney the truth. They are desperate to restore their relationship with their estranged son, and are afraid of
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#6 - A.D.A. Sipowicz
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 22
Two years ago he called her a "pissy little bitch," tomorrow he will call her "Mrs. Sipowicz," pre-wedding jitters put Andy in rare form. Russell's problem makes her miss getting a gun off a suspect and Bobby isn't happy about it; later she admits to having a problem. Fancy's brother, still having trouble with his sergeant and he is being investigated by the IAB, Bobby and the squad work to help clear his name. James goes out with Adrianne. Greg brings his wife to the wedding. Andy Jr. makes it to the ceremony.
#7 - In the Butt, Bob
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 10
Lesniak is flashed, brings the perpetrator in and deals with his "high priced lawyer and shrink," especially when he repeats the offense. Another detective uses his pull to take a possible serial killer case away from Bobby after he brings in a possible suspect. One of Fancy's old contacts, Vinnie Greco, brings in a tip about a couple of guys looking for some heavy hardware to do an armored car job; Sipowicz works with him but the guy is really working for someone else against Fancy. Fancy discovers this and has Vinnie wear a wire for him. Andy invites his son over for dinner and finds out Andy Jr. is joining the Air Force; later, Andy proposes to Sylvia; this time she accepts.
#8 - Y'Gotta Have Heart
Chicago Hope - Season 6 - Episode 2
A heart becomes available for transplant, but there are two patients waiting and Drs. Geiger and Watters must choose which patient will receive the heart. Jeffrey tries to place Alicia into an exclusive kindergarten. Aaron tries to hold a welcoming party for the new doctors.
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#9 - Sorry, Wong Suspect
NYPD Blue - Season 3 - Episode 9
Greg and Marie split up again and she comes down to the station and sees Donna for the first time. Andy is also in the doghouse with Sylvia when he chooses not to accompany her for one of her tests that involves a large needle. Simone and Sipowicz probe the death of a Chinese girl whose leg has a strange marking on it. Martinez and Lesniak look into a robbery case where a woman in a wheelchair lets a man in who claims to be a policeman. Working together on this case gives James an opportunity to find out where Adrianne really stands in her sexuality.
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#10 - Double Abandando
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 7
Donna's sister Dana moves in with her and Greg; later she tries to move in on Greg. Shots are fired at the school across the street, but Bobby doubts the confession of his friend's son, the 11-year-old murder suspect in a gang related shooting. A lothario appears to be targeted by a woman he's infected with HIV, Lesniak and Martinez try to bring him down for reckless endangerment.
#11 - From Whom the Skell Rolls
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 2
IAB begins to investigate Kelly and Sipowicz's busting of the officers they caught robbing drug dealer's apartments, then they begin looking into Kelly's handling of the notebook, that was part of Medavoy's case. Roberts drops by the station with a gift for Kelly. Sipowicz & Kelly investigate a double murder. Licalsi takes the stand in her trial and the verdict comes back. Andy tries to have dinner with Sylvia, but things keep coming up; eventually they get together.
#12 - A Sudden Fish
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 16
Medavoy suffers a stress-related anxiety attack after making into the station. Sipowicz looks into the robbery of a Vietnam veteran, who's confined to a wheelchair. Andy rejects a gift from Sylvia. John starts moonlighting as a bodyguard for his rich friend's girlfriend, but he catches her in the act of being unfaithful. When he confronts her, she tells him that she's being blackmailed, so Kelly meets the blackmailer and advises him not to do it again. Medavoy doesn't want to tell his wife about his problem, which displeases Donna, and he thinks he still may want a divorce. The wheelchair-bound veteran takes his mugger's hostage. Laura invites John out to dinner and tells him about her serious relationship. John is best man at an impromptu wedding.
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#13 - Serge the Concierge
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 19
Robin's husband dies, later she is angry when her husband's will seems to stipulate that Kelly should resume his duties as her bodyguard. Sipowicz must clear his son of a drug pushing charge. The detectives check a garbage dump for a female body but turn up a male. Looking into the male body's murder, Kelly suspects a concierge and the hotelier of conspiring to murder the hotelier's husband.
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#14 - One Big Happy Family
NYPD Blue - Season 3 - Episode 3
Medavoy and Lesniak pair up to identify who's launched a series of vicious attacks on a man. James returns to duty. Simone spots a possible suspect in a series of rapes. Russell tries to maintain her sobriety and it is tested when her parent's domestic problems get out of hand. Lesniak makes it clear to Medavoy she likes James as a friend only, and tells him she is gay, which he tells to James.
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#15 - Doe Re: Me
John Doe - Season 1 - Episode 3
Victims turn up cut in half and the police call in John. DNA leads to a suspect locked up in an asylum who claims he can leave the place in dreams. John tracks the man's twin brother, actually a transsexual, and after another victim turns up he concludes that the twins were separated at birth and the victims are the child-service officials who had them separated and their mother is the one taking revenge. Meanwhile, after hypno-regression therapy fails, John tries dating which doesn't go over well. After a brief sensory-deprivation session with the asylum doctor, Jansen, John has some vague visions but Jansen disappears along with the session tape. The police believe the same killer disposed of Jansen, but we find out he's been killed by the mysterious woman we saw at the end of the previous episode.
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#16 - Student Body
Shark - Season 2 - Episode 5
The search for the bomber of a school campus and the killer of a co-ed leads to a young chemical engineering student who has been sending incriminating letters about exacting revenge on his condescending peers. But when the case is ready to go to trial, Danny is seduced by the student claim of innocence and convinces Sebastian to let him search for another suspect.
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#17 - Tempest in a C-Cup
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 8
Kelly suspects a man of murder but tries to get him to confess to the robbery of four taxicabs, so later they can link him to the murder. Sipowicz arrests a topless dancer for prostitution and she offers to help him get at the owner of the bar who is laundering money for the mob. Laura's partner has questionable ethics and she tries to protect her professional reputation. The squad room gets a new detective's administrative aide, named Miss Abandando. Sipowicz goes on a date with the ADA who he once called a "pissy little bitch."
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#18 - Boxer Rebellion
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - Episode 19
Fancy works with James to help him get ready for the boxing tournament. Simone is attracted to an undercover cop that works with him on an arson sting. A woman that Sipowicz gets to testify in a case is murdered by the men she was going to testify against.
#19 - Showtime
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 17
The trial of Eddie Newman begins but the prosecution's chances of conviction are hampered by a "dream team" of defense attorneys, Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, the public questioning of the relationship between Curtis and Lisa Lundquist, and a surpise accusation.
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#20 - Faith, Hope & Surgery
Chicago Hope - Season 6 - Episode 11
Gina operates on a surgeon who's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
#21 - Lyle & Substance
Las Vegas - Season 3 - Episode 17
A chip thief who was caught by Mike and Danny claims that he met somebody who wants to blow up the Montecito. Wolfgang Puck and Gunther are having a cook-off. Sam hears about a masseur at the Montecito who offers "special treatments."
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#22 - For Whom The Skel Rolls
Shark - Season 2 - Episode 2
Isaac's life is under scrutiny when the closed case of his fiance's murder his re-opened and that Sebastian's team will be conducting the investigation for the DA office. The relation between Raina and Isaac is also getting more complicated since Raina cannot reveal that she is working on this case.
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#23 - Oscar, Meyer, Weiner
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 10
The detectives investigate the brutal murder of an upper class family. Lastarza orders Janice to cooperate with the mob though it results in the death of the person whose plates she ran through the computer. Kelly deals with his relationship with Janice as she tries to keep him out of her current situation. Sipowicz takes the statement of a gay writer whose Academy Award was stolen.
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#24 - 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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#26 - To Protect and Serve Manicotti
Las Vegas - Season 2 - Episode 18
When a local restaurateur (and mother of a Montecito showgirl) is approached by petty mobsters, Ed enlists the support of a long-time friend "Frank the Repairman" (guest star Sylvester Stallone) to quash their extortion attempts. As the two navigate their way through the local mob's hierarchy, Ed discovers that he has a decades-old connection to the ringleader. Elsewhere, Danny and Mike feverishly work to reclaim $100,000 stolen from the casino by a cunning thief. Once the thief's identity is revealed, Danny concocts a clever scheme to make good on the money before Ed discovers the truth. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan (as himself ) visits the casino in search of a little R & R. Sam , Delinda and Nessa who are desperate to be contestants on Joe's show, compete with each other for his attention.
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#27 - Everything Old Is You Again
Las Vegas - Season 3 - Episode 7
Danny imagines to be back in the 60s when the Montecito was called the Jubilee. Ed becomes the new president of the casino. He makes Danny the director of entertainment and Mike the head of security. Mary is a waitress who gets a promotion. Delinda opens a dress shop. And Sam starts out as a call girl.
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#28 - The Lie Is Cast
Las Vegas - Season 2 - Episode 14
Danny's (Josh Duhamel) generous act gets him into trouble with the police and leaves Ed (James Caan) having to clean up the mess. Ed must use old contacts to ensure that an annoying and potentially destructive female guest does not ruin the casino's good name. Meanwhile, Delinda (Molly Sims) enlists the help of a singer to convince her arrogant chef that the restaurant should be open for lunch. Later she realizes that things other than food can attract patrons. Meanwhile Sam (Vanessa Marcil) and Mike (James Lesure) are dispatched to deal with mysterious screams coming from an elderly couple's room.
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#29 - We Like Mike
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 20
A young man who claims to have helped a murdered young man change a flat tire is first the cops' primary suspect, then the prosecutors' chief witness.
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#30 - Turnaround
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 16
Back in New York with their suspect, Briscoe and Curtis try to pin down his schedule on the night of the murder, but find instead that another man was in the area at the right time and more importantly, might have a motive for the crime. But after the issuance of a new arrest warrant, McCoy and Ross have to fly to LA to defend their warrant against attacks by the man's defense counsel, Ross's former husband Neal Gorton.
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#31 - Things That Go Jump in the Night
Las Vegas - Season 1 - Episode 14
When a suicidal hotel guest (guest star Jon Lovitz) declares his life-ending intentions, Danny and Ed race to stop him from taking a flying leap off of the Montecito. Pleading to save the guest's life with the help of a little Vegas magic, Danny and Ed introduce him to the joys of gambling, but their plans backfire when he hits a major winning streak. Meanwhile, Sam lets herself get a little too close to a client only to have her romantic dreams ruined when his fiancée (guest star Paris Hilton) comes to town and Ed struggles with an over-eager security guard.
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#32 - The Count of Montecito
Las Vegas - Season 2 - Episode 2
Danny, Mike and Sam scurry to solve the tactics of a ring of card counters. Meanwhile, Nessa is faced with the return of Fred Puterbaugh (guest star Jon Lovitz) who professes his love and admiration to her, much to her dismay. Elsewhere, Ed and Danny deal with an archeologist's find near the hotel pool that leads to a scam, while Mary, has to give orientation to topless women, employed by the hotel to entertain guests.
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#33 - Degas Away with It
Las Vegas - Season 2 - Episode 9
Ed uses his past connections and some old-school tactics to hunt down the man who stole a priceless work of art from the Montecito. His frantic search for the piece leads to an uncomfortable reunion with his former partner Jack Keller (guest star Alec Baldwin), who cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, Danny and Mike are dispatched to deal with a fight between their tenants and find themselves smack in the middle of a lovers' quarrel. Elsewhere, Sam puts together an exotic weekend for a young couple in love that ends with only Sam smiling.
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#34 - Devoted Attachment
Chicago Hope - Season 6 - Episode 18
McNeil's friend is shot. Pancreatic cancer effects one of the conjoined twins that have entered the hospital.
#35 - D-Girl
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 15
A headless corpse fished out of the river sends Briscoe and Curtis out to Los Angeles to obtain a blood sample from their chief suspect while McCoy and Ross back in New York try to obtain a court order for the procedure.
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#36 - Family Business
Law & Order - Season 7 - Episode 8
The murder of Richard Speigel, chief financial officer for an exclusive, family-owned department store goes from the sitting room to the bedroom and into the board room as suspicion shifts from co-workers to family members.
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#37 - Abandando Abandoned
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 13
Medavoy leaves his wife and tells Donna about his feelings for her, which it turns out are mutual. An academy classmate of Kelly's joins the squad; then Sipowicz and Kelly investigate the death of her husband, whom was an ex-cop trying to stop a robbery on her first day at the 15th precinct. An alcoholic woman keeps lodging complaints with Kelly against her husband that she never follows through with, later she confesses to killing him.
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#38 - Jumpin' Jack Fleishman
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - Episode 14
Medavoy and Martinez work a strangulation murder case that appears to be the work of a cross-dresser. Andy has a bad tooth, hates needles, and tries to prevent a dentist from jumping off a 28th floor ledge; he fails. LaSalle's first case involves a woman who was raped and she, John, Andy, Janice and Licalsi's hot-headed new partner try to catch the most probable suspect; however the hot-head blows the bust. Lois tries to reconcile her relationship with Andy.
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#39 - Sons and Lovers
Las Vegas - Season 1 - Episode 19
When one of the Montecito's guests wins big, his wallet is snatched before he can indulge in his winnings, forcing Danny , Sam and Ed to search the premises for the thieves. When the wallet is graciously returned, Danny and Sam give the Good Samaritan a priceless reward. Elsewhere, there is a suspicious machine on the floor with an unusually high payout pattern, and it's up to the Montecito's security team to figure out if it's a defective machine or a strategically deceiving guest. Meanwhile, Ed's thoughts are preoccupied with jealousy and suspicion when he finds out that Jillian (Cheryl Ladd) has been hanging out with the artist playing at the Montecito, Marc McGrath (as himself) and an overzealous agent pesters Mary trying to get her talent-less client a gig at the Montecito.
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#40 - Fleeting Cheating Meeting
Las Vegas - Season 4 - Episode 10
Nicole one of Ed's former employees comes to the Montecito for her first wedding anniversary with her husband Ollie. Ed becomes suspicious of him and makes Mike and Danny watch him. Also Mary and Sam start fighting as they can't decide which guests are more important to get "OK GO'S" tickets.
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#42 - Fake The Money And Run
Las Vegas - Season 3 - Episode 2
The casino has reopened. Ed and Mike work on a case of counterfeit casino chips. Per his accountant's suggestion, Danny must sell his father's house. Later, Danny's accountant is part of a poker game where one of the players is a man who robs one of the casino's guests. Monica Mancuso, the new owner, wants a dealer to be fired because he keeps dealing winning hands to the players.
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