The Best Episodes Written By René Balcer

Every TV Episode Written by René Balcer Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters

  1. Background image for The Insider
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #1 - The Insider

    S1:E13

    When the father of a young woman who has been out all night clubbing is found dead in his boat house, Goren and Eames investigate the mysterious club owner only to realise that he is an undercover FBI agent and that the Bureau will not risk their undercover operation even to stop a killer.

    Director:Jan Egleson
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  2. Background image for Dead
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #2 - Dead

    S2:E1

    The murder of a mortician and the discovery of corpses at a crematorium lead the detectives to a family man claiming to have a consulting business but suspected of being a contract killer with a penchant for perfection. Goren attempts to prove this by setting up a scheme that puts his "fear of making a mistake" in jeopardy.

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  3. Background image for But not Forgotten
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - But not Forgotten

    S3:E4

    When a bookkeeper goes missing, Goren and Eames are led back to the death of her brother, a hitman, two years earlier. An imprisoned mobster seems to be their best bet, but when another body turns up it takes the case to a whole new level.

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  4. Background image for Weeping Willow
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #4 - Weeping Willow

    S6:E10

    The kidnapping of a popular video blogger and her boyfriend--which is witnessed live on the Internet--seems suspicious to Logan and Wheeler.

    Director:Tom DiCillo
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  5. Background image for Amends
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - Amends

    S7:E1

    Eames re-opens the case into her husband's murder.

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  6. Background image for Last Rites
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Last Rites

    S7:E21

    Logan jeopardizes his and Wheeler's careers when a priest convinces him to re-open a murder case that's over a decade old which involves a politically-aspiring ADA who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

    Director:Tom DiCillo
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  7. Background image for The Faithful
    8.7/10(3 votes)

    #7 - The Faithful

    S1:E4

    Goren and Eames investigate the death of church sexton Morris Abernathy but soon find their chief suspect, Kevin Donovan, dead in his apartment. After realising that someone performed last rites over Donovan's body, the police realise that a priest was involved in the murder, and are led to a priest who has been desperately trying to keep a twenty-year-old secret hidden. Goren risks the prosecution's case by protecting an innocent third party who could lose everything if their own secret comes out.

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  8. Background image for Art
    8.5/10(4 votes)

    #8 - Art

    S1:E2

    When a museum curator and an art authenticator are found dead in what was set up to look like a murder-suicide, Goren and Eames follow the clues and realise that the deaths are linked to the sale of numerous art forgeries. Their investigation hits a dead end when they're unable to locate the forger until Goren seeks the help of another forger.

    Director:David Platt
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  9. Background image for Enemy Within
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #9 - Enemy Within

    S1:E10

    The death of an eccentric banker in his nintieth floor apartment leads the detectives to investigate his professional contacts and family members.

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  10. Background image for Homo Homini Lupis
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #10 - Homo Homini Lupis

    S1:E14

    When an business executive's wife and two daughters are kidnapped for a loanshark because the loan hasn't been paid off, Goren and Eames are frustrated by the man's lack of cooperation, which stymies them further when the man's released daughter proves to have been sexually assaulted.

    Director:David Platt
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  11. Background image for Untethered
    8.5/10(2 votes)

    #11 - Untethered

    S7:E9

    Goren investigates when his nephew, a prisoner who's bipolar, claims that inmates are being abused to the point of murder.

    Director:Ken Girotti
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  12. Background image for Bad Faith
    8.4/10(8 votes)

    #12 - Bad Faith

    S5:E20

    Logan relives unhappy childhood memories when a friend is found dead, a presumed suicide, until the investigation reveals recent contact with a former priest, with a history of pedophilia.

    Director:Dann Florek
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  13. Background image for Poison
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #13 - Poison

    S1:E7

    The detectives investigate a murderer who poisons hospital victims with cyanide. They suspect a nurse whose profile is typical, but when they discover more murders away from the hospital they have to widen their search.

    Director:Gloria Muzio
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  14. Background image for World's Fair
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #14 - World's Fair

    S6:E11

    The death of a young, pregnant Pakistani woman leads Logan and Wheeler to question the man she was secretly dating, as well as both his and the victim's disapproving relatives.

    Director:Steve Shill
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  15. Background image for Suite Sorrow
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    #15 - Suite Sorrow

    S2:E12

    After the tyrannical owner of a Manhattan luxury hotel is found submerged in her bathtub, evidence seems increasingly to indicate that the woman's death was the work of her deeply frustrated, long-suffering daughter.

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  16. Background image for Smothered
    8.3/10(4 votes)

    #16 - Smothered

    S1:E3

    After the body of Lois Romney is found in a hotel room, Goren and Eames link her to Dale Van Acker, a junkie and the son of wealthy scion Priscilla Van Acker. Van Acker strongly disapproved of her son's pregnant fiancée, which leads Goren and Eames to suspect she may have wanted to get rid of the girl on a permanent basis.

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  17. Background image for Trust
    8.0/10(10 votes)

    #17 - Trust

    S2:E15

    Stone is determined to see that a teenage boy doesn't get away with murder twice when the young man is brought to trial for the shooting death of one of his friends.

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  18. Background image for Mayhem
    8.0/10(10 votes)

    #18 - Mayhem

    S4:E17

    During a 24-hour period, Briscoe and Logan have a heavy caseload that includes 5 unrelated murders and a domestic quarrel, which results in the maiming of the husband.

    Director:N/A
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  19. Background image for Showtime
    8.0/10(6 votes)

    #19 - Showtime

    S7:E17

    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 surprise accusation.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
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  20. Background image for One
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #20 - One

    S1:E1

    Goren and Eames are called in when a jewelry heist leaves behind three bodies. After ruling out mafia involvement, they realise that the thefts are directly connected to recent credit card thefts and stolen identities. They're led to an extremely charismatic thief, and their only hope is convincing one of his partners to turn on him.

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  21. Background image for The Extra Man
    8.0/10(4 votes)

    #21 - The Extra Man

    S1:E6

    When a European con man is found beaten to death, the detectives look for the investors he swindled, learning quickly that the man also had relations with their wives.

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  22. Background image for Semi-Professional
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #22 - Semi-Professional

    S1:E15

    The detectives investigate the murder of a judge's clerk, with their attention initially going to the judge himself, who had been having an affair with the young woman.

    Director:Gloria Muzio
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  23. Background image for Phantom
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #23 - Phantom

    S1:E16

    The detectives investigate a slain bank robber and check out his sister, who is involved with a bogus United Nations economist. As the detectives close in on the suspect, Goren learns the suspect wants his children's approval and must stop him before any more murders.

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  24. Background image for Anti-Thesis
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #24 - Anti-Thesis

    S2:E3

    As Goren and Eames sift through the likely suspects in the murder of a university president and his assistant, they discover that the culprit is a wily adversary who has more than these crimes to hide.

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  25. Background image for Best Defense
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #25 - Best Defense

    S2:E4

    The detectives follow the trail when an assistant district attorney confronts and kills a hired gunman following a series of death threats. They first suspect his wife, a prominent defense attorney, through a convict whose case was being prosecuted by the A.D.A. and the rumors of her romantic affairs. When they realise that there are cracks in their seemingly airtight case, Goren has to keep Carver in the dark about some details to prove his theory.

    Director:Gloria Muzio
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René Balcer Ratings Summary

"The Insider" is the best rated episode written by René Balcer. It scored 9/10 based on 2 votes. It was directed by Jan Egleson. It aired on 1/27/2002 and is rated 0.0 points higher than their second-best episode, "Dead".