The Closer
The Closer is an American television police drama series. The show, which focuses upon the character of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), is shown on TNT (Turner Network Television). Since its inception, the show has chronicled the cases of Johnson, who comes from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases (Priority Homicide Division). Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rub her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogators eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
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Everyone loves Kyra Sedgwick...hey, I've been a fan since Singles. And she's married to the famous Kevin Bacon; he of the infamous "Six Degrees" game. (When asked, Sedgwick laughed and said they don't play it much at home.) The fourth season of her hit TNT series The Closer is premiering in two weeks and she's really excited. The season finale took in almost ten million viewers-a new record for an ad-supported cable show. Part of the appeal, according to any internet site you can name, is her character Brenda. She's a woman, she's smart, she's good at her job and she's still human. "I get a lot of mail from young girls, their mothers... they think of me as a role model. I can't tell you what that feels like! I love women. I really have my most intimate relationships with women. I've really always been on their side. Some women aren't... for me, it's like, what could be better?"
We stopped by the set for a visit and a chat with the stars of the show. We saw the bungalow that Sedgwick's character, LAPD Deputy Police chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and her fiance Fritz (Jon Tenney-The Division) have just purchased. (Let me just say this for everyone. There is no way they could really afford something like that. It's supposed to be set in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. That thing would be at least two million. I know it's larger for all the cameras, but still...it's been bugging me since Friends. I feel better now.)
Next we visited the morgue. No bodies that day, but there was a cart nearby with a wigged head and a few assorted body parts hanging out from under some tarps. Must have been a slow day. (There was, however, a bug-zapper to kill the flies that tend to accumulate on dead bodies. Authentic, but... eew.) In the show, Brenda, part of a special police department unit, solves high-profile murder cases. She's a hardcore interrogator, who's brilliance has finally endeared her to her hard-nosed colleges. She's also hopelessly addicted to sugar. Who can blame her? Sedgwick told us that though she sometimes spits out the candy, she usually eats it. Having seen her, I'm not sure I believe it. They must have a gym on set.
Our final stop was the murder room. Of course, I had to check out what was on the desks. Detective Irene Daniels had a Buddha on hers, and Sgt. Gabriel has a hacky sac and a toy police car on his. Brenda's had Pepto Bismal and a variety of other medications. Hardly surprising.
The cast all said something about the show being very much about the ensemble and that the guest stars were the real stars of the show. They all felt that they were there to support whoever was playing the criminal or victim of the week. Gina Ravera (ER), who plays Detective Irene Daniels, likes that they're all unknowns. "They can't be known because as soon as you see a celebrity, you're like, 'I know who that is.'" She thinks it a benefit to new actors, and doesn't mind teasing them about it. They come in, "and get an entire episode that's extremely well written. A theatre quality of writing...when you come on the show as a guest star, it's really on you. And we're not nice. (laughs) No pressure, really."
Every season has had a theme. This one is about power. It's taking a closer look at Brenda's life. Duff says, "We live with the illusion that we are in control of our lives. The season will start with Brenda tracking an arsonist while having a reporter follow her every move." Fritz and Brenda are planning a wedding, living in a new place and dealing with a few secrets from season three. Fans are certainly taking bets on whether or not the wedding will take place.
Season four of The Closer premieres Monday, July 14th at 9 pm on TNT.
Everyone loves Kyra Sedgwick...hey, I've been a fan since Singles. And she's married to the famous Kevin Bacon; he of the infamous "Six Degrees" game. (When asked, Sedgwick laughed and said they don't play it much at home.) The fourth season of her hit TNT series The Closer is premiering in two weeks and she's really excited. The season finale took in almost ten million viewers-a new record for an ad-supported cable show. Part of the appeal, according to any internet site you can name, is her character Brenda. She's a woman, she's smart, she's good at her job and she's still human. "I get a lot of mail from young girls, their mothers... they think of me as a role model. I can't tell you what that feels like! I love women. I really have my most intimate relationships with women. I've really always been on their side. Some women aren't... for me, it's like, what could be better?"
We stopped by the set for a visit and a chat with the stars of the show. We saw the bungalow that Sedgwick's character, LAPD Deputy Police chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and her fiance Fritz (Jon Tenney-The Division) have just purchased. (Let me just say this for everyone. There is no way they could really afford something like that. It's supposed to be set in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. That thing would be at least two million. I know it's larger for all the cameras, but still...it's been bugging me since Friends. I feel better now.)
Next we visited the morgue. No bodies that day, but there was a cart nearby with a wigged head and a few assorted body parts hanging out from under some tarps. Must have been a slow day. (There was, however, a bug-zapper to kill the flies that tend to accumulate on dead bodies. Authentic, but... eew.) In the show, Brenda, part of a special police department unit, solves high-profile murder cases. She's a hardcore interrogator, who's brilliance has finally endeared her to her hard-nosed colleges. She's also hopelessly addicted to sugar. Who can blame her? Sedgwick told us that though she sometimes spits out the candy, she usually eats it. Having seen her, I'm not sure I believe it. They must have a gym on set.
Our final stop was the murder room. Of course, I had to check out what was on the desks. Detective Irene Daniels had a Buddha on hers, and Sgt. Gabriel has a hacky sac and a toy police car on his. Brenda's had Pepto Bismal and a variety of other medications. Hardly surprising.
The cast all said something about the show being very much about the ensemble and that the guest stars were the real stars of the show. They all felt that they were there to support whoever was playing the criminal or victim of the week. Gina Ravera (ER), who plays Detective Irene Daniels, likes that they're all unknowns. "They can't be known because as soon as you see a celebrity, you're like, 'I know who that is.'" She thinks it a benefit to new actors, and doesn't mind teasing them about it. They come in, "and get an entire episode that's extremely well written. A theatre quality of writing...when you come on the show as a guest star, it's really on you. And we're not nice. (laughs) No pressure, really."
Every season has had a theme. This one is about power. It's taking a closer look at Brenda's life. Duff says, "We live with the illusion that we are in control of our lives. The season will start with Brenda tracking an arsonist while having a reporter follow her every move." Fritz and Brenda are planning a wedding, living in a new place and dealing with a few secrets from season three. Fans are certainly taking bets on whether or not the wedding will take place.
Season four of The Closer premieres Monday, July 14th at 9 pm on TNT.
