'The Closer' Rocks
By John Amato Monday Jul 07, 2008 9:00pmI had a chance to power cycle through the first season of the TNT's "The Closer" over the last few days and I really enjoyed it. It's not over the top fun like The Shield, but filled with intricate plots and a sizzling cast led by the great Kyra Sedgwick, who has down the Alex Baldwin ABC's of interrogation. Nobody gets confessions like she does. It's a series that might not make it on network TV, but since it's on cable---there's no ratings pressure to make it anything other then what it is: an excellent police drama that touches on all of LA's cultural intricacies intertwined with current events. The new season starts July 14th, so If you have a little time ---check it out.
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Power cycling is the only way to watch shows with long story arcs. Problem is ya get totally spoiled and have to go back to one episode per week with a new season.
Since you've broached the subject, just finished watching 2 hours of Family Guy (my life is full and complete) and I saw a commercial for the "The Closer" and it claimed it was the number 1 show in the history of cable. Normally I'm a drooling lobotomy patient of a tv viewer but I've never seen the show (being unable to intellectually digest anything more complicated than Family Guy (the baby is funny)) and yet that sounds like load of hooey to me. Anyone got the dope on this, cause I won't be able to sleep til I get this one settled.
[Deleted. Abusive. Site Monitor]
actually i believe both cbs and abc turned it down.
i disagree, i think it's as quality as tv gets on networks...it fits right in w/the procedurals all over the tube now, lawnorder, csi, and etc.
kyra is a great actress and it's nice to see a role for a woman over 40 where she's smart and sexy as well as vulnerable.
and all the secondary characters are also well drawn. it's always a pleasure to see gw bailey being gw bailey.
filthy harry it was the number one show (audience wise) for dramas during its first season, i can't speak to other genres.
I've been a "Closer" fan since it's inception. It's so creatively written and Sedgwick is fabulous in this series. I'm stoked to hear that it will be resuming again in the Fall. I've missed it.
Did older episodes of The Closer last summer and then watched the new season, and already have next Monday DVR'd up. Great stuff.
if you liked that, try the BBC series Cracker, which, as I understand it, was the inspiration for The Closer. It stars Robbie Coltrane, and it's quite a bit darker, but just as addictive.
I got rid of cable a month or so before this show debuted, and I've heard good things about it, but is she better at interrogation than Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) from Homicide: Life On The Streets? That character was goooood....
[Deleted. Refers to a deleted comment. Site Monitor]
marko, you gotta knock this crap off. Look at who posted it, then look at that bit right below the site's banner- the bit that says:
John Amato’s virtual online magazine…OK, It’s a blog!
[emphasis added]
If you substituted "marko" for "John Amato", you might have a reason to gripe,but, alas, it doesn't. You have absolutely no right whatsoever to be as malicious to John or Howie (in the LNMC posts) as you have been. Why don't you just go start marko's Bitchin' Little Blog and leave this one alone?
[Hear hear! Sitemonitor]
skippy @ 5:
Was it "the number one show (audience wise) for dramas during its first season" in the history of cable?
Andy K Jong Il @ 8:
Brainstorm: Law & Order Gitmo!
Lets face it, all these procedural crime dramas love to copy real world events. I want to see an episode where Brisco and Logan temporarily assigned to Gitmo because, oh let's say Logan got caught in bed with the Capt. McCoy's... lets say niece, and the waterboard a 'terrorist' and Brisco is all into it cause he's protecting America and he's glad to be away from his wife, and Logan doesn't buy cause he recognizes him as the cab driver that drove him to McCoy's niece's house and they have a huge argument about the morality of the whole thing WHILE they waterboard him!
Meh... I can't stand her.
I gave up direct TV and cable years ago and don’t miss it. I do have Netflix to get movies and documentaries and last year they started instant viewing so I thought I would checkout the first season of “WEED” a show all my friends were raving about well it was cute but still a big waist of time, I don’t think I’ll go back to commercial TV.
And Andy, what do you get for sucking up to John? Just wondering.
as for TNT I wish they had renewed "Saved". I thought that was a fantastic show. Starred Tom Everett Scott as a gambling addicted paramedic. Very good show, and it left on a pretty big cliffhanger.
Just finished running through all five seasons of Alias. That was cool. It started getting redundant with all the times that certain characters were supposedly dead and then came back to life, but oh well. lol
We were late getting hooked on the Closer, but we quickly caught up and are eager for it to return.
As for Andre Braugher from "Homicide" -- his Frank Pembleton was G-R-E-A-T!!
The stories were realistic, characters believable, and Andre was perfect.
Kyra is excellent in her character - the stories are a little less gritty, but smart and well written.
QuakerDave @ 7:
I find that women characters are much more interesting these days. Go Buffy...hehe...Now Cracker is unbelieveable. Maybe the best of them all. Prime Suspect and Homicide were incredible shows too.
Filthy Harry @ 2:
During its first season, The Closer premiere was the highest rated original show in ad-supported cable history, and now averages over 6 million viewers per episode, making it the highest rated series in cable history.
Here I am Watching "Anthony Bourdain" and "Squidbillies"... Oh well... I quess there's no acount...
Bah humbug to TV I say. Although I do like watching some old programs they have on Hulu.
John Amato @ 16:
Loves me some Helen Mirren. Pardon the impropriety, but Jane Tennyson is a DCILF!
Not to be to much of a stickler, but his name is ALEC, not Alex.
90% of television is crap. Law and Order, CSI, The Closer, to me its all crap, could never watch these programs, any of them, or those that preceded them.
You want legal "thrillers" try "Lockup" on MSNBC.
That is reality TV, we live in the most penal country in the world, I guess GITMO was inevitable anyway.
Bull -- if this show was on the network it would blow the competition away. Network sucks. There is not one show on cable that is not 100 times better than network. There are so many jumping thrashing reality shows the kids they have for writers are sure out in force.
I found this, there's a bit with O'Rielly and a laugh track you might like:
http://www.urlesque.com/2008/06/25/fun-with-laugh-tracks-make-me-laugh-o...
all 'law & order' shows are fiction. I find no humor in them and they are written wwwaaaayyyyy smarter than cops and lawyers really are, especially the ones everyone likes. no fault, just fact.
If you're into BBC shows, check out "Spooks". Very good spy thriller show.
The Closer you get the farther you are ~ slip slidin' away...
lafin gas @ 13:
{ Deleted, Knock it off T. SiteMonitor}
swampfox @ 28:
oh hi nice to see yah again!!!
I am looking forward to the return of Damages on F/X as well as the Riches. Sons of Anarchy also looks promising on F/X. Also USA has a great program returning in Burn Notice.
I wish TNT would pick up Las Vegas and that SciFi would pick up Jericho (they already have the great show Eureka!)
And we can't forget Mad Men or Breaking Bad on AMC.
ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox would never take the chance on these shows, which is too bad. They are great!
Wow, great news item... now that the Closer is entering its third season. The first season was a classic, and the story arc was terrific, particularly when you had to wait each week to see which squad member would come around and finally appreciate Brenda. I'm glad you liked it, but geez, man.... keep up!
Best show on tv, been waiting for its return. Love the cast and storylines.
lafin gas @ 13:
yeah i liked jerrico loads of laughs, cant wait for the next segment,
The Closer is my favorite show. I like Kyra Sedgewick's character, and the supporting cast is excellent. Storylines are good, too.
lafin gas @ 13:
I don't get charged to comment here.
And, btw, I was sucking up to Howie, too, and I don't know if I've ever chatted with him once.
;^D
by the way wouldnt it be great if they would run episodes of the brittish series charlie biggles, man that show rocked !
great show. it got close to 9 mil. for last seasons opener. and was the only show in the top ten last summer that wasn't wwe or sponge bob
swampfox @ 33:
Hey swamp ox, can you change hands without missing a stroke?
lafin gas @ 38:
hi gas, sure im abidextreus, how about yourself you any good with reach arrounds?
swampfox @ 39:
Only for tits!
lafin gas @ 40:
well now there yah go gas tits works for me, kind of dissapointed you lack the graces of the other!
swampfox @ 41:
You should see a doctor,they do sex change ops you would really like.
lafin gas @ 42:
really? did you have any after effects from yours? i heard its dangerouse!
lafin gas @ 42:
So long little girl, I have better things to do.
lafin gas @ 44:
yeah i suspected as much! shirley
lafin gas @ 44:
swampfox @ 46:
If you were two inches longer you would be a man, if you were two inches shorter you would be a woman, decisions, decisions.
swampfox @ 46:
wow whod of expected you of being a monitor!
lafin gas @ 47:
you been peeking havent you!
you know what they allways say gas its the little slips that trip you up,
Sorry, I can't get over her bad attempt at a southern drawl, the way she purses her lips and sticks her tongue through them is just plain weird. Not natural.
The Closer is quite good, and I watch it regularly. However, there will never be another Homicide, Life on the Streets. Frank Pembleton was the best interrogator on tv.
Season 4 of The Closer starts again Monday, along with another interesting show, Saving Grace. It's got religious themes, but it's not preachy or fundamentalist in any way. And I'll watch anything Holly Hunter is in.
GREAT SHOW. I'm looking forward to the new season.
The Closer is great and intriguing fun. My wife and I love it - one of the only shows we can watch together! :)
The only TV I watch is on this site, TV is garbage these days.
BB @ 51:
Totally agree. I've lived in the South all my life and that faux Hollywood Southern accent would be funny if it wasn't so painful to listen to.
Give up the accent and the show is pretty decent.
Great show. Excellent ensemble cast and plenty of interesting family side stories to break up the tension; her parents' old fashioned southern manners are great fun too.
Sorry, I've never been a Kyra fan - she comes across as smarmy to me.
Now 'Design Star' on HGTV - THERE'S a show!
Ed in NJ @ 17:
Ok, that narrows it quite a bit. The commercial I saw definitely invited the view to think it was the best show ever in cable history.
osiris @ 6:
You don't have to wait until fall; its season premiere is this coming Monday night, along with Saving Grace, another show I love.
Kyra Sedgewick has the fakest southern accent in the history of actors imitating southern accents. I live in the Atlanta area and have traveled all over the south. I have met nobody who talks like her character.
I watched the first episode and distinctly remember her pronouncing the word "because" "bee-cose" (rhymes with "prose".)
He attempt at accent is so ham-fisted, I cant get past it.
For a detailed discussion of the atrociousness of actors trying to fake a drawl listen to this episode of "This American Life" - Act 3 (starts at about 30 minutes.)
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=782
Tarro @ 55:
Me too. I gave up my cable subscription over a year ago just to see and I didn't miss it a bit. I tried watching a few episodes of The Closer because I do like Kyra Sedgewick and shows with a strong female lead but I found it very cliche. Can't remember much of the details but I think one thing that really got me was the "brilliant loner who can only work alone and piss off everyone else but still solves the case through great leaps of intuition" kind of story. I also didn't like the fake southern accent. And I could be wrong but isn't the back story supposed to be that she was a "closer" for the CIA? Come on. The CIA commits plenty of crimes but they don't give a damn about solving them.
The only things I watch besides stuff on this site are The Office and the new Dr. Who on BBC which is just brilliant if you are into SF, both of which can be found online through a site called Sidereel.
Gary @ 14:
Yeah... that was pretty bad the way that show ended. \\
Jeez, maybe they should give awards for people who gave up their cable. so superior to us regular people who like to watch TV. Talk about elite. This thread is for people who like the show. I love it when Brenda gets the clue to the case when someone says something off topic. I am terrible at predicting who did it, but I really love the interaction of the whole crew. First season, they hated her at first, then began to respect her. Second season, they all stood up for her and even Capt. Taylor grew to like her. Great show, what can I say. I am looking forward to this season.
Oh the critics, who cares about her accent, she uses it to disarm her suspects. I swear some people can't enjoy anything, go away!
trevjr @ 64:
I didn't see anything that says this thread is only for people that like the show. I thought it was to comment on the show and saying that she has a hoaky accent seems like a pretty relevant comment. As for elite you know that word is kind of like "liberal" -- it only started having a negative connotation after Neocon yahoos tried to stigmatize people who think rather than have knee jerk reactions like "our country is the greatest yee ha" It used to be that we wanted the people who ran this country to be the elite. Anyway if you want to call me elite because I would prefer to read a book or have a conversation with someone rather than sit in front of a TV I'm fine with that.
"Power cycling" is the worst way to watch a series, especially if you got it on DVD. Even shows with long story arcs are written with a week's break in mind. I have been guilty of "power cycling" a series that was on DVD, and I felt I short changed myself later.
Take for instance The Sopranos, and no I do not care if you hate the show or love it, that is not a part of the discussion. Each episode in a season of The Sopranos built up to a climax for the season, but each episode has many subtle details. A viewer only notices the subtle details when they spend time reflecting over the episode for a day or more. Racing through the episodes gets you to the final climax, but you miss all the nuances in the stories along the way.
"Power cycling" is a symptom of today's instant gratification society. No one wants to take the long, hard path to gratification, even if the rewards are greater. Everyone wants the reward now, even if it is a hollow reward.
MikeD @ 65:
But then you can get into the whole elitist "I read literature while you only read trashy romance novels or geeky science fiction" discussion when talking about books. Besides, sitting in front of a TV is a high tech modern version of going to the movies or going to the theater.
Do you deride people for going to the movies? Do you deride people for going to the theater?
It is their form of entertainment. Maybe some people watch TV because they are either too old or too disabled to go out to the movies or the theater. Maybe some people watch TV because they live too far away from the city to go to the movies or the theater.
Television has a wide variety of programming from fine arts and scientific educational shows on PBS to trashy reality shows on MTV. That is no different from the variety of novels found in any bookstore across America.
You gave up your cable - good for you. Do not come crying to the rest of the world when a natural disaster like a hurricane comes to your town and you were clueless because you were too busy reading a book and had no access to live TV.
I like TC.
I REALLY like(d) The Wire. Almost as powerful as Deadwood. Each season focused on a different facet of criminality (including official) in a constant milieu (Baltimore). Season 4 (about the kids) was wrenching. No episode ends with victory, only oblique progress (for one side or another) and nothing ever turns out 'the way it should'. Reality TV is fiction. This fiction feels like reality.
The main morale for me: after doing your best (even if wrong) in your career role, a better personal best awaits you in a second life. And, NO one is invulnerable and everyones' blindside is their self confidence.
MikeD @ 65:
OK, MikeD, I get it, you're better than those of us who are stupid enough to like TV. I'm sure you're days are full of meaningful conversations about serious, high brow topics. Good for you. But you ever wonder why people use the word "elite" in a pejorative sense? It's because of people like you who feel it's their duty to tell the rest of us how common we are. Some people enjoy the medium of television, others, like yourself, do not. Fine, but don't troll on this site just to make yourself feel superior.
Discovered the show during the first season repeats over the last few months, and am a total fan! Sedgwick rocks, and imo leads the most handsome and well drawn cast on television!
Isn't anyone alarmed by the way she always gets suspects to forgo counsel? Not so hard to get confessions when the suspect is badgered and manipulated into thinking they have no choice other than confess.
Agree about her horrendous southern drool/drawl. Her continual driving problems are tiresome (though they do create an episode scenario in season 2, which had an awful cliffhanger scenario for the end of season).
That said, it is entertaining enough to power through. The supporting cast holds up their end of the bargain.
Thank you! Thank you so much!
teekay4tw01 @ 69:
Look back on my original posts. Did I ever say "I'm better than you"? Or "I'm elite because I don't watch TV"? In fact if you bothered to read what I wrote you would see that I still do occasionally watch TV shows via the Internet, I'm just selective in what I watch. I'm not the one that started the issue of who is an elitist or a whatever you are. I stated a simple fact that I stopped my cable subscription and don't miss it. I suspect you got all pissy about it because down deep you wish you didn't waste so much time sitting in front of your TV.
The Truth @ 67:
I didn't deride anyone. I stated a simple fact. I do go to movies. I do watch TV once in a while via the Internet. I couldn't live without The Office, Colbert, Dr. Who (BBC -- oh sorry thats not the US so now I guess I'm REALLY an elitist), and the Daily Show. I have no problem with mindless entertainment once in a while. Hell, I don't care if you spend your whole life smoking Chrystal Meth and watching Survivor. I'm not the one that started making judgements here. But I'll be damned if I will apologize for saying that most of the stuff on TV is crap and that reading books and talking to people is a better way to spend your time.
I've been a huge fan since the first season. I have my calendar marked for the new season - July 14.
Another great show is Mad Men on AMC. It's about the advertising industry in the 60's. You can't believe it used to really be like that - everyone smoking, the demeaning way women in the workplace were treated (and the women at home too). It won the Golden Globe.
They're going to show the entire first season on the 20th beginning at noon. The new season starts on the 27th.
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