What I’m Watching: The Closer (Winter Premiere)

The Closer: Season 5, Episode 13 “The Life” (B+)

This summer cop show is back for a three-week holiday run, and the timing couldn’t be better. As other shows go off the air for their winter hiatuses, this always-solid series is a welcome breath of reliable fresh air. The storyline in this episode, while severely serious and rather depressing, isn’t the best part, but that’s usually the case. Not all of the cast members are highlighted, and with the absence of Detective Daniels, it continues to be rather male-driven, but there are just enough choice interactions that make it well worth it and make me pumped for the next two installments that will likely be among the only television I’ll be watching in the coming weeks. Fritz is easily the most endearing part of this whole show, working extremely hard to please the eternally distracted Brenda with another cat whose gender she can’t possibly ever hope to guess, no matter how many times he tells her. Guest star Josh Cooke seemed out of place to me when he first popped up as a cop in charge of another crime scene initially unwilling to surrender it to Brenda and crew. As the star of three recent failed sitcoms, “Big Day,” “Four Kings,” and “Committed,” in addition to having a small part in “I Love You, Man,” he strikes me as a less-than-serious presence, and I wasn’t surprised that he gave up his case so easily. His spot ultimately proved quite funny, as he was audacious enough to ask Brenda out on a date knowing that he was married. It’s sad to see an unkempt and unshaven Provenza down in the dumps, but fortunately the rest of the team should be able to help him get his spirits up in the coming weeks.