The Closer: L.A.: Enquêtes prioritaires

The Closer is a show which has a fairly realistic portrayal of a working environment; there are relationship dynamics which have evolved over the several seasons and which explore the inter-personal connections made between co-workers as they solve cases. From the beginning episodes where Brenda's staff worked against her, sometimes with the expressed desire for her to fail, to the latest season where they appear to be firmly on her "side" there is an interesting dynamic in showing an intelligent and capable woman as authority-figure and the gradual and sometimes reluctant acceptance of her as the officers she works with see for themselves what she is bringing to the dept.

The show brings a lot of elements of the classic mysteries, and uses clever reveals and intelligence as well as past personal experiences and leaps of intuition in solving crimes. The actors who make up the main cast are all very talented and the writing allows us glimpses into the entire cast, though the show is clearly focused on Brenda. Each episode also allows the viewer to see some of the personal drama without being heavy-handed or too soap-opera, keeping a good balance between the police investigation and the people who are doing the investigation.

I find it interesting, however, that most of the people I know who do not like the show are male and love similar stories where a male in the central authority and does the exact same things that Brenda does to close a case. For someone who likes police drama, with realistic characters who are not always perfect, this is an excellent show to watch. The episodes are well paced, the story lines through the seasons are detailed and have a lot of personal touches for the characters

Sure, this could fall into the category with the other Law and Orders and CSI's but something about this show really stands out probably because its aired on TNT and you'd expect there to be some cheesy movie of the week quality about it. Like Law and Order the show puts more focus on the cases themselves rather than the personal lives of the characters, but The Closer opens the door a little more. Kyra is really what draws in people to this show, it's something about her character's charm despite the fact the character is from the often ridiculed south. The writers were also keen to make Brenda Johnson a real person, not some super-hero who always wins and always knows the every move of the bad guy; sometimes Brenda makes mistakes and pays for them and sometimes she is insecure about her looks or being freshly relocated to the big city of Los Angelos. The show just started this summer and I wish it the best of luck, I hope it can become as acclaimed as all the other crime dramas we've got on the airwaves today

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

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.

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!