Major Crimes is just The Closer "Reloaded"

TNT's new drama series, MAJOR CRIMES, picks up right where The Closer left off without missing a beat. Airing immediately after the series finale of The Closer, "Reloaded," the first episode of the new show, follows most of the same characters, including Fritz (Jon Tenney) in a small part, in most of the same settings. It is essentially the same show.


Well, without Kyra Sedgwick's Brenda, of course. She isn't the only main character gone, but she is the one leaving the biggest hole, stepping down in a semi-forced retirement as head of Major Crimes. Gone is her personality, which seemed to fill the halls. Gone are her methods of rough and tumble interrogation. And by the end of "Reloaded," gone, too, is her candy draw, a symbolic cleaning out of the office now occupied by another woman.


Replacing Brenda is Sharon Ryder (Mary McDonnell), who already has a presence in the office, but steps into the larger role. Sharon wants to play things a little closer to the vest, go by the rules more often, and favors the more sensible deal-making strategy over dramatically closing the case. It's an adjustment, to be sure, but it's one that makes sense to modern sensibilities and economic realities. Brenda had outgrown the position, and she wasn't what was needed anymore. Sharon is the perfect replacement, moving things forward, continuing the growth of the Major Crimes division.


But even though Brenda is gone, it is eerie how much stays the same. Virtually the entire staff sticks around, and gets more to do as a result of Brenda's absence. Whereas Brenda ran roughshod over her department, even though she was quite fond of her underlings, Sharon has a more laid back approach that gives each officer more opportunity to step up and carve their own niche. Brenda was the lone burning star during her reign; now each detective has the chance to stand out in their own ways.


Not everyone takes these changes very well. After all, they got used to Brenda, and had become quite fond of her. The same will happen to Sharon in time. But as someone already established as an antagonist, it will take her awhile to win the people over.


Most challenging for Sharon will be Provenza (G. W. Bailey). Strong willed and fiercely loyal, of course he challenges Sharon right off the bat. He blames her for running off someone he cares deeply for, and perhaps he thinks that he can get her to leave, opening up the door for Brenda to return. What Provenza has trouble seeing is that Brenda is never coming back. Once that knowledge sinks in, he will begin to come around.


In "Reloaded," Sharon immediately establishes that she has what it takes to put up with the flack she is getting, and begin to turn the negative opinions of her around in her own, non-aggressive way. At one point, Flynn (Andy Denison) berates his new boss for screwing everything up. Rather than get upset or argue with him, Sharon takes his words and uses them to break the case. Flynn has to be impressed with her, as viewers surely are, to see how composed she can be, and that she doesn't let the personal matters distract her. Sharon understands the situation, and she is determined to work through it.


In an effort to give Sharon a home life, as Brenda's was an important part of the show, MAJOR CRIMES quickly introduces a teenage boy for her to take in. Actually, it's the same teenage boy from the finale of The Closer, Rusty (Graham Patrick Martin), who will be a main character in this series. Given that Sharon already had been established in the universe, it makes sense to bring in someone new for her, rather than try to force a family that simply didn't exist before. Also, using Rusty lends a continuity between the two shows that will be welcome for fans.


McDonnell is no Sedgwick, but that's a good thing. If Sharon were too similar to Brenda, it would invoke comparisons, which would be enough to kill any show following as popular a series as The Closer was. However, MAJOR CRIMES takes a different tact, letting things bloom naturally, the characters blowing off steam and grieving before eventually moving on with their lives, as anyone would in the same situation. It's a worthy follow-up.


Now, that's not to say things are all a bed of roses. There are still a number of issues with MAJOR CRIMES. The biggest is the same disease that afflicted its parent show. MAJOR CRIMES, like The Closer, is largely a formulaic procedural. This means that, while some larger arcs may appear, there will never be that much introduced to rock the boat, episodes will almost always end with a return to status quo, and the majority of screen time is taken up by the case of the week, which will not impact upon any other week's case. These elements automatically knock the score down, lending a shallowness to the show that is unfortunate, especially given how fantastic most of these actors are.


That being said, as far as procedurals go, MAJOR CRIMES, like The Closer, appears to be pretty strong for the genre. It's writing is relatively tight, and the first story was suitably compelling. The guest actor playing the dad of the perp lacked a bit in the believability department, but it's hard to find fault with the rest of the crime, if you're into that sort of show.


In short, MAJOR CRIMES should adequately fill that gap left in the souls of fans by the departure of The Closer. Continuing a successful franchise is a smart move for TNT, and it seems like much care and thought went into making sure it was done right. These efforts show, and will likely maintain plenty of viewers in the coming years.


MAJOR CRIMES airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

Closing out The Closer

TNT's The Closer ended much the same way as the show lived. In "The Last Word," Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) investigates a murder that she is sure Phillip Stroh (Billy Burke, Twilight) is behind. She is reminded of her restraining order, but is allowed to pursue Stroh based on legitimate evidence. Brenda crosses the line a bit, maybe more so here than before, and then the bad guy is caught.

But a few things are a bit different about "The Last Word." Brenda is fired / retires, depending on who is telling the tale. She has crossed the line many times. In fact, she's kind of known for it. But attacking Stroh in an elevator because of some verbal bait is just one instance too many. She knows she won't have a job heading Major Crimes anymore because she's stepped out one time too many. So she accepts a career change when the offer comes along.

The Closer is, by and large, a crime procedural. Even the finale episode focused on the case of the week quite a bit. One might wish for a series finale to stray away from that formula, and it does, a little. But as a fan of story and character, spending even this much time on some random crime seems a waste of a good actress, Sedgwick's swan song being almost every-day mundane, rather than a super special episode.

Yes, there was some personal meaning to Brenda, as the suspect had been in two other episodes, establishing him as a character in this world before now. She is also at a crossroads and takes a witness's words to heart. But Brenda has been so close to having to leave before that it doesn't seem that spectacular or different that this is the time that she flames out. The rest of the world will go on, but she will no longer be a part of this corner of it.

It's kind of a shame she takes a job so close by, then. Viewers are going to anticipate each Sedgwick drop by, and it doesn't feel like she will do many, if at all. Moving her into the job they do leaves the door open, but when the actress is made it clear she doesn't want to continue the character, why tease people like that? Maybe it's to allow Fritz (Jon Tenney), her husband, to appear in Major Crimes on a recurring basis, but it's still kind of a jerk move.

The thing is, with the sets staying up, and most of the cast continuing in Major Crimes, there isn't too much of a sense of closure here. Sure, Brenda is given a purse by her men to replace the one she shoots Stroh through. It's a touching moment for her. But then they all go back to work the next day, as we soon see in the first episode of the new show, airing right after this. In such, it's only a goodbye to one character, and does not feel the end of much of anything.

Well, technically it is a goodbye for three characters. Pope (J.K. Simmons) moves into a new position that, like Brenda, should come into the department's circle from time to time. Unlike Brenda, he may actually pop in periodically. And Brenda takes Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) with her, so he, too, could show up once in awhile, but won't continue on as a main character.

Will Brenda be missed? Of course. Many tuned in for her. But that's the thing about crime procedurals. You can lose a character and continue on just fine. The main point of these kinds of shows are the cases that flit in an out in an hour, never really taking the time to go deep into the characters. That's why Major Crimes will just feel like The Closer continues on. And why neither are really worthy watching on a regular basis.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first posted at TheTVKing

The Closer closes fifth season

     I am not a fan of Kyra Sedgwick, and as such, have never given The Closer a chance.  This, despite the fact that it is the highest watched cable series ever, and the number of viewers has grown every season.  So when I received the screener DVD for tonight's season five finale, I decided to give it a shot.  After all, I can't stand Sarah Jessica Parker, but I liked Sex and the City.  I thought that maybe this would be the same.  I soon confirmed my suspicion, though, that this was a procedural show, not serial, and so while I may like an episode, it is not something I would probably watch regularly.  The following review does contain some slight spoilers, but does not ruin any big twists or the ending of the episode, which airs tonight on TNT.

     This was a great episode.  Sedgwick's Brenda Leigh Johnson is a tad annoying, but she is surrounded by a strong supporting cast, especially J.K. Simmons (Spiderman trilogy) as Chief Pope.  He is grumbling, but lovable, and this week, he has a major beef with Johnson that goes beyond the current case.  If only she knew what it was, she might also discover why her live-in boyfriend Fritz (Jon Tenney, who recently did an arc on Brothers & Sisters) seems irritated with her as well.  The answer to that question may throw quite a wrench into her relationships with both men.  Or maybe not.  You'll find out if you watch the episode.

     The rest of the police team really gelled.  I don't know if they've been fleshed out as individuals, as they all sort of blurred together this week, aside from Taylor (Robert Gossett), who's tough demeanor with the warm center, played apart from the stereotypical, would make a welcome addition to any show, crime related or not.

     This week's main case revolved around the suspected abuse of an officer under the command of Captain Raydor (Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica), returning as a nemesis to Johnson.  Raydor wants Johnson to investigate if one of her women is being beat by her husband, but wants Johnson to tread lightly, though the officer refuses to cooperate.  Of course, things do get ratcheted up a notch, and while the conclusion was predictable, (I knew what really happened as soon as Johnson arrived at the crime scene) watching Sedgwick and McDonnell spar was massively entertaining.  It was a great dynamic, and were McDonnell to return to the show, I'd certainly be interested in watching again.

     Even if you have never watched The Closer, I do recommend turning it on.  You might be pleasantly surprised by what you see.  No prior knowledge needed.

Men certainly age

     TNT will present a new drama created by Ray Romano and Mike Royce (Everybody Loves Raymond) this coming Monday, December 7th called Men of a Certain Age.  It stars Romano, Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise, Quantum Leap), and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) as three best friends facing different challenges as they get older.  Joe (Romano) is a recently divorced man with two kids who runs his own business and fights a gambling addiction.  Owen (Braugher) is a happily married man who hates his job working at a car dealership his father owns, competing with a young salesman for leadership of the company.  Terry (Bakula) is an out of work actor, temping, and bedding as many women as possible.  But is it any good?

     TNT has failed to catch me with a good series yet.  They have some critically acclaimed shows (The Closer, Saving Grace), and a number of new shows that are doing pretty well (Dark Blue, Raising the Bar, Leverage).  My favorite show that they've done recently was Trust Me, but sadly it was canned after only one season.  This one wasn't instant attraction, but it has potential.

     Honestly, I was a bit bored by the first two episodes.  My mother, however, who only likes sitcoms and was a big fan of Everybody Loves Raymond, was delighted by it.  To me, it was interesting and well acted, but it just didn't go anywhere.  She prefers those types of shows.  I was, however, sent five episodes, and I can tell you, it does get much better.  Plus, the interaction between Owen and his wife, played by the fantastic Lisa Gay Hamilton (The Practice) is enough to keep you watching.  Here are the two upcoming episodes that you shouldn't miss (after you watch the pilot to find out what's going on, of course):

     "Mind's Eye" gave Bakula and Braugher their best plots yet.  Braugher attempted to enjoy his job, but discovered that happiness came with a steep cost.  How he will cope with his career, and the problems he currently has with it, should prove compelling.  Even better is Bakula's story, where he is suddenly confronted with the fact that he is missing out on a family, and how it affects him.  Those ramifications carry into other episodes, and really gave him a meaty arc that will hopefully pay off in the end.

     "Go With the Flow" was Romano's best.  The entire thing was told in flashback and centered on his first date in two decades.  The girl was played by Sarah Clarke (Trust Me, 24), and the chemistry was wonderful.  We got to see vulnerability and real emotion from them both, and I hope she sticks around for the rest of the season.

     Give the show a chance.  I am certainly interested in seeing how it ages.