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

The Closer: Season 6, Episode 1 “The Big Bang” (B+)

It doesn’t really feel like summer until Brenda Leigh Johnson and Major Crimes are back with new episodes of TNT’s flagship drama series. It’s both hard to believe and impressive that this show hasn’t become stale at all as it enters its sixth year, still managing to create new and inventive plotlines while keeping its cast on their toes. Strong guest stars are a big part of the show’s success, and the series actually just earned its first-ever non-Kyra Sedgwick Emmy nomination for Beau Bridges’ turn as the cross-dressing Georgette in the “Make Over” episode from last year. In this episode we have two men who have played important guest-starring roles on different TV series, among other accomplishments. Patrick St. Esprit, who played the strangling-prone husband, recurred on “Sons of Anarchy” and “Sleeper Cell” and played a pivotal role in “United 93.” Currie Graham, who played the ultimately-revealed perpetrator, was recently stuck on the dud “Raising the Bar” but will also be instantly recognizable to me as presumed innocent businessman/actual Russian bad guy Ted Cofell from two episodes of the first season of “24.” Regarding our regular players, Will did seem awfully energetic and at times even stupidly careless, particularly when he waved suggestively at a person of interest in the case. You would think that someone up for a big promotion would exercise more caution rather than less. The question is, if Will gets a promotion, who takes over his job? The office-less Taylor? Whatever happens should prove interesting. The continuous maze and ineffectiveness of the new building was enormously entertaining, second only to Fritz’s hilarious expression of his feelings during his role play workshop session with Brenda.