The Closer: Season 1

Closer, The: The Complete First Season (DVD)

Meet Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, the quirky, no-nonsense boss of the elite Priority Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, played to perfection by Golden Globe winner and Emmy® nominee Kyra Sedgwick. Brought from Atlanta to head up this special unit that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases, Brenda has world-class interrogation skills, often matching a criminal's lie with one of her own in order to obtain a confession. Her offbeat attitude and hard-nosed approach can rub her colleagues the wrong way, as does the fact that she is a tough-minded Southern woman in a department dominated by men. The series also stars J.K. Simmons (Juno, Spider-Man films), Corey Reynolds (The Terminal), Robert Gossett (Arlington Road), G.W. Bailey (Police Academy films), Tony Denison (Prison Break) and Jon Tenney (Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World). Catch the critically acclaimed series from the start.

]]> Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick, Personal Velocity) isn't about making friends, she's about getting results. Days after her transfer from Atlanta, the LAPD's Priority Homicide Division decides they can't work with the blunt-talking Southern belle. Fortunately, she has former CIA colleague, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope (J.K. Simmons, Spider-Man), on her side. As he explains to Captain Taylor (Robert Gossett), who she has just replaced, "She is not miss congeniality...but she's a closer." Set to the sound of urban blues, TNT's The Closer is Columbo by way of Prime Suspect. In other words, Johnson may be as messy as Oscar Madison, but she's as sharp as Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the first season, she'll solve 13 murders, including those of a reclusive mathematician, a Russian prostitute, and a British butler. She won't get much support from her colleagues, except for Sergeant David Gabriel (Corey Reynolds, Broadway’s Hairspray)--to the consternation of his co-workers, like Detective Lieutenants Provenza (G.W. Bailey, M*A*S*H) and Flynn (Tony Denison, Melrose Place). Johnson also has a friend in FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney, You Can Count on Me). With his help, she'll eventually settle into her new environment, especially when she lands a house and a cat on the same day (conveniently left behind by a victim). Just as it takes awhile for the chief to grow on her squad--and to get used to driving in LA--Sedgwick's Golden Globe-nominated performance follows a similar trajectory. Fortunately, "Scarlett O'Hara," as the droll Provenza dubs her, becomes more fully-rounded as the season progresses, aided by a superb SAG Award-nominated ensemble cast. Consulting producer on The Closer is former LA District Attorney Gil Garcetti of O.J. infamy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy