The Closer: Kyra Sedgwick's Top Picks

2010
4.8
84 reviews
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (15)

1 Pilot
6/13/05
When Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson arrives in Los Angeles from Atlanta, Georgia, she immediately finds herself thrust into a very different way of life. She struggles to get over her past problems while dealing with co-workers who resent the fact that she leapfrogged over many veteran cops to the elevated position of deputy police chief. Her quirky personality and hard-nosed approach to her job immediately irritate her colleagues, as does the fact that she is a tough-minded Southern woman in a department dominated by men. Although focused on her career, she's also trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to overcome her love of doughnuts, chocolate bars and other snacks and to reignite a personal life that has fallen by the wayside.
2 Fantasy Date
7/18/05
Brenda investigates the murder of a U.S. Congresswoman's daughter, who may have been targeted because of an online personal ad involving role-playing in a fantasy "rape" scene. As the investigation unfolds, Brenda becomes a target in a frightening incident that leaves her emotionally and physically shaken.
3 Slippin'
6/26/06
Brenda investigates the shooting of three youngsters, one of whom is the son of Taylor's friends. The shooting, which took place in a known gang area and which has all the markings of a gang-related crime, leads Brenda on a complicated trail of clues that could tarnish the image of one of the victims. Meanwhile, Brenda must also deal with her mother, Willie Ray (recurring guest star FRANCES STERNHAGEN), whose visit to Los Angeles is preventing Fritz from moving in with Brenda.
4 Critical Missing"
7/31/06
After fishermen discover the badly decomposed bodies of a mother and daughter in the Los Angeles harbor, evidence points to ritual suicide. But Brenda's instincts tell her that there's more to these deaths. As the case takes one bizarre turn after another, Brenda discovers a shocking truth about the killer.
5 Home Wrecker
6/18/07
In the third season premiere, budget cuts are hitting the LAPD hard, and Brenda must give up one of her team members to the counterterrorism unit -- or force Provenza into early retirement. Meanwhile, the team investigates the murder of a family, with the prime suspect being the son who survived.
6 Saving Face
7/2/07
During a funeral for one of Flynn and Provenza's former police colleagues, the squad discovers the dead body of an unknown, buxom blonde in their old friend's casket. As Brenda investigates, Flynn and Provenza slowly realize that they know more about the victim than they originally thought. Meanwhile, a dangerous and belligerent bride holds Brenda personally responsible for ruining her wedding.
7 Ruby
7/9/07
In a special 70-minute extended episode, a young African-American girl is abducted on her way home from school, and in a race against the clock, the team must find out who took her and where she is. When the investigation focuses on a convicted sex offender now on parole, Gabriel takes matters into his own hands, jeopardizing both the case and his future with the LAPD.
8 Manhunt
8/6/07
The wife of a deputy district attorney is found dead on the beach, the apparent victim of a serial killer. The murderer's chosen weapon is a cattle prod that he uses to torture his victims prior to killing them. The squad's investigation becomes a race against the clock to prevent another woman from dying.
9 Blindsided
8/13/07
Since Brenda's traumatic incident with a serial killer has left her shaken, the department psychologist takes her off investigative duty. To keep Brenda busy, Pope assigns her to a television reporter doing a story on the LAPD. While Brenda and Gabriel are escorting the journalist, their car is attacked with a barrage of gunfire, leaving the reporter dead. Because she is a witness and off active duty, she is not able to participate in the investigation ... at least not overtly. Meanwhile, when Brenda's parents, Willie Ray (recurring guest FRANCES STERNHAGEN) and Clay (recurring guest star BARRY CORBIN - "One Tree Hill"), visit, Fritz meets Clay for the first time. Brenda still has not told her parents about her engagement. Series star Kyra Sedgwick's husband, actor KEVIN BACON ("Mystic River," "The Woodsman"), directed the episode.
10 Cherry Bomb
7/28/08
After reporting to the police that she had been raped by one of her classmates, a high-school girl apparently hangs herself in her bedroom. But Brenda is not so sure it's a suicide, especially given that the boy who allegedly raped her is the son of Mark Yates (guest star DANIEL BALDWIN - "Homicide: Life on the Street"), a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. commander. Despite some major head-butting between Brenda's squad and the overheated and overprotective Yates, Brenda's intense investigation eventually uncovers a ruthless sexual game being played at a local private school.
11 Sudden Death
8/25/08
After Detective Sanchez's brother is shot, the entire squad will not rest until they find the culprit. The investigation is jeopardized by an overzealous detective and a leak within the department. KEVIN BACON directs the episode.
12 Tijuana Brass
9/8/08
The bodies of two Tijuana police officers are found in the back of a stolen pickup truck, and all the evidence points toward an FBI informant as the prime suspect. But with corruption among police officers in Tijuana extremely common, it's difficult for Brenda's squad to know whom to trust. Complicating matters, a newspaper story by Ricardo Ramos (recurring guest star STEPHEN MARTINES) paints an extremely unflattering picture of Priority Homicide, a public relations nightmare that's going to require some fancy footwork by Pope, Taylor and Brenda to set right.
13 Strike Three
7/20/09
A major shootout leaves two patrol cops and an 18-year-old neo-Nazi dead, with lots of unanswered questions as to what happened and who else might have been involved. The investigation is made all the more difficult by the involvement of Captain Sharon Raydor (recurring guest star MARY McDONNELL) of Force Investigation Division, which is responsible for looking into shooting incidents involving officers.
14 Maternal Instincts
8/17/09
A shooting in a school parking lot leaves one person dead, another person critically wounded and a car loaded with marijuana. Brenda and Fritz, meanwhile, spar over how to handle Charlie (recurring guest star SOSIE BACON), especially after Brenda brings her niece into the middle of the case. And Provenza decides to make a big life change.
15 Waivers of Extradition
8/24/09
After the stabbing death of a woman who was apparently killed by someone wearing a Ninja outfit, Brenda and the squad soon realize they might have a bigger case on their hands than they thought. A detective from El Paso, Texas (guest star XANDER BERKELEY - "24"), where a similar crime occurred, comes to Los Angeles to help in the investigation, but his primary interest is in bringing the killer back to Texas to face the death penalty. Meanwhile, Brenda's father, Clay (recurring guest star BARRY CORBIN), arrives to take her niece, Charlie (recurring guest star SOSIE BACON), home to Atlanta. KEVIN BACON directs the episode.

About this show

Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson is a world-class interrogator whose quirks and hard-nosed aproach can run her colleagues the wrong way. But when it comes to obtaining confessions, she is a closer.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
84 reviews
Eddie Farris
March 20, 2023
Kyra Sedgewick was a great actress and should have won an Emmy for Lead Actress in Drama Series. The show was extremely creative and full of surprises and twists. I would start watching and couldn't be pulled away from the tv week after week. I agree it is one of the top police dramas ever made for tv!
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James Sleep
May 23, 2015
I loved this program when I first came out. I purchased all the DVDs. Now I want to purchase the whole set again but can't find it. It's well worth owning this program.
5 people found this review helpful
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Matthew Cowie
February 13, 2016
One of the best ever on TV! Binge watch every episode and you will agree! I loved it from the beginning. Smart, funny, clever, just an all around well written show. Kyra S. is an outstanding actress!!
19 people found this review helpful
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