Before NCIS, Sean Murray Starred in an Underrated TV Movie

For the 21 years that NCIS has been airing on CBS, Timothy McGee has been one of the most consistent faces in the military police program. Alongside other classic agents like Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Anthony Dinozzo, Abby Sciuto, and Ziva David, McGee’s time as a field agent really cemented him as a fan-favorite for the show. Starting from the Season 15 conclusion (and on), the same character ends up leading the current team when Dinozzo definitively resigns from the division. Not only did this restructuring make sense with regard to the show’s plot at the time, but actor Sean Murray’s dedication and focus towards the role had to be a factor towards giving him the head placement.

Looking back at his filmography, though, it’s easy to see where his tremendous acting comes from — the man has starred in a long list of made-for-TV movies. One of these peculiar dramas tends to stick out above the rest, and it’s not only because it stars a young Murray but also because it serves as a sequel of sorts to one of the most important short stories of American literature. Written by horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson in the late 1940s, The Lottery is a fictional yet eerie tale of a small town that holds a terrible secret.

The Lottery Is About a Man Trying to Solve His Mother’s Death

On June 27th of every single year, a person is chosen at random to be stoned to death in the town square. According to the community’s annual rite, this death will spiritually ensure the most bountiful harvests for the town’s prosperity. Suffice it to say that Jackson has a way with words. Both children and adults prepare for this sadistic event in such a casual and hypnotic way that the reader is left with nothing but chills. The cruel ending slowly reveals one mother’s disastrous fate as well as all the people’s twisted cores in plain sight. Shockingly, all of what you have just read is just the initial set-up for the movie that Murray stars in, a small-screen expansive re-telling of The Lottery.

While it is never made explicitly clear if this TV movie is the intended sequel, actor Dan Cortese plays Jason Smith, who is investigating his mother’s death in the small town of New Hope, Pennsylvania. Once situated, he comes across a cast of friendly and not-so-friendly townspeople. This includes Keri Russell’s Felice Dunbar (the inn owner’s daughter), Sean Murray’s Henry Watkins (the gas station attendant), William Sheppard’s Mayor Warner, and William Daniels’ Reverend Hutchinson (Mr. Feenie from Boy Meets World).

Even before Jason starts on his journey, he suffers from nightmares that depict his own mother being stoned. He just doesn’t know that that’s the truth behind what happened. Everyone he comes across makes up some lie because they’d much rather protect this hellish tradition than atone for their collective sin. Jason begins a relationship with Felice toward the latter half of the movie, and even she won’t budge on his mother’s demise. Before our main character starts connecting the dots, though, Henry helps clear things up.

This Version of The Lottery Is Darker

As mentioned before, Sean Murray has a minor part (as opposed to his grand placement in the more modern CBS drama). Even though the young mechanic seems to be the only one around who opposes the lottery, intimidation by the sheriff’s men keeps him in line. The few scenes in which he does have time to interact with Jason before being interrupted are more than enough to show that this town is on the brink of fanatical lunacy (with its religious-like killings).

But as with any other slow-building suspense movie, the calls go unanswered, and our main character ends up in more danger than he bargained for. Murray plays his part with no hesitation, bringing forth the only decent mind who can’t do anything about the derelict town he lives in. The tension seen by Murray in this adaptation is something he definitely evolved for the 20-plus seasons of NCIS.

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Besides Murray’s role in this adaptation, director Daniel Sackheim’s take on The Lottery continued the dark themes first present in the short story. This was surprising because the movie originally aired on NBC, which is typically a family-friendly station. Not only does the cult-like custom continue by the end of the film, and another townsperson is put to death by stoning, but the main character also becomes mentally and emotionally tortured by the ones who are in charge.

His car is set on fire, his mother’s ashes are stolen, and the finale of the movie shows Jason being sent to the same corrupt psychiatrist that his own father was assigned to, which means that New Hope’s evil reign reaches a lot farther than we all thought. If you want to see actor Sean Murray in one of his earlier roles, or you want to see a much underrated small-screen continuation of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, this late ’90s NBC movie can be watched on YouTube for free!