History Series / TheCloser

''The Closer'' was a 2005–12 crime drama series on Creator/{{TNT}}, starring Creator/KyraSedgwick in an MediaNotes/{{Emmy|Award}}- and UsefulNotes/{{Golden Globe|Award}}- winning performance as Brenda Leigh Johnson, former deputy chief of the Atlanta Police Department (and former CIA interrogator) who transfers to Los Angeles, where heads up a special LAPD unit that solves high-profile murder cases (and "closes" them by obtaining confessions), under the supervision of Will Pope (Creator/JKSimmons), an ex-lover of hers.

Largely self-contained with several character-driven story arcs (most notably, dealing with Brenda's romance and marriage to an FBI agent, among others), the series began with and maintained considerable popularity and helped TNT, after several high profile failures, successfully launch its own programming block of shows on the network.

''The Closer'' (2005--2012) was a crime drama on Creator/{{TNT}} starring Creator/KyraSedgwick in an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning performance as Brenda Leigh Johnson, deputy chief of the Atlanta Police Department (and former CIA agent), who transfers to Los Angeles. She leads a special LAPD unit that solves high-profile murder cases, with her supervisor being an ex-lover of hers.

Not to be confused with the 2004 film ''Film/{{Closer}}''.

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: The wealthy parents of a perp in "Good Housekeeping" stand out. They helped their son flee to Mexico to avoid being tried as an adult for the rape and murder of a teenage girl because Mexico would refuse to extradite a minor who faces a life sentence. The father tries to use this as leverage to get his son a favorable deal. This rapidly turns into an EpicFail because neither the father nor mother had considered that their actions -- helping their son flee the country and interfering with the authorities -- puts them in very serious legal trouble. Because the mother was using easily-traced bank accounts and checked into a luxury resort, the mother and son were easy to find. Their son also didn't realize that he did have the right to ask for consular assistance no matter what Brenda said. Nor did he realize that he was confessing to the rape and murder of a Mexican citizen in front of Mexican police officers, while ensuring that he'll not get extradited to the US. So, all three of them face prison with the son ending up far worse off had he simply stayed put and got a lawyer or simply kept his mouth shut.

* AbortedArc: Brenda's pursuit of a rapist who used his power as an attorney to stay out of jail was seemingly dropped after a few episodes. [[spoiler: {{Subverted}} [[ContinuityNod when he's mentioned in Peter Goldman's list of cases where Brenda has allegedly violated suspects' civil rights at the end of the Season 7 summer finale]] before eventually being brought back toward the end of the series. He finally gets caught (and shot) in the finale, albeit non-fatally. A running subplot through ''Series/MajorCrimes'' is the preparations for his trial.]]

** In one episode, afemale suspect who happens to also be from the South explains that "Thank you (ever so much)" is basically used as a PrecisionFStrike depending on who's saying it and who's on the receiving end. She and Brenda volley this at one another as she's being carted off to booking.

* PrecisionFStrike: In the Season 6 summer finale, Brenda and her team corner an aspiring suicide bomber in the LAPD parking garage. He's carrying an oxygen tank filled with Sarin nerve gas, and when he gets shot, it rolls down a ramp and towards a concrete pillar... until Tao steps in and stops it with his foot. Cue realization of how close he is to death and him uttering "Holy CRAAAAAAAP!" for the first time in the series. [[note]] It would become his {{Catchphrase}} by ''Series/MajorCrimes''.[[/note]]

* PrecisionFStrike: In the Season 6 summer finale, Brenda and her team corner an aspiring suicide bomber in the LAPD parking garage. He's carrying an oxygen tank filled with Sarin nerve gas, and when he gets shot, it rolls down a ramp and towards a concrete pillar... until Tao steps in and stops it with his foot. Cue realization of how close he is to death and "Holy CRAAAAAAAP!"

** In another episode, when they receive a suspicious package, Provenza rouses himself from his crossword puzzle long enough to call the bomb squad. As the bomb squad sniffs around the box, you can see Provenza in the background still casually working away at his crossword puzzle!

* RunForTheBorder: The murderer of an illegal immigrant's daughter flees to Mexico to escape prosecution. [[spoiler:Brenda waives extradition in exchange for his confession. Subverted in that Brenda's investigation revealed that the victim had been born on the Mexican side of the border, so the ''Mexican'' police have grounds to arrest and prosecute the culprit for murdering one of their citizens. And Mexican jails are ''much'' worse than American, especially for a pretty-boy white American. Prisoners in general don't like people who hurt kids, and rapists are only slightly better off than pedophiles. Brenda doesn't tell him the girl was Mexican until he's finished, and there are two Mexican cops in the room. He desperately tries to get her to take him back, but it's too late.]]

* ThrowEmToTheWolves: In "Good Housekeeping", spoiled rich youth Austin Philips flees south of the border to avoid prosecution for killing the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. Knowing she can't get him extradited, Brenda goes to Mexico to get the full story from him, and he refuses to come back to the US no matter what she tries. Brenda meets him in a Mexican police station and asks him for the story so she can close the case, and offers to drop the accessory charges against his parents. The killer tearfully confesses that he did it by "accident". Then Brenda hands the Mexican cops evidence the victim was actually born in Mexico, not America, which made her a ''Mexican'' citizen. As she leaves, Brenda points out that the Mexican justice is not going to go easy on a rich, arrogant gringo who killed a poor Mexican girl. The Mexican cops take Austin into custody despite his sudden pleas to go back to the US with Brenda.

The series aired every summer beginning in 2005. The last season aired in 2012, giving the show an seven-year run. It was [[AfterShow followed by]] ''Series/MajorCrimes'', starring Creator/MaryMcDonnell as Sharon Raydor. Most of ''The Closer'''s main cast returned for ''Major Crimes'', which took over its parent show's 9 pm timeslot.

* BelligerentSexualTension: So gloriously averted. Fritz and Brenda's relationship begins with ''liking each other and enjoying each others' company.'' It's a shocking concept for television, no?

The series aired every summer beginning in 2005. The last season aired in 2012, giving the show an seven-year run. It was [[AfterShow followed by]] ''Series/MajorCrimes'', starring Creator/MaryMcDonnell as Sharon Raydor. Most of ''The Closer'''s main cast returned for ''Major Crimes'', which takes over its parent show's 9pm timeslot.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: As far as regards to Brenda. Characters who are helping her will wear colors that match or complement her clothes. A prime example is in season one, where she and Captain Taylor collaborate on an operation after several episodes of rivalry. There is a shot of them {{Power Walk}}ing in beautiful matching blue.

** To be specific about the above, the victim in the episode was an adopted Russian 13-year-old sociopath in the making who terrorized everyone around him, including his sister, his only friend, and all of his neighbors, and got away with it since his adoptive parents refused to punish him due to his poor childhood in Russia, leaving Brenda with no shortage of [[RedHerring suspects]]. [[spoiler: He meets his end when his parents, having overheard him plotting to rape and kill his sister, finally took matters into their own hands and beat him to death with a hammer.]]

** To be specific about the above, the victim in the episode was an adopted Russian 13-year-old sociopath in the making who terrorized everyone around him, including his sister, his only friend, and all of his neighbors, and got away with it since his adoptive parents refused to punish him due to his poor childhood in Russia, leaving Brenda with no shortage of suspects. [[spoiler: He meets his end when his parents, having overheard him plotting to rape and kill his sister, finally take matters into their own hands and beat him to death with a hammer.]]

** A more specific one occurs in Season 5's "The Life". When gang members start turning up dead after a 12-year-old boy is killed, Brenda learns that the gangsters were gang-raping a girl over multiple days. When the squad starts brainstorming connections to the rape victim, Sanchez says "How about a brother?" (Two episodes earlier, in "Maternal Instincts", [[spoiler: a vengeful brother fatally shot his sister's boyfriend,[[ who he believed had raped her. And about a season before that in "Sudden Death", [[spoiler:Sanchez's own brother was gunned down by the teen brother of a known gang member]]). This rape victim doesn't have a brother... but the slain 12-year-old ''did'', which leads to a break in the case.

** A more specific one occurs in Season 5's "The Life". When gang members start turning up dead after a 12-year-old boy is killed, Brenda learns that the gangsters were gang-raping a girl over multiple days. When the squad starts brainstorming connections to the rape victim, Sanchez says "How about a brother?" (Two episodes earlier, in "Maternal Instincts", [[spoiler: a vengeful brother fatally shot his sister's boyfriend, who he believed had raped her. And about a season before that in "Sudden Death", Sanchez's own brother was gunned down by the teen brother of a known gang member]]). This rape victim doesn't have a brother... but the slain 12-year-old ''did'', which leads to a break in the case.

** A more specific one occurs in Season 5's "The Life". When gang members start turning up dead after a 12-year-old boy is killed, Brenda learns that the gangsters were gang-raping a girl over multiple days. When the squad starts brainstorming connections to the rape victim, Sanchez says "How about a brother?" (Two episodes earlier, in "Maternal Instincts", [[spoiler: a vengeful brother fatally shot his sister's boyfriend, who he believed had raped her.]]) This rape victim doesn't have a brother... but the slain 12-year-old ''did'', which leads to a break in the case.

* AmoralAttorney: Philip Stroh.
** Peter Goldman, who's already an [[TheUnfettered unfettered]] JerkassHasAPoint when it comes to Brenda, crosses the line into this when [[spoiler:he pays off Ann Mason to become TheMole by getting close to Gabriel, who he said was a dirty cop.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: Brenda says this word for word in "Forgive Us of Our Trespasses".

* LanguageFluencyDenial: In one episode, the suspect claimed that she didn't speak English, so Brenda had Buzz question her in Spanish. It turned out that the suspect spoke perfect English but barely spoke Spanish!

* RagingStiffie: In "Layover" Provenza had taken some viagra before having 'fun' with a flight attendant before finding a dead body in the bathtub. He had to stay seated to hide his erection from Brenda and Tao.

** Season 6's "Layover": Provenza and Flynn picking up two flight attendants and going home with them where Provenza finds a dead man in the bathtub.
** Season 7's "To Serve With Love": Provenza and Flynn rope Buzz into driving them to a hotel on a side job to serve a summons, then the man they serve falls out of his hotel room and lands on Buzz's car. [[spoiler:And it wasn't even the guy they thought they were serving.]]
** Also in Season 7's "Fool's Gold", they stumble into a robbery at a pawn shop. Before they even notice what's going on, the crooks get away with the gold and they find a dead man in the back of the store. (If you're counting, that's '''five''' occasions where Provenza and Flynn met outside of work, stumbled across a dead body, and failed to react properly.)

* TheyDo: Brenda and Fritz, done remarkably well.

** Not to mention that she was trying to help Brenda become Chief of Police.
** And in Season 7, she is doing her best to ''stop'' investigating Brenda and her team, to the point of opening up the investigation by emphatically telling Brenda that she was being forced to investigate and, at numerous points in the investigation, trying to give strong hints to Brenda that she was being forced to continue the investigation against her will. Brenda is so insulted by the idea that she's being investigated at all that she just brushes Raydor off without thinking about the meaning of her words. [[spoiler:By the mid-season finale this appears to have changed somewhat, as Raydor is the first person Brenda looks to after she is cleared. Raydor's face is wreathed in smiles, and Brenda nods her thanks to Raydor before the scene ends.]]
* WeirdnessMagnet: There have been at least three instances outside where Provenza and Flynn met outside of work, stumbled across a dead body, and failed to react properly. ''Three.'' The half-naked lady in Provenza's garage, the naked lady in their buddy's coffin, the random actor who fell on Buzz's car...
** Up to four, with Provenza and Flynn picking up two flight attendants and going home with them where Provenza finds a dead man in the bathtub.
** In Season 7, they stumble into a robbery at a pawn shop. Before they even notice what's going on, the crooks get away with the gold and they find a dead man in the back of the store.

** PlayedStraight with [[RichBitch Dennis]] [[KarmaHoudini Dutton]], who appears for two episodes before being completely forgotten. To wit, he first appears as a suspect in "The Butler Did It" for killing both his step-mother and later the family's butler before being cleared. He then returns in a Season 2 episode where again he is a suspect in a murder before, again, cleared; both times it's brought up that he was suspected of murdering his ex-girlfriend and escaped prosecution [[note]] It's implied and more or less confirmed he ''did'' kill her.[[/note]] He's also implied to be much smarter than anyone gives him credit for and shows an interest in Brenda, hinting that they would clash again and Brenda would nail him finally. [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse He never appears again]].

** Exaggerated in "Cherry Bomb" where Brenda acts as a minor suspect's lawyer in a date rape case to get him to rat on his buddy (who committed the rape and whose father is an LAPD commander) and uses his statement to locate another victim who is willing to testify. Whether "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" was violated is questionable, since Brenda didn't use the suspect's statement against him or the rapist, but impersonating an attorney is still a felony; doing so by a law enforcement officer is official misconduct and could have gotten the case thrown out but no one calls her out on this.

** Crimes against children are a special kind of evil to Major Crimes. Even Provenza and Flynn are affected (since they have kids of their own).

* HappilyMarried: Brenda and Fritz seem to be developing into this; a rare dramatic example. Not that they haven't had their ups and downs, but their relationship has been solid since season one. And it's implied that their intimate is most ''definitely'' of the passionate variety.

* OutrankingYourJob: The Major Crimes Division consists of three Lieutenants (Flynn, Provenza & Tao), two Detectives (Sanchez and Daniels, who later transfers out) and one Sergeant (Gabriel), with a Deputy Chief (Johnson) in charge. Ordinarily a police unit will be headed by a Lieutenant or Captain, with the rest of the squad being no higher ranked than Sergeant. Lampshaded in the series premiere of ''Series/MajorCrimes'', when Provenza has been given command of the squad... for all of a week until Captain Raydor transfers in.
** A conversation between Taylor and Gabriel acknowledges this, as Taylor explains that in any other squad, 'Sergeant' would be a supervisory position.

*** Of course, being a nerd, he ''does'' know all about ninjas!

** In one memorable scene, [[AmoralAttorney Goldman]] pretty much declares war on the LAPD. [[SmugSnake Taylor]], [[DaChief Pope]], [[InternalAffairs Raydor]], and [[KnightTemplar Johnson]] stand shoulder to shoulder against him.