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Crimes' a major spinoff for TNT 'The Closer' sequel 'Major By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it be like without the closer? Viewers are about to find What would "The Closer" out: Literally on the heels of the finale of the much-ac- claimed Kyra Sedgwick po- lice saga — one of the top- rated dramas in basic cable history — TNT launches the spinoff series "Major Crimes" Monday, Aug, 13. The show will involve nearly all the "Closer" regulars, with the in- escapably notable exception of Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sedgwick ... who felt a seven-season run as inter- rogator extraordinaire Brenda Leigh Johnson was enough for her. Once she made her de- cision known, TNT asked "Closer" mentor James Duff to devise a way to keep the other characters going. Thus, the new drama brings Mary McDonnell front and center as Sharon Raydor, the police captain she has been playing on the parent series (which actually does end immedi- ately before "Major Crimes" begins). G.W. Bailey, Tony Deni- pened, basically," says execu- tive producer Duff. "It was a bit of a roller coaster, but I was very grateful for the op- portunity. I don't think there's been a finale that's led direct- ly into the next series before, so we'll see how that goes. It's an unusual launch." Duff notes the potential for "Major Crimes" to exist was in direct proportion to "how long Kyra stayed. The longer she stayed, the less likely this was to happen. And I should emphasize that she didn't 'leave,' since there is a distinction. She finished her contract, and she did an extra year, actually." Though McDonnell has in another sense, she brings a different style that began in 'The Closer.' The link is that there's a continuum of the feminine in this very mascu- line environment." Indeed, Duff confirms, "I son, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz and Phillip P. Keene are among others who will carry their "Closer" roles into the new venture. Jon Tenney and Robert Gos- sett also are slated to return in what the network terms "guest appearances." "I've never lost a show and gotten a show in a 12-hour period, which is what hap- been around "The Closer" for a while, she's had no illu- sions who its principal female star was, but "Major Crimes" now changes the game for her considerably. "My gen- eral feeling is one of taking a deep breath and trusting James Duff and the writers and all of our company ... and myself," the "Dances With Wolves" and "Battlestar Galactica" alum reflects. "I'm trusting we'll be able to or- ganically allow this character to pivot into someone who's more of a protagonist." McDonnell hastens to point out her Raydor doesn't replace Sedgwick's Brenda Leigh Johnson in the new scenario, "but she does continue to bring in the point of view of a powerful female who is central to the Major Crimes Division. In one sense, she continues where Brenda Leigh left off; take care in the first three ep- isodes to establish Raydor as the major player that she is, but it's not exactly the same. 'The Closer' was a perspec- tive on the justice system, and a very narrow one, too. It was the one offered by Brenda Leigh in her desire to finish what she started, and she's more of my conscious self, someone who has a hard time balancing work and personal life. "Raydor is more my con- science, the part that I'm reluctant to heed but that I must listen to. And looking at the justice system that way, instead of through one's own moral prism, is an interesting switch." For veteran actor Bailey, this age, to have the oppor- tunity to do this," he says of moving forward as Detective Lt. Louie Provenza. "Not only is it fun, it's lucrative, but it's also very touching." So is how Provenza came to be in the first place, since Bailey has had ties to "Closer" and "Major Crimes" mentor Duff for a long time. Bailey taught a teenage Duff in an acting workshop, and their enduring connec- tion played a big part in the performer going from having the originally planned mul- tiple-episode "Closer" arc to becoming a vital, ongoing part of the show. "All of us want to keep Catch the Craze & Save! also known for playing anoth- er type of cop as Lt. Harris in the "Police Academy" movie comedies, "Major Crimes" offers a welcome chance to reboot his "Closer" character. "What can I say? I'm an extraordinarily lucky guy, at working, or we wouldn't have signed on for it," Bailey ex- plains of the encore act "Ma- jor Crimes" is giving him and many "Closer" peers. "We can congratulate each other until the cows come home, but if the people in Omaha and Chicago and Atlanta and Miami don't watch, it won't stay. Do we think about it? Of course we do, but you can't do a scene thinking about that stuff. It's not how you approach a day's work. We'd like to grow the audience, but that's up to them." Save on Rentals • Breakfast Get Free Glass Cleaner Save on a Quilt Find these great savings plus more on Coupon Craze! In The Goshen News every Monday, Online everyday! Nobody covers your hometown better 114 S. Main St., Goshen 574-533-2151 www.goshennews.com Employment Ad Today! Place Your Over 3,500 resumes are posted on monster.com in The Goshen News readership areas. 574-533-2151 ext. 398 goshennews.com / EVERY MONDAY IN FIND A VARIETY OF GREAT RECIPES G.W. Bailey stars in "Major Crimes," premiering Monday on TNT. 2 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • August 13, 2012 - August 19, 2012 PLUS GROCERY STORE ADVERTISEMENTS

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