Well, what did you think?

I enjoyed it. Thought Kyra Sedgwick's character was interesting and the story was pretty good. Didn't care much for the supporting cast. Looking forward to weeks and weeks of a quirky character -- kinda wanna see if they explain what's up with her rather unusual relationship with junk food! I thought the surround sound was excellent -- nice full bass and active surrounds, especially during the music.

Thoughts?

I've liked Kyra ever since -Phenomenon-. She was ok in this role. Interesting, but ok. But I'm a bit tired of police dramas, so they'll really need to pick this up to keep me interested.

I recorded it on my 942 and will watch it tonight.

A damn good opening episode.

It was good enough to make you wonder why NBC didn't pick it up instead of some of the turkeys they have been trotting out lately.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column of Tuesday June 14, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

…Last night’s series-debut of The Closer could very well break a new record for the cable network with a considerable 5.3 rating/ 8 share in the overnights…

It was good enough to make you wonder why NBC didn't pick it up instead of some of the turkeys they have been trotting out lately.
With NBC's HD track record in most viewing area's at unexpectedly (but to no surprise) switching from HD to SD and back (most times staying in SD) not to mention audio problems, lets be thankful TNT got it instead of NBC. ;)

I understand your frustration with NBC HD/SD quality issues, Daryl L.
But to be fair, I have never experienced them.
(And some day a satellite or cable provider serving west LA will actually provide TNT HD.)

(And some day a satellite or cable provider serving west LA will actually provide TNT HD.)
The same up here in NorCal, someday... :rolleyes:

Regarding the show, Sedgwick is an interesting character, but I didn't think the show is all that and a bag of chips. Really nothing new or different about any of it, and it seemed very dark in overall look. I missed the first 5 mins of it, so I missed "the crime" but was any of it shot in daylight? It seemed everything was interiors, gave me a cramped, closed in feeling. I had to watch it in SD so that may have contributed to the overall feel, but if this show is going to focus on Sedgwick's character breaking people in an interview room, I think it will go downhill quick.

Broadcasting & Cable---The Closer, the second of three major original offerings from TNT this summer, earned a 4.8 household rating for its 9 p.m. series debut, the highest rated basic-cable original scripted series telecast ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Broadcasting & Cable---The Closer, the second of three major original offerings from TNT this summer, earned a 4.8 household rating for its 9 p.m. series debut, the highest rated basic-cable original scripted series telecast ever, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Well, Into the West may be the first, The Closer the 2nd, what would be the third?? Guess I've been skipping too many commercials. :p
Found it, guess its Wanted, starting July 31st. Looks good, for another cop drama that is.

I found the "twist" to be way too predictable (guessed it about 1/2 way through). Maybe I've been watching too much L&O:SVU...

I watched last night ... and enjoyed...

I enjoyed it as well. However, you can add this one to the "do not watch while eating" list. The lingering close-ups of the victim were as bad as anything you'd see on CSI.

I enjoyed it but am not sure whether I was just glad for something that was not a repeat at this time of year. It will take another episode or two before I decide whether this is regular HDPVR fare.

- Tom

I've watched it since 1st episode and think it's a great show. Kyra is a very interesting character and the HD is good too.

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this show. It's refreshing to see a character who, while great at her job, has interesting personal flaws yet isn't completely neurotic.

The thing with the kittens last week was hilarious. And they were so cute :)

Have enjoyed this show since the premiere.

I really enjoy the relationship she is in and how she and Fritz never seem to have things work out for them.

I agree, the kitten storyline was very cute.

I really like this show. It seems to be really getting better with each episode. She's got a messy personal life and a somewhat messy work life. But the character seems as real as any I've seen on tv.

I really like this show. It seems to be really getting better with each episode. She's got a messy personal life and a somewhat messy work life. But the character seems as real as any I've seen on tv.Agreed. Fredfa put it best when he wondered why NBC (or anybody, for that matter) didn't pick this one up. My wife can't miss it. And hooking women to a crime drama isn't always an easy task.

I'll be interested to see how "Criminal Minds" does. Saw the upfronts and thought the show was very well done. "Ghost Whisperers," OTOH ...eh, I dunno.

Doc

Soft but assertive. I've heard that interesting southern accent before, by an actress in a movie or television series. Can't dredge it up. Any ideas?

Holly Hunter comes to mind.

I thought tonight's episode was killer. The best yet! And my little sister, who just went back to college, is dying to see it. Luckily for her, it's on my hd dvr, which hopefully will not lose it accidentally. What a great show!

And I am sure we will see the smirking villain in that latest episode somewhere down the line again.

He was very, very chilling.

It is sad there is only one more episode of "The Closer" left.

Returning soon!! My parents live in the middle of freakin' no where. They receive a fuzzy signal from an ABC channel in Jonesboro AK. That's it. All my mom watches on it is the weather forecast and Wheel of Fortune. Dad just doesn't watch anything. But after watching a few episodes of The Closer on my HD DVR, my dad was ready to get a dish! If my VIP 622 loses any of this season, my family is going to kill me! Hope some others out there are looking forward to it's new season as well.

The Closer is a family favorite here. Is it going to be in true HD or just another show in TNT's stretch-o-vision?

It's in HD. I believe all of TNT original series are in HD.

Well, what did you think of the season premiere? The opening shot of the flies on the window with the blood spatters was interesting. I thought it was a good episode, though not as strong as some of the best eps last season. I loved that it was commercial free. The writing, IMO, makes it one of the best shows on tv.

Shouldnt the title of this thread be The Closer: Season 2 or something like that?

THANK-YOU!!! (said in a sweet southern drawl)

(From Marc Berman’s Tuesday, June 13, 2006, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
TNT’s The Closer Breaks the Record Books

The second season premiere of TNT drama The Closer roared out of the gate last night with a series-high 6.4 overnight rating at 9 p.m. Comparatively, that was up by 21 percent from last year’s series debut (5.3).

New drama Saved, which debuted at 10 p.m., opened with a solid 4.2 in the overnights.

Great show, glad it's back. Had some outstanding PQ on Dish TNT-HD as well, parts of it look almost like live video.

Last night was the first time I caught the show and thought it was OK. I'm not sure it won't get too repetitive though as I don’t really enjoy “twist” based shows and when you throw in commercials (even if I fast-forward through them) I might end up not watching. Hopefully there will be enough going on outside of the twist to keep my interest which I’m doubting since I got bored with the CSI shows after one episode.

Charles, it's a different type of show from the CSI's, the thrust of The Closer is the main character, Brenda, probably the most unique cop on TV. The "crime" is really secondary to the characters, there's at least 3 to 4 standouts in a large cast and watching the interaction between them is how I derive my enjoyment from the show.

TNT's Closer Nabs Big Numbers

By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable6/13/2006

With 8.28 million total viewers, TNT's season-two premiere of The Closer drew the biggest audience ever for an ad-supported cable scripted series telecast on Monday night, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.

The previous record was held by the series' first-season premiere last year.

The Closer, which ran at 9 p.m., outdelivered all programs in its time slot on ABC, NBC, Fox, UPN and The WB and helped bring a big audience to TNT's second summer original drama, Saved.

The new paramedic series, which ran at 10 p.m., drew 5.1 million total viewers, making it ad-supported cable's top debut of a new scripted original series this year.

Both shows ran ad-free, with Audi sponsoring The Closer and Dodge and Quiznos sponsoring Saved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Some Monday Network numbers for comparison: (in millions of viewers)
CSI: Miami CBS 13.41
Two And A Half Men 9.89
Old Christine 8.38
The Closer TNT 8.28
Hell’s Kitchen 6.68
Wife Swap 6.27
How To Get The Guy 4.28
Stanley Cup Finals 3.85

Poor Stanley Cup Finals. :(

did the whole show run for like 55+ mins without the commercials? when the show ended, a few seconds later the recording ended as well, which means the show took up almost an hour. anyway, didn't notice it as the time just flew by... :)
only thing i've noticed with this episode and most of the episodes from the first season is that she seems to be "closing" on undeserving criminals... yeah, they're guilty but i would rather brenda use her great skills and time on hard criminals...

last episode, she let go the big "fish" (druglord) and put to jail a mis-treated grandma...

I liked this last episode better than the season premiere. Watching Provenza esquire her mom around was hilarious. She's like Poirot, figuring things out that other people miss.

Anyone still watching? I thought this past week's ep was great. And I heard it's been picked up again for next season. Hope they can keep up the writing!

Oh, and I forgot that Kyra Sedgwick got nominated for an Emmy. Very cool.

i guess i'm the only one that doesn't like it i can't stand her southern drawl, and it seems in every episode she's cancelling dinner with someone, iv;e seen this happen at least 3 or 4 times. i already cancelled my season pass.

I'm still watching (just started this season) and thought last Monday's show was entertaining - if not a little unauthentic. I especially liked how she gave the two a list of payoff items to square things away with the crew. I think it’s a good show but still a “TV” show that’s not quite a must see.

I don't miss it, it has the right blend of laugh out loud comedy and drama and easily the best thing on during the summer. I can't get enough of G.W. Bailey, easily the best one liner guy on TV right now. Hilarious.

I am with you on that, keenan.

I am sorry Bailey didn't get an Emmy nomination. But he's been great since his minor role in M*A*SH.

I thought Monday's episode was the best yet. Hysterical...

Has anyone heard when new eps will be on. They were advertising December IIRC.

There is one two-hour episode (directed by Kyra Sedgwick's husband Kevin Bacon) which will play sometime in December.

Sweet! Thanks!

Season 3 starts Monday 9:00 pm Eastern Time.

Also, there is going to be a marathon leading up to the new episode, it starts 1:00 am Monday, best I can tell these are the eps they are going to show:

Season 1

01:00 am 1. 1- 1 Pilot
02:00 am 2. 1- 2 About Face
03:00 am 3. 1- 3 The Big Picture
04:00 am 6. 1- 6 Fantasy Date
05:00 am 8. 1- 8 Batter Up

Season 2

06:00 am 14. 2- 1 Blue Blood
07:00 am 15. 2- 2 Mom Duty
08:00 am 16. 2- 3 Slippin'
09:00 am 17. 2- 4 Aftertaste
10:00 am 18. 2- 5 To Protect & To Serve
11:00 am 19. 2- 6 Out of Focus
12:00 pm 20. 2- 7 Head Over Heels
01:00 pm 21. 2- 8 Critical Missing
02:00 pm 22. 2- 9 Heroic Measures
03:00 pm 23. 2-10 The Other Woman
04:00 pm 24. 2-11 Borderline
05:00 pm 25. 2-12 No Good Deed
06:00 pm 26. 2-13 Overkill
07:00 pm 27. 2-14 Serving the King (Part I)
08:00 pm 28. 2-15 Serving the King (Part II)

Season 3

09:00 pm 29. 3- 1 Homewrecker

I think I heard somewhere that Emmy® Winner Kyra Sedgwick stars in this show. :p

I think I heard somewhere that Emmy® Winner Kyra Sedgwick stars in this show. :p

Well, she won a golden globe and was nominated for an Emmy for this role, but lost to Mariska Hargitay. I can't wait for tomorrow! My sister is counting down too.

A number of stories concerning “The Closer” have been posted in the “Hot Off The Press” sticky. (And more will be added today and tomorrow.)

Here are some direct links:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10807652&&#post10807652

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10808258&&#post10808258

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10805043&&#post10805043

Well, she won a golden globe and was nominated for an Emmy for this role, but lost to Mariska Hargitay. I can't wait for tomorrow! My sister is counting down too.

Crap, you'd think after seeing that commercial 4000 times during the NBA Finals I could have gotten it right. :o

What - no posts? It was a good way to open the season, Brenda was in fine form and I like the ending "solving" the budget problem. While it's kind of a cop out, but it does open the doors for other storylines.

The only thing I found to be VERY annoying was the handheld camera crap at the opening, Ihope we never see that technique used again.

What - no posts? It was a good way to open the season, Brenda was in fine form and I like the ending "solving" the budget problem. While it's kind of a cop out, but it does open the doors for other storylines.

The only thing I found to be VERY annoying was the handheld camera crap at the opening, Ihope we never see that technique used again.


Cop out, good one :) I enjoyed the show, as always.

I wondered if anyone would catch that one...

I liked it alot. I kept wondering where the bride/groom was that they kept showing in all the commercials. Guess it's a later ep. Gotta love Fritzy trying to manipulate Brenda as best he can. Their relationship feels real, with his frustration with her and her attempts to ignore their issues by working all the time.

What - no posts? It was a good way to open the season, Brenda was in fine form and I like the ending "solving" the budget problem. While it's kind of a cop out, but it does open the doors for other storylines.

The only thing I found to be VERY annoying was the handheld camera crap at the opening, Ihope we never see that technique used again.

I agree. Great episode, but lose the handheld camera. It wouldn't have been 'as' bad if it would have stayed on, but it kept blacking out to show the opening credits.

I loved the opening episode. It was very well written and it’s not often that a TV drama is so entertaining from beginning to end, particularly when it is 57 minutes long with no commercial interruptions. Thanks, TNT.

I thought the hand held video treatment at the crime scene was effective because it made an already horrific situation seem even creepier and more horrible. That said, I, too, was relieved when the video shifted to film.

The Closer may be the best dramatic show on TV right now.

The only thing I'm not sure I understood was... what did Brenda's overspending serve to accomplish?

When she started going nuts, I mean... like taking the plan and bringing people back and all that. I thought there would be a payoff with her and Pope over all the extra spending she was racking up there... but that part of the plot seemed to go away once the "cop out" plan was proposed.

Seems like there would still be the matter of paying for all that stuff she ran up there even with solving the rest of the budgetary issues.

The only thing I'm not sure I understood was... what did Brenda's overspending serve to accomplish?

When she started going nuts, I mean... like taking the plan and bringing people back and all that. I thought there would be a payoff with her and Pope over all the extra spending she was racking up there... but that part of the plot seemed to go away once the "cop out" plan was proposed.

Seems like there would still be the matter of paying for all that stuff she ran up there even with solving the rest of the budgetary issues.
Brenda was faced with incredible time pressures, which Pope’s determination not to spend any extra money on anything exacerbated. For example, Brenda had to pay for the expedited handling of the blood sample from the murdered family’s surviving son out of her own pocket. If she had not done that, the kid would almost certainly have been turned over to juvenile authorities and almost certainly “lawyered up,” which is anathema to cops, especially an interrogator as skillful as Brenda. After that, I thought her spending, using the department jet to fly to the other family’s home comes to mind, was a combination of continuing time pressure and Brenda being Brenda with a little passive aggressive tweaking of her uncooperative boss, Pope.

As to having to find a way to cover the extra expenses she ran up, Sgt Gabriel took care of all that for Brenda when he showed Pope how to play a bureaucratic game that would cover what Brenda had spent and them some. As she always does, Brenda came out on top in the end.

Last night’s The Closer was one of the best hours of TV I have watched in some time.

Brenda was faced with incredible time pressures, which Pope’s determination not to spend any extra money on anything exacerbated. For example, Brenda had to pay for the expedited handling of the blood sample from the murdered family’s surviving son out of her own pocket. If she had not done that, the kid would almost certainly have been turned over to juvenile authorities and almost certainly “lawyered up,” which is anathema to cops, especially an interrogator as skillful as Brenda. After that, I thought her spending, using the department jet to fly to the other family’s home comes to mind, was a combination of continuing time pressure and Brenda being Brenda with a little passive aggressive tweaking of her uncooperative boss, Pope.

As to having to find a way to cover the extra expenses she ran up, Sgt Gabriel took care of all that for Brenda when he showed Pope how to play a bureaucratic game that would cover what Brenda had spent and them some. As she always does, Brenda came out on top in the end.

Another thought I had regarding this concerned the rush to judgement that most cops, even the good ones, have when presented with a reasonable explanation of the crime and someone who fits what they think is the profile of the murderer. Flynn jumped all over the kid found in the attic; he had motive for sure. And Chief Pope was ready to buy it too. I'm sure in real life that would be it for most everywhere. But Brenda chases down everything so that the whole story makes sense to her. It costs money and takes time to thoroughly investigate, not to mention manpower. But she gets the RIGHT person. And I think in some way, she thinks that because she delivers time and time again that she ought to be provided with the means to accomplish this. I mean they created this whole special unit for high profile murders to begin with; they result in confessions to major crimes: fund them properly and you get results.

Last night’s The Closer was one of the best hours of TV I have watched in some time.

I do love this show. Glad it's back. I didn't think it was the best ep I've seen from them, but it sure beats everything else on currently.

I do love this show. Glad it's back. I didn't think it was the best ep I've seen from them, but it sure beats everything else on currently.
Certainly a number of the shows in Season One of The Closer, in which Brenda was simultaneously fighting crime and establishing her turf while being undermined by the LAPD’s Good Old Boy Network, were wonderful, at least as good as this season’s first episode.

As to having to find a way to cover the extra expenses she ran up, Sgt Gabriel took care of all that for Brenda when he showed Pope how to play a bureaucratic game that would cover what Brenda had spent and them some. As she always does, Brenda came out on top in the end.

Actually, there may not be the "happy ending" that we thought we saw. I read in an article in the Chicago Tribune that hinted at tension between Brenda and Sgt Gabriel that will be ongoing throughout this season. I can imagine that she may not be elated that Gabriel went to Pope without her knowledge. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Actually, there may not be the "happy ending" that we thought we saw. I read in an article in the Chicago Tribune that hinted at tension between Brenda and Sgt Gabriel that will be ongoing throughout this season. I can imagine that she may not be elated that Gabriel went to Pope without her knowledge. I guess we'll have to wait and see...
I agree that there is a lot of potential for tension in the Brenda-Sgt Gabriel relationship. First, Gabriel had reason to question Brenda’s loyalty when she “offered” him the chance to go to work for Commander Taylor. Second, when Brenda finds out that the bureaucratic legerdemain that saved everybody’s jobs was Gabriel’s idea and not Pope’s, as she inevitably must, she will not be a happy camper. Finally, Gabriel has been frank to let Brenda know that he is probably not a career cop and has political ambitions. The writers can do a lot with all of that.

This is my FIRST time ever watching this show.. and I must say. EXCELLENT!

Great cast and everything.. The bonus was me appearing in the episode(well someone reminded me of ME) :D

The only problem with this show right now is there are too many likable/interesting (even if likably unlikable as in Capt. Taylor) characters. This means most of the characters don't get a lot of development outside those big squad-assembled scenes in the situation room.

Hopefully they will keep trying to find ways to spotlight different members of the team and keep the actors happy, because this is a show where really everyone in the credits is worth screen time.

I loved how G.W. Bailey's Lt. Provenza worked his butt off to show he was indispensable to the unit. He's such a pro.

I loved how G.W. Bailey's Lt. Provenza worked his butt off to show he was indispensable to the unit. He's such a pro.
That was funny, he's my favorite character on the show. :)

I also like how Flynn is always trying to mess up Provenza's desk. He eats there or sits stuff there or gets other people to set stuff there, knowing it will get under Provenza's skin....

BUT... those last episodes from season 2 where Provenza is on temporary leave from the gun incident, and Captain Taylor is getting crumbs on Provenza's desk... you see Flynn later cleaning up the mess.

Anyone catch last night's ep. It was a whirlwind. I loved the conflict with Gabriel. He really thought all would be forgiven. And the way Taylor took care of the problem Gabriel gave them was pure genius. That guy is a very interesting character. A very good episode, IMO. Maybe the best of the year so far.

I was not surprised Brenda would try to help... nor surprised that she would be disappointed in Gabriel. Also not surprised that Taylor helped out, nor in the way that he helped.

I was surprised, however, at how Gabriel seemed to have no remorse or feel bad for what he did... and surprised that even at the end he didn't seem to understand that something had to be done.

I 100% sympathise with what he did as a person. Who wouldn't? It'd be hard not to do what he did under the circumstances... but, as a police officer he simply has to understand that he cannot do the same emotional-reaction thing in that situation that he might do as an "ordinary" citizen.

The stuff Brenda and Taylor allowed to happen as a result, also put them on very shaky moral ground. Again, understandable under the circumstances... but nearly as wrong as what Gabriel did to create the situation.

In the real world.. such a cover-up would be likely to happen, so the show was realistic in most ways... but if the public ever got wind of this kind of thing.. it opens the doors to doubt credibility of the police. If this happened in your town, in real life, you would immediately wonder what else is being covered up... so its a bad thing when a cop, even in an understandable situation, gets out of control.

So I was not so much surprised that Gabriel did what he did... as I was that he felt nothing wrong about it afterwards. Maybe they will revisit that in a future episode.

I have liked all of this season’s episodes and last night’s was certainly no exception. They did their usual good job of blending a tense police procedural. in the form of the child molesting serial killer and internal bureaucracy problems, in the form of Sergeant Gabriel’s, er, overzealousness.

I like Kyra Sedgwick a lot. Some have complained about her looks but I think she looks just fine. Sedgwick will certainly never be confused with Angelina Jolie or Catherine Zeta-Jones but she is attractive and her looks fit her well for her role as a deputy police chief.

Like most good shows, The Closer is blessed with great writing that has created a lot of interesting characters. I agree that Commander Taylor, who started out seeming to be a one dimensional heavy, has turned into a multifaceted and very savvy guy.

EDIT: Typo corrected.

I like Kyra Sedgwick a lot. Some have complained about her looks but I think she looks just fine. Sedgwick will certainly never be confused with Angelina Julie or Catherine Zeta-Jones but she is attractive and her looks fit her well for her role as a deputy police chief.

They are subtle about it, but if you notice... the times they show Brenda going out to a formal dinner or something vs just going to work, Kyra is made-up completely different. They don't talk about it much (except last week with the lipstick thing and the plastic surgeon).. but I've always thought that the character Brenda dresses down somewhat for work to help enforce her authoritative role and not just be mistaken for a pretty face.

There was one episode, though, where she intentionally dressed to attract the suspect she was interrogating in order to put him off-guard... otherwise, at work she is not trying to be as attractive as she does during off-hours.

Like most good shows, The Closer is blessed with great writing that has created a lot of interesting characters. I agree that Commander Taylor, who started out seeming to be a one dimensional heavy, has turned into a multifaceted and very savvy guy.

The actor that plays Taylor is good... It is really easy to hate Captain Taylor... but I have seen this same actor play a good guy role and he is completely believable there as well.

Incidentally... I sometimes watch Charmed repeats on TNT... and have noticed a bunch of the Closer actors were there.

Captain Taylor was on one episode... as was Daniels. Flynn was the original actor playing the part of the sisters on Charmed, but later the role was recast when it became a recurring part.

Just struck me as curious when I see a bunch of actors in a show that all passed through the same door of another show individually.

There has been a lot of talk about the recycling of actors in the John from Cincinnati thread. A bunch of the performers there also appeared in Deadwood. Both were David Milch creations, of course. A lot of TV show execs and movie directors like to do that, Christopher Guest comes to mind and the old time director, John Ford, was famous for it. I have never watched Charmed, so I was unaware that several of the actors in The Closer had also appeared in Charmed. I have no idea what the connection, if any, may be between The Closer and Charmed.

Great episode... LOVED IT

I also agree with you HDMe2, in the real world a cover up like this would likely happen, so this was realistic. But like you said, if this were to be released to the public, it would definitely hurt the credibility of the police force(what's left of it), and will question what else is hidden in the "closet".

But this was a great episode, in Gabriel's situation I would have done the EXACT same thing, but as a cop, sometimes you have to let go of your emotions. And try your best to control them. Of course with something like this, it would be very very difficult.

One thing that fascinates me about Gabriel is how he can be so smooth and politically savvy, such as when he was saving Brenda's ass over the budget issue, but then he let's his emotions get the best of him and he totally screws up a case such as in this last episode. That's not to say the writers are inconsistent; rather, I think they are writing a character who we all recognize could exist in the real world. That's what makes this show special. I think of David as a young man; very smart, well educated who wants to make a difference in people's lives. He is ambitious and is liked by those above him. He is politically savvy. He is dating a beautiful woman; they work together, so it is not all kosher but they keep it quiet. His boss is difficult at times, but he respects her and recognizes she can teach him alot. He gets emotionally involved in his cases; this is not only because he genuinely cares about people but also a result of his inexperience. And thus, he screwed up last week and let a suspect push his buttons and he lost control. He feels morally justified and thus feels he has the high ground. He recognizes that his actions were incorrect but feels petulant and angry when Brenda punishes him for it because he still feels it was the right thing to do and thinks that reasoning should give him a pass on his actions.

I'll stop there. Someone mentioned having too many interesting characters; however, I feel that they are developing them slowly. None of it feels forced, like now we have to watch the black cop lay into the suspect who makes denigrating comments about black women. So many shows have artificial characters who never feel quite right; you're always aware you're watching a TV program. With the Closer, everyone seems to act the way a human would. I'm never bored by any of the episodes; I guess that's all one can really ask of their entertainment choices.

After all the build up I was a little underwhelmed with the story line. I thought it was weak, predictable and plodded along. Compared to previous episodes I'd give it a C. I didn't think it lived up to last year. I still like the Character Kyra plays and will be watching for more.

I have the SA 8300HD DVR. When I FF through the commercials it makes a weird noise right before the Closer comes back on and the screen goes blank for a sec or so and when I hit play it picks up in the middle of the scene.

This only happens when I watch the Closer on TNTHD. TWC Charlotte.

Weird. I have E* with a VIP 622 DVR. I don't FF through commercials; I typically hit the skip ahead 30 seconds arrow to flick through them. It's faster. I've never had issues with doing that, but it may be the difference in the DVRs.

Thought tonight's ep was so-so. Not really all that exciting, but it was fun to watch Brenda and David get comfortable with each other again.

WTF - I set my Dish 622 to record tonight's ep at 6pm with a 10 min buffer at the end. At about 6:45 I noticed it wasn't recording. I quick tune to TNT and tell it to record the rest of the episode. Later I start watching and it is LAST WEEK's episode. I fast forward and at the end of the repeat they start showing the new episode which of course I only got 10 min of plus the 15min of whatever.
Luckily The Closer shows twice on Dish in the Bay Area - at 6 & 9pm. So hopefully at 9pm I will get to see the correct episode -- maybe?

I have the SA 8300HD DVR. When I FF through the commercials it makes a weird noise right before the Closer comes back on and the screen goes blank for a sec or so and when I hit play it picks up in the middle of the scene.

This only happens when I watch the Closer on TNTHD. TWC Charlotte.

It drops to SD at the end of the break to feed in local ads. The flicker is the box switching resolutions.

I wouldn't be surprised if the local ad spot is running over the TNT HD content.

The last couple of episodes I'm starting to get ticked off by TNT intentionally over running by two minutes., so that my recording keeps losing the last minute.

WTF - I set my Dish 622 to record tonight's ep at 6pm with a 10 min buffer at the end. At about 6:45 I noticed it wasn't recording. I quick tune to TNT and tell it to record the rest of the episode. Later I start watching and it is LAST WEEK's episode. I fast forward and at the end of the repeat they start showing the new episode which of course I only got 10 min of plus the 15min of whatever.
Luckily The Closer shows twice on Dish in the Bay Area - at 6 & 9pm. So hopefully at 9pm I will get to see the correct episode -- maybe?

Last week's episode was aired at 8pm EDT and the new one followed at 9pm. Not sure what happened out there on the west coast as that should have been 5pm and 6pm, so it sounds like your timer was correct.

Another emmy nod for Kyra. Hope she wins this time, but sentiment may be for the Sopranos actors.

I was a great fan of The Closer, but this season's episodes are a very mixed bag. Having half the cast in space-suits last night didn't help.

Does anyone else find the sound mix very poor? It sometimes feels as though all the elements are fed into a compressor with little human intervention. Of course, the blame might lie with TNT's network processing of an otherwise good job.

I was a great fan of The Closer, but this season's episodes are a very mixed bag. Having half the cast in space-suits last night didn't help.

Does anyone else find the sound mix very poor? It sometimes feels as though all the elements are fed into a compressor with little human intervention. Of course, the blame might lie with TNT's network processing of an otherwise good job.
I'm not sure what's going on with that either, whether it's TNT or my provider Dish, but the audio on these 3 programs, The Closer is not as bad, but with Heartland and last night's Saving Grace the audio is terrible, it's as if there is no intelligent mixing going on, everything is loud, from someone just breathing heavy to someone yelling. Even the foley-like stuff, something dropping on a floor, etc, way too loud, very annoying, even drowning out the dialog at times. I have to say that it detracted in a large way my enjoyment of Saving Grace last night.

Yes, the audio on Saving Grace was terrible: poorly mixed and out of sync with the video. I get my TNT feed via Cox OKC, so it's clearly not a satellite thing. The audio wasn’t great on this week’s The Closer episode, either, but it wasn’t as bad as it was on Saving Grace. I would have thought that TNT would have been more careful about such a matter when it involved a very expensive new series starring an Academy Award winning actress. Silly me. TNT really needs to get its act together where audio is concerned.

Maybe it's to complement their stretch-o-vision, it's called stretch-o-audio, where everything is set to the same loudness, from ants walking to jets taking off. :rolleyes:

Seriously though, TNT really needs to fix it, it's as if they're not processing the audio stream correctly as I'm sure it doesn't come from the content creator that way.

As annoying as TNT's bad audio is, it's not nearly as bad as their Stretchovision. I HATE that!

This season has had it's share of iffy episodes, but boy was tonight's exciting! A good case, a great personal issue and further evidence of the tension between Lt. Gabriel and Brenda. Next week's looks terrific as well. Gotta love it!!!

Can't/won't watch TNT HD out of protest of their ridiculous choice to have the TNT logo (and more) always visible in the lower right corner.

How can you stand it!!!???

I realize that a station has the right and need to ID itself but there's no reason it has to be present ALL THE TIME!

Other HD stations (like HDNET Movies) show the logo in the beginning of a movie and every 30 minutes or so...this would be acceptable but not incessantly displaying it like TNT.

IMO, everyone should contact TNT and advise them that that constant logo image thing they do should be done away with....before you know it, hi def DVDs will have their studio ID's consistently visible on theie presenatations!

End of rant.

Oh...too contact TNT via email: tnt@turner.com

TNT can care less what you think. They know their channel is part of a bigger programming package. They know you won't cancel your total package because of one channel. So, why should they change?

Can't/won't watch TNT HD out of protest of their ridiculous choice to have the TNT logo (and more) always visible in the lower right corner.

How can you stand it!!!???

I realize that a station has the right and need to ID itself but there's no reason it has to be present ALL THE TIME!

Other HD stations (like HDNET Movies) show the logo in the beginning of a movie and every 30 minutes or so...this would be acceptable but not incessantly displaying it like TNT.

IMO, everyone should contact TNT and advise them that that constant logo image thing they do should be done away with....before you know it, hi def DVDs will have their studio ID's consistently visible on theie presenatations!

End of rant.

Oh...too contact TNT via email: tnt@turner.com

All things considered... don't you think it is a bit ironic to post a complaint about pop-up ads on TNT in a thread that is about a TV show, thus making your post an unwanted off-topic interruption of the otherwise discussion of the Closer?

Think about it... you didn't post anything at all about the Closer, but further your own notion of boycotting all things TNT and interrupt the flow of discussion... much like those bugs on the screen interrupt TNT's programming.

That said... I hate those annoying bugs and advertisements... but when folks go off-topic just to further an agenda, isn't that a bit like the pot and the kettle debating their blackness?

I agree that last night’s episode was terrific, much better than last week’s. Now that Brenda and the Love of Her Life, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard, are going to get married, I am wondering whether the show’s writers will kill him Fritz off next season or wait until the season after, if the show lasts that long. :)

More seriously, what made last night’s episode so good, I thought, was its concentration on solving a lot of especially grisly murders, committed by a serial killing psychopath. Very exciting stuff. Now that the internal LAPD politics have been largely resolved, the show is just better when it spends most of its time on the cases Brenda solves and closes.

Ok, about the TNT practice of advertising with annoying graphics during a show... I hate it. :(

But.... This is one terrific series.

I sometimes gauge my enjoyment of a TV show by how often I find myself thinking about the episode or characters the next day. After last night's episode, I found myself often thinking about Brenda's surprise by the cattle prod, her desperate attempt for the gun, after shooting the guy, her attempt to get a confession out of him. WOW!! :)

The writers, directors and actors (especially Kyra) should take a bow for putting together such a great series with characters that you care about, that are full of human idiosyncracies and that continue to surprise. Great job!!

HDme2....

I didn't post anything about The Closer because heretofore I have been unable(unwilling) to watch it due to what I complained about.

I would like to watch TNT HD broadcasts (TV shows & movies) but since they continue their annoying logo displays I can't/won't.

Yes....I find it THAT obtrusive

HDme2....

I didn't post anything about The Closer because heretofore I have been unable(unwilling) to watch it due to what I complained about.

I would like to watch TNT HD broadcasts (TV shows & movies) but since they continue their annoying logo displays I can't/won't.

Yes....I find it THAT obtrusive
I would love to see the day when HD programming is so plentiful that I would be willing to boycott even the excellent original programming on TNT HD because of its awful screen crawls and promos superimposed on the program. But we’re not there yet and to me, at least, the pleasures of The Closer in HD far exceed the annoyance of TNT’s advertising practices. Even a guy who is as big an HD nerd as I am has to be willing to compromise sometimes. I view TNT HD much as one would a loveable but irresponsible black-sheep brother: it’s a love-hate relationship. :)

Last night's episode was the best I recall from all I've seen.

A couple of weeks ago I complained about the quality of this season's shows. But with this week's episode the series has redeemed itself.
Even the sound mix sounded better (or TNT's processing of it was less agressive).
Excellent. The show deserves to be basic cable's #1.

I love the Closer. It's one of my favorite shows. Is there any chance they will bring back that lawyer that Brenda cannot stand? You know the one with the BIG smile.

All things considered... don't you think it is a bit ironic to post a complaint about pop-up ads on TNT in a thread that is about a TV show, thus making your post an unwanted off-topic interruption of the otherwise discussion of the Closer?

Think about it... you didn't post anything at all about the Closer, but further your own notion of boycotting all things TNT and interrupt the flow of discussion... much like those bugs on the screen interrupt TNT's programming.

That said... I hate those annoying bugs and advertisements... but when folks go off-topic just to further an agenda, isn't that a bit like the pot and the kettle debating their blackness?

So, in other words, he came into this thread without warning and broke the flow of the content - kind of like one of those pop-ups?

Oh man, was tonight's episode good. I kept rewinding on my DVR to watch some of the scenes over and over. The best of the season! What's the deal with Pope? Provenza in charge was priceless. The shot of the murder board with the words "Who would want to kill the chief?" and the extensive list on it, with Flynn just looking up and saying "we're gonna need a bigger board" made me laugh out loud. Truly an outstanding episode.

Provenza's shrug to Pope at the end was great too, as were some of the lines from Brenda's dad. "You do hug, don't you? I mean, you have a cat."

Oh man, was tonight's episode good. I kept rewinding on my DVR to watch some of the scenes over and over. The best of the season! What's the deal with Pope? Provenza in charge was priceless. The shot of the murder board with the words "Who would want to kill the chief?" and the extensive list on it, with Flynn just looking up and saying "we're gonna need a bigger board" made me laugh out loud. Truly an outstanding episode.

Pope and Brenda had an affair that broke up his marriage. When they were reviewing the tape of the aftermath of the shooting, Pope's face was shown when he was told Brenda had not been shot...the look on his face betrayed that he still has feelings for her. Brenda is already somewhat conflicted over the engagement with Fritz and seeing Pope's look did not help with that.

Pope and Brenda had an affair that broke up his marriage. When they were reviewing the tape of the aftermath of the shooting, Pope's face was shown when he was told Brenda had not been shot...the look on his face betrayed that he still has feelings for her. Brenda is already somewhat conflicted over the engagement with Fritz and seeing Pope's look did not help with that.


Yeah, I knew all that. I just meant being so transparent, and on camera at that. I guess he was so worried he couldn't hide his feelings. I don't think that Brenda still has strong feelings for him. She had held onto those pictures, etc that we saw last year more for sentimental reasons, IMO.

Pope and Brenda had an affair that broke up his marriage.

Not exactly true...

They did have an affair, years ago, but they broke up. He then had an affair with another woman and left his 1st wife to marry that woman. During last season, he became separated (divorced?) from his 2nd wife without there having been any affairs to break that one up.

I thought most of last night’s episode was great, too. My only reservation was the way Brenda squeezed the confession from the prep, which was at a level of preposterousness seldom seen outside of CSI: Miami.

I especially liked the scenes in Brenda’s house with her parents, Fritz, and the two cops. Frances Sternhagen, who plays Brenda’s mother, is a terrific actress. She has won two Tony Awards. The interactions were warm, funny, and true to life.

I just started watching The Closer this season and must say I am enjoying the series. Last nights show was great, but I want to know, what is the deal with Brenda having a rotary dial phone at home? I had to rewind the DVR just to make sure I saw what I thought it was.

I thought most of last night’s episode was great, too. My only reservation was the way Brenda squeezed the confession from the prep, which was at a level of preposterousness seldom seen outside of CSI: Miami.

I especially liked the scenes in Brenda’s house with her parents, Fritz, and the two cops. Frances Sternhagen, who plays Brenda’s mother, is a terrific actress. She has won two Tony Awards. The interactions were warm, funny, and true to life.
I thought Barry Corbin(Maurice from Northern Exposure) was pretty good as well, I haven't see him in anything that I can remember since NE in fact.

I thought Barry Corbin(Maurice from Northern Exposure) was pretty good as well, I haven't see him in anything that I can remember since NE in fact.

He's a regular on 'One Tree Hill', he's the basketball coach Whitey.

He's a regular on 'One Tree Hill', he's the basketball coach Whitey.
Yes, I noticed that after looking at IMDB, I've never see the show myself, thanks. :)

I just started watching The Closer this season and must say I am enjoying the series. Last nights show was great, but I want to know, what is the deal with Brenda having a rotary dial phone at home? I had to rewind the DVR just to make sure I saw what I thought it was.

Yes, what's up with that rotary phone? And, it's pink.

Yes, what's up with that rotary phone? And, it's pink.
I haven't seen it, but is it actually a rotary phone or one of those that has the touch tone buttons set into a rotary dial arrangement? For a while, that was a fad thing to have a princess phone with what looked like a rotary dial on it, but you actually pressed buttons in the holes where you normally put your finger.

Well, last night's ep IMO was so/so. My sister almost had a coronary when we couldn't translate what the dad and son were saying to each other at the end. So, was it really the dad that killed her, or was it really the son? I did enjoy all the juggling Brenda was doing with her folks and Fritz and trying to be involved in the case. The scene with the Johnsons and Pope in the squad room was classic. Hopefully next weeks will be back on target. The plot line in the previews looked good.

Well, last night's ep IMO was so/so. My sister almost had a coronary when we couldn't translate what the dad and son were saying to each other at the end. So, was it really the dad that killed her, or was it really the son? I did enjoy all the juggling Brenda was doing with her folks and Fritz and trying to be involved in the case. The scene with the Johnsons and Pope in the squad room was classic. Hopefully next weeks will be back on target. The plot line in the previews looked good.
I agree that the scene between the Chinese father and son in which what they said was not translated was frustratingly ambiguous. I guess is was merely confirmation that the father had killed the son’s wife but who knows? It was an uncharacteristic example of bad writing.

Except for its frustrating ambiguity, I liked last night’s episode. It’s always fun to see the wonderful Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin get to strut their stuff as Brenda’s mother and father. The show does a consistently good job of mixing a gritty police procedural with Brenda’s entertaining personal life.

I thought last night's episode was one of the better ones. I enjoy the character interaction far more than the unrealistic (in my opinion) breakdown interviews. I can only take so many shows where they round up a couple of suspects and then dream up some reason why someone else did it.

I was even happy that they had an act left after the bad guy was caught. At times I feel the murders get in the way of the story and wouldn’t even mind if they didn’t have one every once in a while. Last night I enjoyed the numerous wedding announcements and the ongoing tweaking of the lovebirds.

I guess with only three weeks left there isn’t enough time for me to get bored with the format and overall I think it’s a great show.

I thought last night's episode was one of the better ones. I enjoy the character interaction far more than the unrealistic (in my opinion) breakdown interviews. I can only take so many shows where they round up a couple of suspects and then dream up some reason why someone else did it.

. . .

I guess with only three weeks left there isn’t enough time for me to get bored with the format and overall I think it’s a great show.
The Closer’s weakness is, indeed, the often preposterous manner in which Brenda, toward the end of the episode, suddenly breaks the case with her interviewing skills.

I have watched every episode of The closer, thanks to a marathon of reruns of the first season TNT ran last year, before the start of the second. The overall quality of the writing has been remarkably high, particularly in the first season, while Brenda was fighting for her professional life against the entrenched LAPD bureaucracy. That it has maintained its high standards through most of three seasons is a tribute to its writers and its terrific ensemble cast.

The Closer is must see TV for me, but I am getting tired of Fritz not having anything to do. He is an FBI agent, and should be doing more than just being Mr. Mom for Brenda. He looks like he could break up with Brenda at any moment out of frustration, even though Brenda is just being Brenda.

It surprised to me to see that I am apparently the first to post about this week’s episode of The Closer. I thought that it was terrific again.

The poison oak thread resonated particularly strongly with me because whenever I have had the misfortune to get into poison ivy or poison oak it has eaten me alive. Thus, while I was laughing at Brenda after she was told she was standing in poison oak, I felt a lot of sympathy, too. I also enjoyed the way the writers spun the presence of the poison oak at the crime scene into another clue for Brenda to use to solve this week’s crime.

I thought the scene in which the chief confessed to Brenda that he had been having an affair with the murder victim was wonderful, funny but kind of sad, too. The closer is really good TV.

I was surprised that Brenda didn't try to find out more the first time that Pope called the victim "Maggie"...

I was surprised that Brenda didn't try to find out more the first time that Pope called the victim "Maggie"...

I think she was too preoccupied trying to figure out where her pain pills were :D

She was having a rough few days, the world was out to get her. I do love this show.

The Closer’s weakness is, indeed, the often preposterous manner in which Brenda, toward the end of the episode, suddenly breaks the case with her interviewing skills.


Uh, the show is named after that very premise......

Uh, the show is named after that very premise......
Where in the title, “The Closer,” is it implied that the star of the show, expert “closer” though she may be, will sometimes “close” a case in a manner that is “often preposterous”? Nowhere, it seems to me. Maybe they should have named the show, “Super Closer!” But, what the hell, this is just TV, right? :)

So there is no misunderstanding let me repeat, for the umpteenth time in this thread, that I really like The Closer. The writing is (mostly) very good and the cast simply remarkable, especially Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda.

Last night's ep was excellent! I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. She and Fritz definitely have some issues to work out. And I loved how they turned that whole homeland security training on the FBI's ears. Loved the ending, too. This is currently the ONLY TV I am even watching. I don't even watch news or anything else. Been reading and playing the Wii. Can't miss the Claser though, and will be sad to see the finale for the season.

Just wanted to mention that there will be a Closer marathon on Labor Day, showing reruns of all the episodes this season so far. This will be helpful for those like myself who just started watching this season and may have missed some of the earlier episodes.

The marathon will start Sept. 3, at 10AM (7AM Pacific if you get the East Coast HD feed on the West Coast like me).

^^
Thanks for the info. Now that I have an external HD for storage hooked to my E* HDDVR, I will probably re-tape many of those and archive them.

^^
Thanks for the info. Now that I have an external HD for storage hooked to my E* HDDVR, I will probably re-tape many of those and archive them.

Re-TAPE? Tape? I don't get it. :)

Re-TAPE? Tape? I don't get it. :)

LOL. I guess re-record. "Tape" is just easier, but you're correct it is not accurate. Are you related to my boss????????:)

EXCELLENT SHOW tonight!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't necessarily love the opener, yet again with Buzz taping away (they seem to have fallen in love with that technique this season). Although, the transition showed what we were seeing was the past, being replayed for the courtroom in the present. That was nice. And the way they didn't show the defendent for most of the show, leaving us to speculate about the identity, when they all knew. Can't wait for next week, but don't want it to come since it marks the end of another too-short season. Does anyone know if they'll be showing an ep in December like they did this past year?

LOL. I guess re-record. "Tape" is just easier, but you're correct it is not accurate. Are you related to my boss????????:)

Ha! I don't think I'm related, but you never know... :)

OK, no comments on the season closer of The Closer? Some interesting twists and turns in this one. Shades of Weeds this week. I liked the ending shots where the squad got together and Brenda couldn't quite say "family". I wasn't sure exactly what would happen when she got home to Fritz, liked the innuendo with the ding dongs in the final scene...

I thought it was a great two part episode. Liked the mystery, liked the emotional upheaval in Brenda and Fritz's relationship. I am sad it was the season finale. I think John Tenney deserves an Emmy nod as well, though I'm sure that will never happen. I wonder if they'll have another December ep like they did last year, just to tide us over until next June?

I thought it was a great two part episode. Liked the mystery, liked the emotional upheaval in Brenda and Fritz's relationship. I am sad it was the season finale. I think John Tenney deserves an Emmy nod as well, though I'm sure that will never happen. I wonder if they'll have another December ep like they did last year, just to tide us over until next June?

I think the answer is yes, there is another two parter probably in December.
"Next of Kin" , it's listed on www.epguides.com and www.thefutoncritic.com as well as imdb.com.

Sweet! Thanks for looking!

Hey, look at this:

WITH 9.2 MILLION VIEWERS AND 6.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS TUNING IN LAST NIGHT, TNT'S THE CLOSER BREAKS LIVE + SAME DAY RECORD FOR AD-SUPPORTED CABLE'S #1 SERIES TELECAST EVER
Released by TNT
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With 9.2 Million Viewers and 6.8 Million Households Tuning In Last Night, TNT's THE CLOSER Breaks Live + Same Day Record For Ad-Supported Cable's #1 Series Telecast Ever

Ad-Supported Cable's #1 Series of All Time Keeps Getting Stronger, With Last Night's Summer Finale Outranking June's Record-Setting Third-Season Premiere

Series Delivers Tremendous Growth among DVR Users, Averaging a 39% Boost with Adults 18-34 and a 35% Boost with Adults 18-49 When Comparing Live vs. Live + 7 Day Viewing

THE CLOSER To Return with Two-Hour Special Event in December, With Fourth Season Set To Launch in Summer 2008, Exclusively on TNT

There's no stopping TNT's phenomenal hit THE CLOSER: Last night's summer finale delivered an extraordinary 9.2 million viewers and 6.8 million households, setting a new record for ad-supported cable's largest Live + Same Day audience ever for a single series telecast, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. The previous record was set in June with THE CLOSER's third-season premiere, which scored 8.8 million viewers and 6.4 million households in Live + Same Day viewing.

To date, THE CLOSER ranks as ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time among households and viewers. Among key adult demos, the show chalks up tremendous double-digit growth when comparing Live to Live + 7 Day time-shifted (DVR) viewing. The critically acclaimed crime drama stars Golden Globe winner and two-time Emmy nominee Kyra Sedgwick as an LAPD investigator and interrogator with a remarkable talent for trapping criminals in their lies. The show will return in December with a two-hour special event marking the close of its third outstanding season. In addition, TNT has ordered 15 episodes for the fourth season, set to launch next summer.

"It's hard to imagine a better track record for success than what we've seen with THE CLOSER," said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. "Record-breaking performances, chart-topping growth, extraordinary DVR viewership among young adults and an abundance of critical praise and awards, add up to make THE CLOSER the new gold standard for the industry."

Ratings claims for THE CLOSER's summer finale and overall performance:

Last night's summer finale of THE CLOSER now holds the record for ad-supported cable's largest Live + Same Day audience ever for a single telecast among viewers (9,207,000) and households (6,839,000).

The third-season premiere of THE CLOSER on June 18 currently holds the record for ad-supported cable's largest Live + 7 Day audience ever for a single telecast among viewers (9,546,000) and households (6,885,000), but that number is expected to be eclipsed by last night's summer finale when Live + 7 Day data is available in two weeks.

On the DVR front, when comparing Live + 7 Day viewing to Live viewing, the show averages outstanding 39% growth among adults 18-34, 35% growth among adults 18-49 and 29% growth among adults 25-54.

For individual episodes, time-shifted viewing among adults 18-49 has been reaching extraordinary heights. When comparing Live vs. Live + 7 Day viewing, the Aug. 6 episode scored a tremendous 51% boost, the Aug. 13 episode garnered a 47% boost and the Aug. 20 chalked up a 39% boost.

With its success showing no signs of slowing down, THE CLOSER ranks as ad-supported cable's #1 series of all time among households and viewers.

Sedgwick took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series this year for her performance as the feminine yet forceful, offbeat yet indomitable CIA-trained Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a former Atlanta detective brought to Los Angeles to head a special LAPD unit charged with cracking sensitive, high-profile murder cases. She is an expert at digging into a person's secrets and obtaining confessions, despite constantly struggling with her own imperfections and neuroses. In addition to Sedgwick, THE CLOSER's Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated ensemble cast will be back for the fourth season, including Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Raymond Cruz, Michael Paul Chan and Gina Ravera.

Don't forget, a new Closer episode Monday, 8:00 pm EST, 2 hours long.

Don't forget, a new Closer episode Monday, 8:00 pm EST, 2 hours long.
How could we, the way TNT crams promos down our throat, including the more annoying "billboard" next to the TNT logo!

Since The Closer is the only thing I watch on TNT, the reminder is appreciated!

I haven't watched TNT-HD lately, but tonight's "The Closer", on both Dish and DirecTV, looks like utter crap. Any movement has artifacting/pixelization in partial areas of the image. Has TNT-HD looked this bad for awhile now? How does it look on cable? I can't believe how bad the PQ is, why do they even bother...

I couldn't believe the picture quality on The Closer. Worst I've ever seen.

The episode was great however the PQ looked like an old film reel covered in dust which resulted into terrible digital artifacts.

Agree it was a terrible picture on TW too. Although, I have noticed most of TNT's shows and sports have had terrible images lately. Glad it is not just me and it must be a TNT problem.

Definitely a TNT problem. Here on Comcast, I haven't had any major problems with TNT productions in the past (except for the annoying flyover commercials) but last nights picture was graining, pixelated or worse. Even my wife complained about it.

One of the worst 2 hours of PQ I have seen since upgrading D* to HD in Sept.

The PQ for the Closer looked about what it normally does. I don't normally watch the channel much except for basketball games recently, but the quality of this episode looked pretty similar to the previous Closer episodes that I've seen. PQ isn't the greatest, looks kinda grainy, but it is still HD, not some upconverted SD. It isn't as sharp as ESPN's or ABC's 720p, but it seems on par with some Fox 720p shows like Prison Break.

I'm watching on TWC in Costa Mesa, CA.

Since The Closer is the only thing I watch on TNT, the reminder is appreciated!
Not when that reminder is on practically 24/7 next to the logo, the billboarding has gone way overboard. And the PQ on "The Closer" was subpar from what little I watched.

One of the worst 2 hours of PQ I have seen since upgrading D* to HD in Sept.

I'm wishing I'd recorded it tonight, pq isn't great, but the pixilation and blocking problem seems a lot better tonight. Last night was simply horrible.

It looked fine on my DVR recording of the first broadcast (Comcast Seattle).

I think Brenda did go too far this time. You have to wonder how much longer Fritz is going to stick around.

It looked fine on my DVR recording of the first broadcast (Comcast Seattle).

I think Brenda did go too far this time. You have to wonder how much longer Fritz is going to stick around.

I agree that Brenda was out of line with her method of getting the guy to talk.

I agree that Brenda was out of line with her method of getting the guy to talk.

Maybe so, but it's pretty much SOP for police depts all across the country, and apparently it's been deemed legal by the courts. That's why they say, never talk to police without an attorney present.

I haven't watched TNT-HD lately, but tonight's "The Closer", on both Dish and DirecTV, looks like utter crap. Any movement has artifacting/pixelization in partial areas of the image. Has TNT-HD looked this bad for awhile now? How does it look on cable? I can't believe how bad the PQ is, why do they even bother...

Looked terrible here on TWC too. At first I thought it was the fault of bandwidth-squeezing TW, then since I've just bought a new TV, thought my TV was screwing it up.

Looked terrible here on TWC too. At first I thought it was the fault of bandwidth-squeezing TW, then since I've just bought a new TV, thought my TV was screwing it up.

Yes, it was bad, there was something definitely amiss with the transmission somewhere along the line, almost as if they were giving the HD channel their SD channel bandwidth allotment.

C'mon you people! Brenda Lee and the gang retun tonight for another season, and no one is talking about her? It appears that Jason O'Mara is coming back for at least one episode, based on some of the previews that I've seen on TV. One of my absolute favorite shows, bar none. Let's get some love going!

(We have plenty of news about "The Closer" over on the "Hot Off The Press" sticky.)

Critic’s Notes
'The Closer' opens up a new season as fires rage
By Maureen Ryan in her Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”, July 14, 2008

Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of "The Closer" (9 ET/PT Monday, TNT) doesn't like to feel powerless.

According to Kyra Sedgwick, who plays her on the hit TNT show, the tenacious investigator is a "classic" control freak.

Unfortunately for Brenda, this season, "we are going to examine the issue of power, especially how much power we have in our own lives. We live with the illusion that we are in control of our lives," writes "Closer" creator James Duff in the press notes for the show.

Brenda really likes that illusion. But it's hard for her to sustain it, especially in the opening episode of Season 4.

A raging fire complicates a crime scene, a suspect throws Brenda off her game and to add to her dismay, her boss forces her to allow a reporter to follow the investigation. (This, by the way, is the weakest part of the episode. The shady-reporter plot is a very tiresome TV cliche, and in this case, the journalist acts in ways that are pretty unrealistic).

In her personal life, things are tenuous as well. Brenda doesn't have a place to live -- she and her fiance, FBI agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney), are living in a cramped apartment, having sold their old house before they bought a new one. Even the pair's new cat is homeless; Brenda brings it to work so their anti-cat landlord won't see it.

It's not surprising that Brenda has avoided planning her wedding. That's the kind of thing she leaves to the long-suffering Fritz.

"There's lots of drama," Sedgwick said in a recent phone interview. Fritz "wants her to make real choices about her life, and that's something that's really hard for her. She loves him desperately, so it'll be interesting to see them try to navigate each other's boundaries.

"He's the one that's on the emotional journey. She's not really there" in the same way, Sedgwick said.

The wedding will be one big hurdle for Fritz and Brenda this season, and Sedgwick said the issue of children will come up again.

"She's still able to have kids. ... She needs to decide if she is willing to do that and to give up that control," Sedgwick said.

Told that it’s hard to picture the work-obsessed Brenda as a doting mom, Sedgwick laughed.

“I can’t picture it either,” she said.

The challenge for "The Closer" will be avoiding cliche and cutesy melodrama as it explores Fritz and Brenda's relationship and revisits her relationship with her tart parents (they'll be around for at least three episodes this season). Though those elements of the show have been mostly enjoyable, the slightly theatrical antics in Brenda's personal life sometimes threaten to overwhelm the more rigorous, thoughtful elements of the show.

From that perspective, it's good news that much of Season 4 will focus on Brenda's investigative team and on police department politics.

Regarding Assistant Police Chief Will Pope (the wonderful J.K. Simmons), Sedgwick said the you-know-what is "going to hit the fan, in terms of bigger police issues and L.A.P.D. budget cuts and the shifting of power. It's going to be really great."

The July 21 episode revives a case that Lt. Andy Flynn (Tony Denison) worked on years ago, and a rape case in the Aug. 4 episode involves the son of a sheriff's department official. One week later, the gruff Det. Lt. Provenza (G.W. Bailey) is involved in a sting that gets him into hot water with Pope. One of my favorite characters, Lt. Mike Tao (Michael Paul Chan), will also get a chance to shine this season, Sedgwick said.

The actress said she still enjoys the challenge of playing Brenda, though, she noted, "It doesn't get easier to leave my family [in New York City], that is an issue.

"In terms of my fascination with the character, that has not waned," she added. One of the things she enjoys most, she said, is when an investigation mirrors a difficulty in Brenda's private life.

"That part of it makes it so much fun for me to play," Sedgwick said. "If it started becoming just about the plot, I would hang myself. That's when I would say, let's just stop. I don't think that would ever happen with me and James [Duff] at the helm."

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Glad it's back, I thought it was a good episode. Still calls the cat he :)

That was a fantastic episode! I love Jason O'Mara. He plays that part so well. He's way creepy but way hot too! This was a great premiere, and boy is Brenda's life in chaos at home. And I love how she still gets the cat's gender wrong. Even though it had kittens. Cracks me up.

My wife if trying to get me into The Closer as she raves about it. I'd thought I'd give it a try.

My question is this. It is really in HD on TNTHD or is it stretch-o-vision hell?

EDIT: I recorded it and it appears to be HD.

It's HD, and it appears TNT, or maybe it was DirecTV having the issues, but the audio tonight was the best it's ever been for this show, same for Saving Grace. No over-powering surrounds and clean, discernible dialog.

My wife if trying to get me into The Closer as she raves about it. I'd thought I'd give it a try.

My question is this. It is really in HD on TNTHD or is it stretch-o-vision hell?

EDIT: I recorded it and it appears to be HD.

It's always been HD, most, if not all of their original programming is true HD.

Jason O'Mara was very good. I wonder if he is planned to be used in other episodes? Has he been in the show before? I don't remember seeing him in any other seasons, but I did miss some episodes in earlier seasons.

Jason O'Mara was very good. I wonder if he is planned to be used in other episodes? Has he been in the show before? I don't remember seeing him in any other seasons, but I did miss some episodes in earlier seasons.
I didn’t even know the guy’s name. Thanks for that. According to IMDb he did appear as Billy Croelick in one episode of The Closer’s first season:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0542958/

'Closer,' 'Grace' off to solid start
TNT shows bow to unspectacular numbers
By John Dempsey, Variety, 7/15/2008

TNT's "The Closer" and "Saving Grace" saw solid but unspectacular season preems on Monday.

"Closer" racked up 7.8 million total viewers during its fourth-season premiere at 9 p.m., followed by the second-season kickoff of "Saving Grace," which shed about 35% of its lead-in aud.

The total-viewer number for "Closer" was down from its season-three debut (8.8 million on June 18, 2007) and season-two kickoff (8.27 million on June 12, 2006).

It was also down in its target adults 25-54 demo compared to the opening episodes of the previous two seasons, with 3.3 million viewers in that age range compared to 3.5 million the previous two years.

Nevertheless, TNT said Monday's "Closer" seg represented ad-supported cable's top series telecast for the year so far in total viewers and the adults 25-54 demo.

"Grace" averaged 5.2 million viewers, 19% behind the 6.4 million it chalked up during its first-season debut on July 23, 2007. But TNT said the 5.2 million made the "Grace" seg the second-highest season premiere so far this year in households.

"Grace" brought in 2.3 million in adults 25-54 compared to 2.5 million last year.

The slight dips didn't faze Turner Entertainment boss Steve Koonin, who has an ambitious plan for TNT under which it will expand its original series offerings on the heels of the traction the cabler has enjoyed with "Closer" and "Grace."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117988970.html

‘The Closer,’ ‘Saving Grace’ Sizzle in Season Premieres
TNT Series Attract Record Viewers, Households In Returns
By Larry Barrett, Multichannel News, 7/15/2008

TNT Tuesday said last night’s season premiere of its hit series The Closer was the most-watched ad-supported cable telecast so far this year, garnering more than 7.8 million viewers and a 5.2 national household rating.

Meanwhile, Saving Grace drew almost 5.2 million viewers (3.5 national household rating) Monday night, making it the second-most-watched season premiere on cable this year, network officials said.

“Once again, TNT has hit pay dirt with The Closer and Saving Grace,” Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that these award-winning shows have gotten their new seasons off to such great starts and look forward to another outstanding year from both.”

With more than 7.8 million viewers tuning in, The Closer’s fourth-season premiere (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6577922.html) outdrew the series’ overall third-season average in viewers (7.8 million vs. 7.43 million), households (5.91 million vs. 5.46 million), adults 18-49 (2.47 million vs. 2.19 million), and adults 25-54 (3.29 million vs. 2.94 million).

Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter, was similarly successful in its second-season premiere, outpacing its first-season average in viewers (5.15 million vs. 4.2 million), households (3.96 million vs. 3.27 million), adults 18-49 (1.61 million vs. 1.28 million) and adults 25-54 (2.29 million vs. 1.72 million).

All viewership numbers reflect live and same-day ratings and deliveries, the network said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6578942.html

Jason O'Mara was very good. I wonder if he is planned to be used in other episodes? Has he been in the show before? I don't remember seeing him in any other seasons, but I did miss some episodes in earlier seasons.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one, because I didn't remember him either. Of course if he was in the first season, I watched the first season in one day, they had a marathon on Super Bowl Sunday and I watched/recorded all of them and took time off to watch the Super Bowl and then jumped right back in and finished the marathon.

Jason O'Mara was very good. I wonder if he is planned to be used in other episodes? Has he been in the show before? I don't remember seeing him in any other seasons, but I did miss some episodes in earlier seasons.

He's playing the lead role in ABC's remake of "Life on Mars" in the fall.

Another good episode, so far I'm really liking this season, I loved it when the guys in the observation room were watching the action in the interrogation room. :D

Yeah, I liked it, too. They have been upholding their already high standards. The murderous halfway house ladies reminded me of the sweet old sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace. :)

I guess all the annoying promo bugs for this show on other TNT programming worked :)

I just got turned on to this show and am playing catch-up. Almost through Season 1; can't believe I've missed out on this great seriesfor all this time. I won't be reading any of the previous entries until I catch up to this seasons episodes. Hopefully I'll be caught up soon.

Last night's ep was excellent! I laughed out loud several times. I really love Flynn and Provenza's back and forth. They stick up for each other until it seems it will cost them, then it's all out in the open. and it's nice to see Brenda stop being quite as selfish as she usually is and actually think of Fritz a little. Truly enjoyed it!!!

Last night's ep was excellent! I laughed out loud several times. I really love Flynn and Provenza's back and forth.

The Closer really benefits from a good cast of supporting characters that are memorable. Well apart from the black female detective who doesn't get much to do.

Tau was excellent last night as well. Provenza has been my favorite character since the first season. In any other show he would be the stereotyped washed up, sexist veteran stuck in the old days and purely there for comic relief. In The Closer he may appear that way on the surface but they actually make him a decent detective as well.

Not counting the episode where Dayton Callie played him. ;)

I guess all the annoying promo bugs for this show on other TNT programming worked :)

not for me. The DVR was set from last year and I read about it in TV Guide so I knew it was on. It's the only hour of TNT I watch. Not even their constant annoyance for Saving Grace gets me to watch that show. They could have Holly Hunter walking naked out of my TV screen and it wouldn't work.

not for me. The DVR was set from last year and I read about it in TV Guide so I knew it was on. It's the only hour of TNT I watch. Not even their constant annoyance for Saving Grace gets me to watch that show. They could have Holly Hunter walking naked out of my TV screen and it wouldn't work.

I totally agree. The Closer is a quality show, well written, perfectly cast with humor, drama and excellent direction. I stopped watching "Grace" some time ago. At the time, it was the same story, every week. "Who is she going to have sex with this episode?" Any decent angel would have given up by now and moved on.

I totally agree. The Closer is a quality show, well written, perfectly cast with humor, drama and excellent direction. I stopped watching "Grace" some time ago. At the time, it was the same story, every week. "Who is she going to have sex with this episode?" Any decent angel would have given up by now and moved on.
Yeah, I gave up on Saving Grace because chain smoking addicts have limited appeal for me. I simply cannot understand that show's popularity. Hell, it's even set in Oklahoma City, where I have lived most of my life. Alas, even that couldn't save it for me.

... Provenza has been my favorite character since the first season. In any other show he would be the stereotyped washed up, sexist veteran stuck in the old days and purely there for comic relief. In The Closer he may appear that way on the surface but they actually make him a decent detective as well.

I've always liked G.W. Bailey. I was so happy to see in action again, along with John Denison who I first saw on Crime Story.

Provenza has been my favorite character since the first season. In any other show he would be the stereotyped washed up, sexist veteran stuck in the old days and purely there for comic relief. In The Closer he may appear that way on the surface but they actually make him a decent detective as well.
As you know, G.W. Bailey did portray an inempt, comic-relief cop in the Police Academy movies. It is nice to see him portrayed as a competent policeman here.

All of the cops in The Closer are fully developed characters. That’s one of the reasons I enjoyed the first season so much, when Brenda was newly arrived from Atlanta. In the beginning, the cops who worked for her did not appreciate her brilliance but saw only her quirks. Thus, inevitably, they became as paranoid as rattlesnakes and were often remarkably disloyal to her. All of that made for great television, one of the best single seasons of TV I can remember. It has been good, often very good, in ensuing seasons, too, but that first season was something extra.

I have to agree... the first season was the best because Brenda was both earning the trust of her team and they were learning to trust her. The whole first season, from episode one where everyone wanted to transfer out to the final episode where everyone was willing to quit if she was fired was great.

I've been pleasantly surprised, however, in the show's ability to stay good. My initial worry was that once she started trusting her team and they knew they could trust her, that the show would become like any other cop drama. It's a testament to all involved from the writing to the acting that I'm still interested in all the characters.

As you know, G.W. Bailey did portray an inempt, comic-relief cop in the Police Academy movies. It is nice to see him portrayed as a competent policeman here.

Oh man I didn't even realize it was him! That is too funny. I lost interest in Police Academy movies after about number 4 and haven't found any reason to watch them again.

I can't believe I didn't recognize him.

Did anyone catch Kyra on Leno the other night? I taped it, but part of the interview in Indy was cut due to the local weatherman coming on and discussing the severe weather we were having at the time. What I saw was cute. She seems pretty down to earth and not too ditzy, unlike most celebrities.

I am surprised to see that nobody has posted about last night's show yet. It was another terrific episode, I thought. Brenda's relationships with the other cops is a hoot. Somehow, they manage to maintain the tension among without letting it get out of hand.

Last nights episode was really, really good.

Too bad we didn't hear more about the suicide's parents. Would have been funny if her mother was named Susan. :)

Was it just me or did Julie look, well, terrible? I guess she was supposed to...

I am surprised to see that nobody has posted about last night's show yet. It was another terrific episode, I thought. Brenda's relationships with the other cops is a hoot. Somehow, they manage to maintain the tension among without letting it get out of hand.

Not much in the way of big laughs last night but one thing the show does really well is bounce between genuinely funny moments and very powerful drama. The contrast between the two keeps the storylines varied and the show less predictable than a lot of other cop dramas.

It was good to see Taylor get some more screen time and not just be an a**hole in the background making investigations difficult.

It was good to see Taylor get some more screen time and not just be an a**hole in the background making investigations difficult.
I agree that Taylor has turned into an interesting and multifaceted character. He is much more interesting now than when he was the bureaucratic p*i*k from central casting.

And didn't you just want to strangle Daniel Baldwin with a CNY sweatshirt.....

I agree that Taylor has turned into an interesting and multifaceted character. He is much more interesting now than when he was the bureaucratic p*i*k from central casting.
I also like the direction they are taking Taylor in the show. It seems they are gradually taking out most of the hostilites between Brenda and other police officers.

I also like the direction they are taking Taylor in the show. It seems they are gradually taking out most of the hostilites between Brenda and other police officers.

I agree. I've seen the actor in other roles as a completely likable guy, so I know he is a good actor here since he has been so easily hatable early-on.

I think they are slowly moving in a way that says he really is a good police officer, with some vices like the rest of the characters... and it just took longer for him to relax the initial hostility against Brenda-the-outsider. Similarly, if you really watch season 1 closely, you actually find that Brenda often created her own personality conflicts by not being more forthcoming and just running around doing stuff and then telling people later.

At the same time Taylor is learning to be accepting... Brenda too has been learning to trust her team and even Taylor and actually bring them in on stuff to help rather than trying to do it all herself and step on toes.

This show is really actually very good at showing growth for all of the characters over the course of a season.

Tonight's episode was among the best ever. Got to love Flynn and Provenza!

I liked last night's ep, though at times I felt it was slow to develop. Not my favorite from this season, though I ADORE Provenza. Loved the ending with the two old dogs commiserating over some scotch (or whiskey?)

I loved last night's episode, G.W. Bailey's Provenza has become one of my alltime favorite TV characters.

I think it's becoming a series regular now. The Provenza and Flynn comedy case. I'll take any episode which gives them more screen time.

Pity that there's something about Jennifer Coolidge and the roles she plays which just annoys the hell out of me. She seems to be a variation of the same character in every one.

I agree, she's definitely NOT one of my favorites either. She's right there with Lesley Ann Warren(In Plain Sight).

How's everyone's pic quality tonight? It's been looking pretty good ever since the Mpeg4 Direct switchover, but tonight's episode looks like the mpeg2 feed, macroblocking, motion is smearing badly.

Great episode as always, just disappointed in the picture tonight.

I'm on mpeg2 and it looked bad. I thought my hard drive was going, lots of little white boxes scattered all over the picture.


Edit: Sorry, I should mention I watched via D.

Looked good on my setup. I wish they would do more of this kind of episode as opposed to light comedy.

How's everyone's pic quality tonight? It's been looking pretty good ever since the Mpeg4 Direct switchover, but tonight's episode looks like the mpeg2 feed, macroblocking, motion is smearing badly.

Great episode as always, just disappointed in the picture tonight.

Looked like crap via DirecTV, Saving Grace also had some bad portions. OTOH, I'm glad it's not just me as I had someone on my roof yesterday and my first thought was they knocked the dish out of alignment. :D

How's everyone's pic quality tonight? It's been looking pretty good ever since the Mpeg4 Direct switchover, but tonight's episode looks like the mpeg2 feed, macroblocking, motion is smearing badly.

Great episode as always, just disappointed in the picture tonight.
I noticed this watching on Comcast. I thought something was wrong with my TV. I was relieved to see that it wasn't when I switched to another channel.

I still can't believe that EW gave Saving Grace a better review than The Closer, though.

I noticed this watching on Comcast. I thought something was wrong with my TV. I was relieved to see that it wasn't when I switched to another channel.

I still can't believe that EW gave Saving Grace a better review than The Closer, though.Interesting; I also watched via Comcast (in S Florida) and the PQ was actually very, very good!, Just a few very minor glitches here and there but overall, very good!

(This is unlike a two or three weeks ago when it was unwatchable)!

The only problem I had with the PQ was the trouble I always have with this show. When credits are running and the rest of the screen is black, I get huge blocking artifacts. Fortunately, once they shift to the program itself, the artifacts go away so it isn't a practical problem. I don't know whether to blame Cox, TiVo, my CableCARDs, or TNT. I suspect it's TNT's fault but, as noted, I don't really know.

Man, last night's ep was powerful. I can't stop thinking about Brenda's interview with the killer and his reasons for killing Oscar. And then the ending with Provenza holding up Sanchez while he sobbed. Wow.

What was the bit with all the first names? For years no one was referred to by their first names. Even "Provenza" stumbled on using first names, as an inside joke?

What was the bit with all the first names? For years no one was referred to by their first names. Even "Provenza" stumbled on using first names, as an inside joke?

I think it was because it was one of their own, it was much more personal.

Man, last night's ep was powerful. I can't stop thinking about Brenda's interview with the killer and his reasons for killing Oscar. And then the ending with Provenza holding up Sanchez while he sobbed. Wow.
This was very powerful. With my small town background it is so sad that people are killed for seemingly wearing the wrong piece of clothing.

Personally, I thought this week's show was rather cliche. I still enjoy the show but the more they emphasize the murder of the week the less I enjoy it.

Put me down as someone who agreed that it was cliche and that especially the 'hat' ending was so predictable. It doesn't occur to Brender the Chief that Sanchez just might 'get involved' behind the scenes? Just fallen off the pumpkin truck?

I like the series, just not this episode.

Man, last night's ep was powerful. I can't stop thinking about Brenda's interview with the killer and his reasons for killing Oscar. And then the ending with Provenza holding up Sanchez while he sobbed. Wow.

and like every commercial network show now, an atmospheric or emotional ending is completely blown as soon as the credits appear and some noisy promo with it. No chance to let the moment sink in with some quietly atmospheric music.

The plot was pretty derivative but I thought the acting chops of the cast pulled it off nicely. Another great Provenza scene in the boat as well.

Personally, I thought this week's show was rather cliche. I still enjoy the show but the more they emphasize the murder of the week the less I enjoy it.

Funny I'm considering skipping next weeks episode because they bring in Brenda's parents. Those ones really irritate me.

Funny I'm considering skipping next weeks episode because they bring in Brenda's parents. Those ones really irritate me.There is a reason why CSI is/was number one and I have never finished an episode. :)

There is a reason why CSI is/was number one and I have never finished an episode. :)

Touché.

I don't think CSI has been #1 in a long time if ever it's always idol or some other reality show. I pretty much will give any tv show a chance except reality types and sitcoms with laugh tracks.

Man, this show just keeps getting better and better. My favorite ep of the season...loved the case and I loved how they showed that Sanchez is not the same as before. Methinks he may be gone if they continue to need to get rid of a detective. Loved Fritz and his dealing with Brenda and her parents. Can't wait for next week!

I'm of the opposite opinion, it almost seemed a fluff piece after last weeks show. Ilike some parts of it, but overall I'd give it a C+.

Last weeks was very powerful; this one just seemed to move things along for everyone. Still wondering what the deal is with that reporter. That's been an odd arc. Sometimes he's there, mostly he's not.

I'm of the opposite opinion, it almost seemed a fluff piece after last weeks show. Ilike some parts of it, but overall I'd give it a C+.

Wasn't as annoying as I expected it to be. What saved it for me was provenva talking about his marriages and the reactions. So I agree C+.

My favorite of the series so far is the two parter "serving the king". I get the feeling they won't be making any more episodes like that unfortunately.

Watched a bunch of re-runs today on TNT HD,,,,Directv. First time I have watched the show. I rather enjoyed it, and now have it set up to record (I know, the season is about to end, but its all new to me). However, the compression artifacts were just terrible. I was on the Mpeg4 channel, but it did not look so great.

However, the compression artifacts were just terrible. I was on the Mpeg4 channel, but it did not look so great.

Yeah the PQ since last week took a dive. I hope it was just because of the holiday...

I'm surprised no comments on this. It was interesting to say crazy Haywire from Prison Break playing a sane person.

Also pretty interesting that they performed some cop justice at the end. Not something you usually see on The Closer. The struggle was pretty powerful stuff. I haven't seen that actor since he failed to save Bobby on NYPD Blue.

And in what seems to be a trend the color quality was some of the worst I've seen. Pixelation and breakups in lots of scenes and not with areas of the picture that should be problematic either.

yeah, I thought it was terrific. The priest played a gun/arms dealer on Burn Notice this season as well. Loved the way they handled the situation. Can't wait for next week!

I'm surprised no comments on this. It was interesting to say crazy Haywire from Prison Break playing a sane person.

Also pretty interesting that they performed some cop justice at the end. Not something you usually see on The Closer. The struggle was pretty powerful stuff. I haven't seen that actor since he failed to save Bobby on NYPD Blue.

And in what seems to be a trend the color quality was some of the worst I've seen. Pixelation and breakups in lots of scenes and not with areas of the picture that should be problematic either.

Yeah, I don't know WTF is going on with TNT-HD but it looks like utter garbage and has looked that way for weeks now. Which is odd since the beginning of The Closer season it looked very respectable. Something is definitely "haywire" with their transmission. :p:D

Also pretty interesting that they performed some cop justice at the end. Not something you usually see on The Closer.

I enjoy the show... but I am confused sometimes at the moodswings of Brenda.

In this episode she is 100% behind and orchestrating the essential-execution of that guy for his crimes... but a couple of weeks earlier was all "by the book" when looking for Sanchez' brother's killer. Where was the cop-justice then?

Similarly, the business last season with the guy who was beaten into confessing about the rape/murder of that young black girl... Brenda was once again by the book (although she did help cover up the indiscretion of beating the prisoner)... but back in a previous season she helped ensure that the 17 year old who had killed a Mexican citizen was left to rot (or more likely be executed) in that Mexican prison after he had fled there.

I'm not making moral declarations here, mind you... but it confuses me from one episode to the next when characters have no problem jumping over the line in one scenario but in a similar scenario build a wall up and stop everyone from crossing the line.

I actually empathise with the line crossing many times... but the almost righteous "we must follow the law" mantra in other situations seems hypocritical.

Brenda wants her people to do things by the book, especially when under scrutiny from above. However, she will obviously go out of bounds if it suits her purposes. That is well established.

Brenda wants her people to do things by the book, especially when under scrutiny from above. However, she will obviously go out of bounds if it suits her purposes. That is well established.

Agreed... but then she also doesn't like her rivals or Pope pulling the same rug from under her. It's just a bit of character inconsistency that bugs me sometimes.

Agreed... but then she also doesn't like her rivals or Pope pulling the same rug from under her. It's just a bit of character inconsistency that bugs me sometimes.
That's what I love about Brenda. As brilliant and driven as she is, she is an emotional basket case, who seems to be in perpetual danger of having her mental wheels fall off. Besides, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds and Brenda's mind is great big. :)

Agreed... but then she also doesn't like her rivals or Pope pulling the same rug from under her. It's just a bit of character inconsistency that bugs me sometimes.

I think it's a case of going by the book in all circumstances apart from those where she feels personally slighted. The moment anyone questions her ability or challenges her authority she sees red and throws down.

That's why she also said some stupid things to the reporter that landed her in the mess she's in. When she's pissed she makes rash and cold decisions.

I agree with pretty much everyone here... and I really like the show. I think it's just that sometimes I wish the conflict between characters came from the character differences and not just because Brenda decides at that moment to stir the pot.

I remember in the first season, I thought she would be the "fish out of water" and have those kinds of problems relating to her team... but much of the conflict in season one actually resulted from her not trusting them and going off on her own without telling people what she was doing.

Again, I do like the show... and I also like moments like we got this season where Fritz called her to task on how she is manipulative and two-faced about it. I liked that they were finally making her inconsistent behavior a part of the running plot.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this again. Especially since in the opening minutes they mentioned the "Brenda goes by the book, but only sometimes" discussion from last week.

The Tau scenes I thought were funny but when it got to the last 20 minutes I thought this episode was the weakest of the season. The massacre by wackos is an overdone tale now and the rooftop gunfight seemed out of place in the show. Especially when they did an ultra slow motion run that lasted wayyyy too long. I thought all the CGI bullet impact dust was distracting too. I wasn't convinced when Blackhawk Down did it either.

I liked the fact it had an heroic ending but I still can't figure out why a seasoned vet like Provenza would run head first into the open to what he most likely knew was a bag of explosives.

I can't figure out why they didn't kill off the female black detective either. She never does anything.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this again. Especially since in the opening minutes they mentioned the "Brenda goes by the book, but only sometimes" discussion from last week.

I was reminded of my own comments in this thread when watching the beginning of the episode this week... and was going to comment on it but figured I shouldn't directly follow my last post if I could help it, and waited for someone else :)

This is one aspect of the show that I have liked this season in particular... calling attention to its own missteps and making them part of the continuity by having other characters point these flaws out.

The Closer is airing new episodes starting June 8. My favorite show. It seems like a looong break.

What's with TNT only showing new episodes once at 6pm PT? They used to show them multiple times. I DVR'd it but friends who are DVRless have to watch at an inconvenient time.

The first new season episode looked good, same quality scripts as before. A promising new beginning to a new season.

I think The Closer is off to a good start this season and look forward to more. I hate, hate, hate, though, the slovenly nature of TNT's transmissions. For example, on the closer when a full screen graphic with a black background is shown, artifacts as big a bowling balls always breakup the picture. Fortunately, that sort of thing usually isn't noticeable at other times.

Did anyone have any image breakups with audio loss on last night's episode? I'm trying to determine if it's just TNT's crappy HD signal or if I have a signal problem with the DirecTV dish. I don't recall seeing any problems with Raising The Bar that followed, so I'm guessing it's TNT, which wouldn't be surprising.

Did anyone have any image breakups with audio loss on last night's episode? I'm trying to determine if it's just TNT's crappy HD signal or if I have a signal problem with the DirecTV dish. I don't recall seeing any problems with Raising The Bar that followed, so I'm guessing it's TNT, which wouldn't be surprising.
My audio was all right, as was, as previously noted, the image quality at times other than when full screen graphics were shown.

My audio was all right, as was, as previously noted, the image quality at times other than when full screen graphics were shown.

Thanks, it must be a signal problem at my end then. It's strange though, this has happened before with this channel, where the first showing was screwed up but the repeat airing was fine, although this time there didn't appear to be a repeat airing. I'll have to see what happens next week

Did anyone have any image breakups with audio loss on last night's episode? I'm trying to determine if it's just TNT's crappy HD signal or if I have a signal problem with the DirecTV dish. I don't recall seeing any problems with Raising The Bar that followed, so I'm guessing it's TNT, which wouldn't be surprising.

I had those issues with The Closer too, but Raising the Bar was fine.

I had those issues with The Closer too, but Raising the Bar was fine.

What provider do you have? I was watching via DirecTV, I think gwsat has Cox Cable, so it may be a difference in provider.

Thing is, this was pretty common last summer, or when ever this show was on last, in fact, the earlier part of the last batch of eps had some of the worst looking HD I've ever seen.

Thanks, it must be a signal problem at my end then. It's strange though, this has happened before with this channel, where the first showing was screwed up but the repeat airing was fine, although this time there didn't appear to be a repeat airing. I'll have to see what happens next week
keenan -- My default position would be that unless there is an obvious explanation for such glitches, they are ALWAYS TNT's fault.:)

keenan -- My default position would be that unless there is an obvious explanation for such glitches, they are ALWAYS TNT's fault.:)

:D:D
Yeah, I hear that. Just to be clear though, last night you did have some image breakup? You say it was during full screen graphics? Do you mean when they put the promos on the screen while the show is running? The breakups I was having were on clear portions of the show, the image would break-up(blocking) and the audio would go out. This happened about 3 or 4 times, otherwise it was fine.

Now that I think about it, I can't say for sure when the break-ups happened, if it was during a promo or not(I try to ignore them), and I've already deleted it.

What provider do you have?

I have DirecTV too. That's why I wanted you to know that I had the same problems.

I have DirecTV too. That's why I wanted you to know that I had the same problems.

Thanks, I wish I hadn't deleted it already so I could specify exact time points where I saw problems. It's too bad the DirecTV DVR doesn't have an un-delete option like the TiVo does.

What's with TNT only showing new episodes once at 6pm PT? They used to show them multiple times. I DVR'd it but friends who are DVRless have to watch at an inconvenient time.



Are you sure? I think The Closer was on at 6:00pm PDT and 9:00pm PDT last night.

I think he meant there was no customary replay on the first night. I was confused as well, but it may be to encourage live watching (ad dollars) rather than spreading out the eyeballs on replays/repeats (presuming that they get lower rates).

I missed the opening (still detecting fallout outside my bunker) but was able to record one last night.

v/r,
C-F

Are you sure? I think The Closer was on at 6:00pm PDT and 9:00pm PDT last night.

Not on Dish.

:D:D
Yeah, I hear that. Just to be clear though, last night you did have some image breakup? You say it was during full screen graphics? Do you mean when they put the promos on the screen while the show is running? The breakups I was having were on clear portions of the show, the image would break-up(blocking) and the audio would go out. This happened about 3 or 4 times, otherwise it was fine.

Now that I think about it, I can't say for sure when the break-ups happened, if it was during a promo or not(I try to ignore them), and I've already deleted it.
It sounds as it your problem was way more severe than mine. I had NO trouble with audio and none with video, either, during the actual scenes. The problem I had with video blocking happened when there was a black screen overlain with titles. The popups seemed not to cause any trouble, either. By the way your recollection that my provider is Cox was correct.

Are you sure? I think The Closer was on at 6:00pm PDT and 9:00pm PDT last night.

I just looked back through the guide for Mon and The Closer did not repeat, they repeated Raising The Bar instead 3hrs later.

It sounds as it your problem was way more severe than mine. I had NO trouble with audio and none with video, either, during the actual scenes. The problem I had with video blocking happened when there was a black screen overlain with titles. The popups seemed not to cause any trouble, either. By the way your recollection that my provider is Cox was correct.

Yes, as I said, I'll have to see how it goes next week. I do recall many times last year where the first showing would have some issues but the second one would be fine, of course there was no way to check that Monday night as it only aired once.

Are you sure? I think The Closer was on at 6:00pm PDT and 9:00pm PDT last night.Not on Dish.I just looked back through the guide for Mon and The Closer did not repeat, they repeated Raising The Bar instead 3hrs later.I did not think Dish could have a different TNT than everyone else? However, we have not watched whatever we recorded Tuesday night, but Titan TV shows that the first replay on next week will be on Saturday Morning, and they are still repeating the last show right before the new one... :
The Closer - Products of Discovery
Sat, Jun 13, 8:30 AM [MDT] / TNTHD 893 / HDTV
During an investigation into a family's brutal murder, Brenda inadvertently discovers a connection between her case and an ongoing FBI undercover investigation; despite Provenza's recent good mood, he finds reason to develop a bad temper.

The Closer - Products of Discovery
Mon, Jun 15, 6:00 PM [MDT] / TNTHD 893 / HDTV
During an investigation into a family's brutal murder, Brenda inadvertently discovers a connection between her case and an ongoing FBI undercover investigation; despite Provenza's recent good mood, he finds reason to develop a bad temper.

The Closer - Blood Money
Mon, Jun 15, 7:00 PM [MDT] / TNTHD 893 / HDTV
When a wealthy investor is kidnapped, Brenda and her squad suspect that he may have deliberately gone missing in order to avoid being charged for defrauding his clients; the squad is baffled when Provenza begins acting strangely.

v/r,
C-F

I just tried to watch this week's episode of the closer but had to give it up as a bad job and setup a repeat of the episode to record on Saturday. to begin with the picture froze and the only way to get it to start playing was to fast forward the DVR. Then, I had to deal with a static image with the audio playing over it. Then a black screen, which I had to fast forward past interrupted proceedings. To add insult to injury I had bad artifacts with the titles and, sometimes, with the actual programming. The artifacting with the actual program was new in my experience. Finally, I decided that trying to watch this particular recording involved more hassle than it was worth.

TNT needs to do a lot better.

I just tried to watch this week's episode of the closer but had to give it up as a bad job and setup a repeat of the episode to record on Saturday. to begin with the picture froze and the only way to get it to start playing was to fast forward the DVR. Then, I had to deal with a static image with the audio playing over it. Then a black screen, which I had to fast forward past interrupted proceedings. To add insult to injury I had bad artifacts with the titles and, sometimes, with the actual programming. The artifacting with the actual program was new in my experience. Finally, I decided that trying to watch this particular recording involved more hassle than it was worth.

TNT needs to do a lot better.

I had some artifacting issues again this week, and it's a bit annoying because they're only airing it once on the premier night now. The same thing happened with last night's showing of Hawthorne, the first showing had issues but the second one was fine. This is something that's a fairly regular occurrence with TNT originals, at least in my experience. The first airing will have issues but the second will be fine - if there is a second. I still don't understand why The Closer is only airing once per night now...

I like the way you described their HD broadcasts, their "slovenly" approach to airing their programs, it's perfect - sloppy and careless. :D

I had some artifacting issues again this week, and it's a bit annoying because they're only airing it once on the premier night now. The same thing happened with last night's showing of Hawthorne, the first showing had issues but the second one was fine. This is something that's a fairly regular occurrence with TNT originals, at least in my experience. The first airing will have issues but the second will be fine - if there is a second. I still don't understand why The Closer is only airing once per night now...
For reasons I don't understand, this week's episode, Blood Money, is being shown again on Saturday morning and I have set it up to record then. If I had been stuck with the original showing I would have REALLY been mad.:)

I like the way you described their HD broadcasts, their "slovenly" approach to airing their programs, it's perfect - sloppy and careless. :D
Yeah, The Closer's PQ on TNT has always left a lot to be desired. Clearly they are doing something wrong and their failure to correct it is "slovenly," indeed.