Every bit as intriguing as it is intelligent. [13 Jun 2005]

Without Sedgwick, The Closer would be a standard-issue police procedural — a decent bit of TV entertainment, but nothing more. With Sedgwick's unforced charm and her witty iron-fist-meets-velvet-glove performance, The Closer rises to the top of TV's summer bill.

Surprisingly entertaining ... [though] hardly groundbreaking. [13 Jun 2005]

It's all a bit much in Monday's opener, and yet I suspect that, like the $400 shirts and luxury ride of Dennis Farina's "Law & Order" character, which initially came across as contrast run amok, Deputy Chief Johnson's contrived personality excesses will fade with time. And what will be left is a compelling character in a solid show - not a tradition-buster like FX's "The Shield" but probably a broader-based hit. [12 Jun 2005]

Another example of a main character being more intriguing than the plots.

Tries too hard to be tough, but fans of crime dramas might get hooked anyway. [12 Jun 2005]

This is sledgehammer writing, and not very interesting writing at that. [13 Jun 2005]

The Closer is a top notch police drama the likes of which television has never seen. For the past 6 years, Kyra Sedgwick has played Chief of Major Case Squad, Brenda Lee Johnson. The series starts out when an old colleague, Chief Pope (J.K. Simmons), asks her to come from D.C. to L.A. to run a brand new division within the LAPD. She accepts and nobody is happy about it. They resent her for many reasons, such as, her past relationship with Pope, the fact that she's an outsider, the fact that she's a young woman, take your pick. Her job is to improve the closure rate on high profile crimes, but at the same time she's fighting her own people just to get things done. Sedgwick is absolutely amazing as Brenda Lee Johnson. She is such a smart woman and it shows in the way she portrays the Chief. The supporting cast are all terrific, and are in fact veterans of such successful shows as Oz, Law Order, and MASH. If you like cop shows, crime dramas, or even just a good old fashion mystery this is the show for you! It's 7th and final season begins on TNT in late June and it's gearing up to be the best one yet!

Clever and well done tv program. Kyra is an excellent actor, as are the co stars. I didn't begin watching (reruns) until Oct of this year but now I watch whenever I can. Its too bad this series ended because there are not enough programs like this during prime time.