The Closer Explained

Composer:James S. Levine
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:7
Num Episodes:109
List Episodes:List of The Closer episodes
Runtime:42–60 minutes
Network:TNT
Related:Major Crimes

The Closer is an American police procedural television series starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a closer—an interrogator who not only solves a case, but also obtains confessions that lead to convictions, thus "closing" the case. The series ran on TNT from June 13, 2005, to August 13, 2012.

The Closer was created by James Duff and the Shephard/Robin Company in association with Warner Bros. Television. On July 11, 2011, the series began its seventh and final season, having finished its sixth season as cable's highest-rated drama.[1] The Closers final six episodes began airing on July 9, 2012, with its finale airing on August 13, 2012. Following the finale, The Closers spin-off, Major Crimes, premiered.

Episodes

See main article: List of The Closer episodes. Each episode of The Closer deals with an aspect of the Los Angeles culture as it interfaces with law enforcement in the megacity. The show deals with complex and subtle issues of public policy, ethics, personal integrity, and questions of good and evil. The rather large character ensemble explores the human condition, touching on individual faiths, traditional religious influences in the lives and communities of contemporary society, and the breakdown and dysfunction of family systems, work teaming, police violence, and government responsibility. The first season began with Brenda Leigh Johnson arriving at the LAPD to lead the Priority Murder Squad (PMS), quickly renamed Priority Homicide Division (PHD), a team that originally dealt solely with high-profile murder cases (seasons one to four).

During season four, an embarrassing tangle with the press over just what criteria make a homicide a priority allowed Brenda to manipulate circumstances so that the division was upgraded to a much larger major crimes division with a wider scope, though most plots still focused on homicides. Most importantly to the show's plotlines, Commander Taylor's role was also changed from "rival and in-house adversary" to that of "unambiguously loyal subordinate", so he was thereafter reporting directly to Brenda and noticeably helpful as he coordinated interaction between the MCD and other units.

Season five introduced Mary McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor of the Force Investigations Division. Raydor and Brenda start out as rivals, but gradually develop grudging respect for each other and form an uneasy alliance. McDonnell went on to star in The Closers spin-off, Major Crimes.

During the final season, Brenda finds herself in civil legal difficulties as a result of the events in "War Zone" (season six, episode eight), and the LAPD concludes that a disloyal subordinate must be generating information leaks from within MCD. Taylor and Raydor take an active role in attempting to combat the leaker, and the legal matters do not reach a final resolution until the series' end, in the episode "The Last Word".

On December 10, 2010, TNT announced that the seventh season of The Closer, which began production in the spring of 2011, would be the last. The channel said that the decision to retire the show was made by Sedgwick.[2] [3] On January 30, 2011, it was announced that the final season would add six episodes to the usual 15-episode order, building toward the spin-off series, Major Crimes.[4] [5]

Characters

See main article: List of The Closer characters.

The cast consists largely of an ensemble of detectives who make up the LAPD's fictional Major Crimes Division. It is led by Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, played by Kyra Sedgwick. Some observers have noted strong similarities between Brenda and Jane Tennison, Helen Mirren's lead character in the British crime drama Prime Suspect, with an article in USA Today claiming The Closer to be "an unofficial Americanization" of the British drama.[6] In interviews, Sedgwick has acknowledged that the show owes "a debt" to Prime Suspect and her admiration for that show and Mirren were factors that first interested her in the role.[7]

Other main characters include Brenda's superior officer, Assistant Chief Will Pope (J. K. Simmons), Robbery-Homicide Division Commander Russell Taylor (Robert Gossett), and her FBI agent boyfriend-then-husband Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney). The remainder of the cast makes up Brenda's squad, each with expertise in a specific area, such as crime-scene investigation or gang activity. Gina Ravera was the only regular cast member to depart the series. She left the popular series after season four and before the start of season five. Her character, Detective Irene Daniels, was written as having been transferred to another division.

Mary McDonnell, a recurring cast member in seasons five and six, joined the cast full-time for season seven, continuing her role as Captain Sharon Raydor.[8]

Main cast and characters

Cultural impact

Both gender researchers and members of the media have claimed that the series "expanded the vocabulary of what is acceptable for women as seen through the lens of popular culture."[9]

"We've certainly seen women in powerful positions before," says author and gender researcher Maddy Dychtwald, pointing out Angie Dickinson in 1974's Police Woman, and Cagney & Lacey from 1981. "But those women were largely token in a sea of dominant males, and most important, strove to be like the men that surrounded them." In contrast, Dychtwald says the former CIA-trained interrogator and Atlanta police detective played by Kyra Sedgwick, "retains (and revels in) her femininity, keeps her composure, can handle the two 'sexist pigs' who bait her due to their jealousy and insecurities, and not lose her head."[9]

Media experts also noted that the series helped redefine the place of basic cable channels alongside network programming:

Beyond gently tweaking the popular image of women in power, "The Closer" has helped redefine the power balance between basic cable and broadcast networks, says Fordham University media expert Paul Levinson. Just glance at the equal number of recent Emmy nominations for basic and premium cable shows is confirmation, he adds. Beyond that, says More Magazine Entertainment Director Kathy Heintzelman, the off-season placement—the show launched in the summer and continues to air its seasons in counterbalance to the traditional network schedule—has helped redefine viewing habits. "It's helped people get used to the idea that summer is a time to watch original series on televisions," she adds.[9]

U.S. television ratings

The Closers debut was watched by more than 7 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research and was the top-rated premiere episode ever of any original scripted series on basic cable. The second- (8.28) and third-season (8.81) premieres broke the previous record. Viewer numbers (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Closer on TNT:

SeasonSeason premiereSeason finale
DateViewers
Total
(in millions)
Viewers
Households
(in millions)
DateViewers
Total
(in millions)
Viewers
Households
(in millions)
1June 13, 20057.03[10] 5.26September 5, 20056.39[11] 4.61
2June 12, 20068.28[12] 6.04September 4, 2006[13] 7.60[14] 5.45
3June 18, 20078.81[15] 6.38September 10, 20079.21[16] 6.84
4July 14, 20087.81[17] 5.91September 15, 20087.63[18] 5.00
5June 8, 20097.14[19] 5.35August 24, 20097.40[20] 5.50
6July 12, 20107.66[21] 5.72September 13, 20107.20[22] 5.43
7July 11, 20117.23[23] TBAAugust 13, 20129.08[24] TBA

At the end of season three, The Closer became ad-supported cable's most-viewed scripted series of all time, ending the season with a live + same-day audience of 9.21 million viewers in 6.84 million households. The third-season finale holds the record for the largest live + 7-day audience for a single episode of an ad-supported cable series with 9.55 million viewers in 6.88 million households. Live + 7 day (DVR) data for the season reflect 30–40% audience growth in three key age-based demographic groups.[25] Season four's premiere slipped slightly from the season-three opening, with live + same-day ratings showing a 3% decline in audience from the previous year's opener.[26] For its Season Six premiere, on July 12, 2010, the show reached an estimated 7.66 million viewers.[27]

Home media

Warner Home Video has released all seven seasons of The Closer on DVD in Region 1.[28]

!DVD Title!Region 1!Region 4 (Australia)!Region 2 (Germany)!Region 2 (France)
The Complete First SeasonMay 29, 2007[29] February 7, 2007[30] December 13, 2013April 18, 2007
The Complete Second SeasonMay 29, 2007[31] October 3, 2007[32] November 29, 2013July 18, 2007
The Complete Third SeasonJuly 1, 2008[33] October 1, 2008[34] January 17, 2014August 27, 2008
The Complete Fourth SeasonMay 26, 2009[35] March 3, 2010January 17, 2014October 28, 2009
The Complete Fifth SeasonJune 29, 2010[36] November 10, 2010[37] January 17, 2014March 2, 2011
The Complete Sixth SeasonJune 21, 2011[38] November 2, 2011[39] January 17, 2014March 7, 2012
The Complete Seventh And Final SeasonAugust 21, 2012[40] October 27, 2012[41] February 7, 2014August 28, 2013
The Complete Series 1-7N/AOctober 31, 2012[42] December 18, 2014October 16, 2013

Awards and accolades

Until the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2011, Kyra Sedgwick had made history as being the only actress in the history of television to be nominated for an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild award every year that the show aired in the eligibility period.

List of Screen Actors Guild Award nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
12th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005)January 29, 2006Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Ensemble in a Drama SeriesRegular Cast
13th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2006)January 28, 2007Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
14th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2007)January 27, 2008Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Ensemble in a Drama SeriesRegular Cast
15th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008)January 25, 2009Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Ensemble in a Drama SeriesRegular Cast
16th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009)January 23, 2010Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Ensemble in a Drama SeriesRegular Cast
Stunt Ensemble in a Television SeriesStunt Team
17th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2010)January 30, 2011Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Ensemble in a Drama SeriesRegular Cast
Stunt Ensemble in a Television SeriesStunt Team
18th Screen Actors Guild Awards (2011)January 29, 2012Female Actor in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
List of Saturn Award nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
32nd Saturn Awards (2005)May 2, 2006Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
33rd Saturn Awards (2006)May 10, 2007Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
34th Saturn Awards (2007)June 24, 2008Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
35th Saturn Awards (2008)June 25, 2009Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
36th Saturn Awards (2009)June 24, 2010Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
37th Saturn Awards (2010)June 23, 2011Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
38th Saturn Awards (2011)July 26, 2012Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
Best Actress on TelevisionKyra Sedgwick
List of Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
58th Primetime Emmy Awards (2006)August 27, 2006Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
59th Primetime Emmy Awards (2007)September 16, 2007Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008)September 21, 2008Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009)September 20, 2009Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards (2010)August 29, 2010Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Guest Actor in a Drama SeriesBeau Bridges
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011)September 18, 2011Guest Actress in a Drama SeriesMary McDonnell
List of Golden Globe Awards and nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
63rd Golden Globe Awards (2006)January 16, 2006Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
64th Golden Globe Awards (2007)January 15, 2007Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
65th Golden Globe Awards (2008)January 13, 2008Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
66th Golden Globe Awards (2009)January 11, 2009Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
67th Golden Globe Awards (2010)January 17, 2010Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
68th Golden Globe Awards (2011)January 16, 2011Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
List of other awards and nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNomineeResult
Satellite Awards (2005)December 17, 2005Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
Imagen Awards (2006)August 18, 2006Best Supporting ActorRaymond Cruz
Best Supporting ActressGina Ravera
Satellite Awards (2006)December 18, 2006Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
Gracie Awards (2006)Female Lead in a Drama SeriesKyra Sedgwick
Satellite Awards (2007)December 16, 2007Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
Writers Guild of America Awards (2007)February 9, 2008Episodic Drama"The Round File"
Satellite Awards (2008)December 14, 2008Best Actress – Television Series DramaKyra Sedgwick
35th People's Choice Awards (2008)January 7, 2009Favorite TV Drama DivaKyra Sedgwick
PRISM Awards (2008)Best Drama Episode"Till Death Do Us" Parts 1 and 2
41st NAACP Image Awards (2010)February 26, 2010Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesCorey Reynolds
PRISM Awards (2011)Best Drama Series Episode"Old Money"
Best Performance in a Drama EpisodeAnthony John Dennison
GoldDerby SNUBBEE Awards (2011)Outstanding Snubbed Lead Actress (Comedy or Drama)Kyra Sedgwick

Syndication and streaming

The Closer has been airing in reruns on Lifetime, Start TV, and TNT during the years since its finale. MyNetworkTV acquired the broadcast syndication rights to the series, premiering on September 30, 2015 after airing on broadcast syndication since 2010.[43]

International distribution

Notes

  1. TNT Orders New Seasons of Three Hit Series: The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles and Leverage . Turner Newsroom . July 30, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100802021906/http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5275 . August 2, 2010 . dead . January 1, 2013 .
  2. Web site: Kyra Sedgwick closes 'The Closer' . Fernandez . Mary Elena . December 10, 2010 . . Show Tracker . December 10, 2010.
  3. News: Kyra Sedgwick calls time on The Closer . Media Spy . December 11, 2010 . Media Spy . December 12, 2010.
  4. Rice. Lynnette. Hibbard. James. TNT extends 'The Closer' final season to ready potential spin-off—EXCLUSIVE . Inside TV . Entertainment Weekly. January 30, 2011.
  5. News: Daniel . Fienberg . TNT orders 'Closer' spinoff 'Major Crimes' starring Mary McDonnell . May 18, 2011 . . May 18, 2011.
  6. News: Call 911 for TNT's 'Saved'; 'Closer' still beats strong . . 27 May 2015.
  7. News: Hal . Boedeker . July 25, 2007 . Kyra Sedgwick: 'The Closer' owes a debt to 'Prime Suspect,' but don't look for 'my idol' Helen Mirren on the show . https://web.archive.org/web/20080602002718/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2007/07/kyra-sedgwick-t.html . June 2, 2008 . Hal Boedeker the TV Guy (blog) . . 27 May 2015.
  8. The Closer Promotes Mary McDonnell for Final Season - Today's News: Our Take . . 2011-04-06 . 2012-08-15.
  9. 'The Closer' opened doors for women – and for basic cable. The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor. 12 July 2010. 27 May 2015.
  10. News: TNT Original Dramatic Series The Closer Lands Record as Ad-Supported Cable's Top Original Scripted Series Telecast Ever. The Futon Critic. June 14, 2005.
  11. News: TNT'S The Closer Ends Season as Ad-Supported Cable's Top Original Series of 2005. The Futon Critic. September 7, 2005.
  12. News: TNT'S Hit Original Series The Closer Smashes Record as Ad-Supported Cable's Top Scripted Series Telecast Of All Time. The Futon Critic. June 13, 2006.
  13. Summer finales: Seasons two and three both aired two additional episodes in December. Seasons four and six were divided into 10 summer and five winter episodes and season five had 12 summer and three winter episodes.
  14. News: TNT's The Closer Ends Season with a Bang as 7.6 Million Viewers Watch Record-Breaking Finale. The Futon Critic. September 6, 2006.
  15. News: TNT'S Season 3 Premiere of The Closer Is Best of All Time. The Futon Critic. June 19, 2007.
  16. News: With 9.2 Million Viewers and 6.8 Million Households Tuning in Last Night, TNT'S The Closer Breaks Live + Same Day Record for Ad-Supported Cable's #1 Series Telecast Ever. September 11, 2007. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071105143816/http://turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=TNT&CID01=2147654e-9f79-4f08-83af-22628dfd8738. November 5, 2007.
  17. News: TNT'S The Closer Scores as Ad-Supported Cable's #1 Series Telecast for the Year-to-Date, with More Than 7.8 Million Viewers. July 15, 2008.
  18. News: Monday Night Football, The Closer and Saturday NCAA Football lead Cable Viewing . https://web.archive.org/web/20120917023810/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2008/09/23/monday-night-football-the-closer-and-saturday-ncaa-football-lead-cable-viewing/5268/ . dead . September 17, 2012 . September 23, 2008. December 7, 2009 . TV by the Numbers . Seidman, Robert.
  19. News: The Closer Premieres To 7.1 Million, Raising The Bar Just 3.6 Million . https://web.archive.org/web/20120509202033/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2009/06/09/the-closer-premieres-to-71-million-raising-the-bar-just-36-million/20390/ . dead . May 9, 2012 . December 26, 2016 . December 7, 2009 . TV by the Numbers . Gorman . Bill.
  20. Web site: TNT Sets Summer Ratings on Fire with Monday-Wednesday Originals Lineup. Cassel. Karen. Sal Petruzzi. August 26, 2009. Turner Network Television. December 7, 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120608043412/http://turner.tekgroup.com/. June 8, 2012.
  21. Web site: TNT's 'Rizzoli & Isles' Sets Record with Cable's Biggest Ad-Supported Premiere, Draws 7.6 Million Viewers . https://web.archive.org/web/20101124091439/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/07/13/tnt%E2%80%99s-rizzoli-isles-sets-record-with-cable%E2%80%99s-biggest-ad-supported-premiere-draws-7-6-million-viewers/56989 . dead . November 24, 2010 . July 13, 2010. September 15, 2010 . TV by the Numbers . Gorman, Bill.
  22. Web site: TNT's 'The Closer' and 'Rizzoli & Isles' Close Out Summer With More Big Numbers . https://web.archive.org/web/20110620083858/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/09/14/tnt%E2%80%99s-the-closer-and-rizzoli-isles-close-out-record-setting-summer-as-ad-supported-cable%E2%80%99s-top-two-series/63239/ . dead . June 20, 2011 . Gorman. Bill . September 14, 2010 . TV by the Numbers . September 15, 2010.
  23. Web site: ESPN Edges Out 'Pawn Stars, + 'Closer,' 'Rizzoli,' 'Alphas,' 'Eureka,' & More . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714091334/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/07/12/monday-cable-ratings-all-star-softball-edges-out-pawn-stars-home-run-derby-closer-rizzoli-alphas-eureka-more/97860/. dead. July 14, 2011. TV by the Numbers . July 12, 2011. June 18, 2012. Seidman, Robert.
  24. Web site: Monday Cable Ratings: NFL Pre-Season Football Rules Night, + 'Love And Hip Hop: Atlanta', 'WWE Raw', 'The Closer', 'Pawn Stars' & More . https://web.archive.org/web/20120816223733/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/08/14/monday-cable-ratings-nfl-pre-season-football-rules-night-love-and-hip-hop-atlanta-wwe-raw-the-closer-pawn-stars-more/144820/. dead. August 16, 2012. Kondolojy. Amanda . August 13, 2012 . TV by the Numbers. August 14, 2012.
  25. http://www.turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=TNT&CID01=2147654e-9f79-4f08-83af-22628dfd8738 TNT Pressroom
  26. Web site: MediaPost Publications - Strong Debut for TNT's 'Closer,' 'Saving Grace,' But Last Year Was Better - 07/16/2008. mediapost.com.
  27. Web site: Audiences du câble US : "Rizzoli & Isles" commence très fort ! - News Série Audiences - AlloCiné . 15 July 2010 . Allocine.fr . 2012-08-15.
  28. Web site: The Closer on DVD. WBSHOP.com. 2013-05-09.
  29. Web site: The Closer: Season 1 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 29 May 2007 .
  30. Web site: Closer, The - Season 01. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  31. Web site: The Closer: Season 2 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 29 May 2007 .
  32. Web site: Closer, The - Season 02. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  33. Web site: The Closer: Season 3 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. July 2008 .
  34. Web site: Closer, The - Season 3. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  35. Web site: The Closer: Season 4 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 26 May 2009 .
  36. Web site: The Closer: Season 5 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 29 June 2010 .
  37. Web site: Closer, The - Season 5. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  38. Web site: The Closer: Season 6 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 21 June 2011 .
  39. Web site: Closer, The - Season 6. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  40. Web site: The Closer: Season 7 . www.amazon.com. 2020-01-10. 21 August 2012 .
  41. Web site: Closer, The - Season 7. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  42. Web site: Closer - Complete Collection, The. Sanity. en. 2019-11-16.
  43. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'The Closer' Joins MyNetworkTV Fall Lineup; 'The Walking Dead' Moves To Tuesday Night . June 8, 2015 . . . June 9, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150612011023/https://deadline.com/2015/06/the-closer-mynetworktv-fall-lineup-the-walking-dead-moves-tuesday-night-1201439559/ . June 12, 2015.
  44. Web site: THE CLOSER. TNTBR.
  45. Web site: The Closer クローザー (Japanese). lala.tv.