TNT's crime drama "The Closer," isn't a show I write about much, mainly because there's not all that much to say. It's pretty straightforward: quirky police interrogator Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) fights crime with the help of a mostly male staff. She's expert on the job, but lacks people skills and other social niceties. It's not really a show that lends itself to being discussed and dissected like, say, "Lost" or "Dollhouse."
But I still like it. I've always liked it, mainly because I think it's one of the most purely entertaining hours on TV. I also love the character of Brenda, and the way that she's allowed to be frumpy and disagreeable, but is never portrayed as less than competent. The show's new season starts tonight at 9 p.m. and, like most "Closer" episodes, focuses on a terrible crime that must be solved by Brenda and her gang. Also, Brenda's cat is sick, and she tries to deal with that, in the kind of tender yet slightly goofy subplot we've come to expect from the series.
The first episode is light on the show's usually reliable supporting characters, focusing mainly on Brenda and the crime at hand (though there is a nice emotional arc for Raymond Cruz's still-waters-run-deep Detective Sanchez).
That's OK. In a TV world where "entertainment" is usually a synonym for "dumb and mindless," "The Closer" is the rare show that's both fun to watch and not insulting to the brain.
Maybe I can't analyze it, but I can sit back and enjoy it. And that's enough.
The new season of "The Closer" starts tonight at 9 p.m.
2 comments:
For some reason, TNT dramas have a dissuasive vapor that I find pungent. I just have a mental block about that channel and it's original programming.
In my defense, The Closer and Leverage are the only TNT shows I watch. Though I realize that, too you, that's probably two too many.
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