The Closer

An outstanding drama that dances on the edge of being a formula cop show and a soap opera. Brenda Lee Johnson is an outstanding interrogator with a background of being difficult to work with but achieving great results. However, her personal life is a mess. She is hired from Atlanta to head LAPD's Priority Crimes Unit for those high profile crimes that need a resolution and need it quickly. Tensions arise immediately. Her brusque style makes her own people want to transfer away, her boss is a former lover who dumped her and she manages to make many more enemies than friends. The crimes are formula enough that you can probably figure out whodunit before you get to the climax but it's the characters and relationships that sell the show and make it worth watching. Not only is Kyra Sedgwick giving the performance of her life in this series but she has a terrific supporting cast that gives the series heart. The ability of the writers to also give us some great comic lines keeps the show teetering at times from comedy to drama. The first season is already out on DVD. Watch it from the first episode to the last, in order, and you can see why this show has become the most watched show in basic cable history.

This series looks like a plain ol' cop drama from the outside but that couldn't be any further from the truth. Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson is the head of a elite detective unit that solves homicides, now here are a few things you should probably know. First this chief has been trained how to interrogate by the C.I.A, secondly her entire squad is made up of detectives(that's right no rookies here), and of course her Husband is an F.B.I. Agent. Still need more? The way that this woman gets the job done is both masterful and incredible, on top of which she controls an entire unit full of men like a school teacher does in a classroom.

This show is a must see, one of the few drama's where the female lead isn't a model and yet the plot is so good that it makes absolutely no difference at all. 10/10 for originality, solid acting, fantastic plot lines.

And as a professional woman, why was I surprised by the nasty comments about the lead character? One poster missed the point entirely when he wrote that all of the detectives working for her submitted their resignations after the first meeting because she was a real bitch. They submitted their requests for transfer BEFORE EVEN MEETING HER. Under the circumstances, her behavior was pretty restrained. How I wish I could think up some of the responses she comes up with -- and had the guts to utter them!

And what's with the comments on her clothing? If Sipowicz had shown up, would you have questioned his credibility as a leader because he doesn't look like he walked off the pages of GQ? Few men in my workplace look like they spend a lot of time thinking about their wardrobe (to their credit, imo); why do you hold women to such a ridiculous standard?

I love the junk food theme. When was the last time you saw a fresh green salad in a police department? Oh to be starving and to see only donuts (forbidden food) lying around!

She's human -- a little bedraggled sometimes, a little neurotic about what she eats, not a paragon of organization... why can't you find that likable? If she were the stereotypical cold blue-suited automaton you seem to expect, you'd hate her even more, wouldn't you?

Wait... maybe all you hostile posters are just constructing an elaborate parody of how some men treat professional women. My bad; you're brilliant!

After watching every episode of "The Closer" up to the current one (final episode Sept. 2007), I feel it's time for me to commend every aspect of this series about an elite homicide squad.

Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Segdewick) is consistently one of the most engaging television series characters I've seen in a very long time. She's the star but certainly not alone in delivering quite engaging, excellent characterization, and entertaining performances.

This series goes to show that today's television doesn't have to depict violence, gore, profanity, or much that older children couldn't watch. Yet, for an adult who likes Cronenberg's and Lynch's films, this clean cut show is quite interesting without being too 'vanilla'.

Sedgewick has really come into her character by this third season and I like it far better than "24" which has now become monotonously predictable. There's no guessing what Deputy Chief Johnson will do to protect and close one of her cases!

Dear TNT, I absolutely love Kyra Sedgwick. This part was made for her. I actually find myself laughing every time she ends her sentence with that little sarcastic "Thank You, thank ya-ll very much". She's adorable. It was great to see G.W Bailey cast as one of the cops. He is a terrific actor and is never given enough credit. He is very amusing as this character. I plan my Monday nights around THE CLOSER. I had recently seen an advertisement indicating that the series is only for the summer!!! Why would any network reel in an audience only to cut them off in September. This is a HIT series !!!!. Why is TNT not going forward with this fabulous show. And, most importantly, what am I going to do on Monday nights if this show ends.!!!! Please have someone re-consider keeping this show on the air. There are those of us out there who are educated and appreciate good TV: CSI, NYPD, Law and Order and THE CLOSER!!! We are sick of these mindless reality series, only made for idiots. Sincerely, Chris Lindsay R.N.C. in Poughkeepsie, NY