Kyra Sedgwick by Karen Neal/TNT; Mary-Louise Parker by Sonja Flemming/Showtime
Feel that change of seasons? Hard not to notice on this Monday night, as two of cable's best summer series- TNT's popular signature drama The Closer and Showtime's quirky classic Weeds- sign off with life-or-death cliffhangers, a week before the official network season gets underway. ( The Closer's story will pick up again in the new year, with five episodes remaining in this split season.)
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Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Tenney in The Closer by Ben Kaller/TNT
Do we hear wedding bells for The Closer's Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick)and Fritz (Jon Tenney) this season? Indeed we do, executive producer James Duff tells TV Guide exclusively. "I will tell you that the first episode of this winter begins with Brenda trying on several wedding dresses," says Duff. "A date is set, but will that date be met? That's the question that we're asking."Although no one knows for certain whether Brenda will make the trip down the aisle, I'd say it’s looking pretty good, especially after Duff shared his thoughts on TV marriages. "Conventional wisdom has it that romance is over once you marry, on television. But I'm not a big fan of conventional wisdom so I can't really tell you exactly how it will happen or if, but this looks like a good relationship to me."Does it feel like a good relationship to you? Should Fritz and Brenda tie the knot? — Carita RizzoUse our Online Video Guide to see some of The Closer.More on The Closer:• Season premiere recap!&b...
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Jon Tenney by Andrew Eccles/TNT
The Closer's Jon Tenney has joined the remake of 1987's The Stepfather. Tenney will play a dad trying to reconnect with his teen son (Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley) after a divorce. Oh, and Hidden Palms' dewy Amber Heard is now playing Badg's GF, a role previously eyed by FNL's Adrienne Palicki.... Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) will star in and exec-produce Gigantic, an offbeat comedy about a mattress salesman and a woman he meets in his store. Zooey Deschanel will also star.... DreamWorks Animation has pushed the release of the 3-D How to Train Your Dragon to March 26, 2010, after realizing the original November '09 date was overcrowded with other 3-D flicks: A Christmas Carol (starring Jim Carrey) and James Cameron's Avatar. — Adam Bryant
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Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer by Ben Kaller/TNT
This week’s crackling finale of TNT's The Closer was a splendid reminder of why Kyra Sedgwick is so deserving of the best-actress Emmy this year (yes, she'll be getting it for last season, but the character was just as strong a year ago). Being on basic cable, it's possible she'll once again by upstaged in what is one of the more crowded categories — her five other nominees include Sally Field (my second pick), Minnie Driver and past winners (in order of preference) Edie Falco, Mariska Hargitay and Patricia Arquette. But if for whatever reason she fails to score, this season's finale once again puts her at the top of my list for next year's competition.It was a great two-parter, with Brenda really on the ropes both professionally and personally. First, her case is in tatters after she fails to get a confession from her suspect. Then, midway through the high-profile trial, the defendant’s alibi turns up out of nowhere with rock-solid video evidence that he couldn’...
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Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
"We're trying to make it so you never know what kind of show you're tuning in to," says The Closer creator (and TVGuide.com celebrity blogger) James Duff. And his formula — unexpected moments of comedy, plucked heartstrings and a dash of gore — is working: The Closer is the top-rated basic-cable series ever.
For the two-part, two-night finale, the police procedural heads to the courtroom after a high-profile divorce attorney is found dead in his swimming pool and the crime-solving methods of LAPD deputy chief Brenda Johnson (Emmy-nominated Kyra Sedgwick) are called into question. Keep an eye out for real-life law-and-order pundits
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Welcome back to Red Herring Central, aka a new season of TNT's The Closer!For any newcomers to the superb series, we are glad to have you here to break down the week's episode, twists and turns and double-backs included. You’ve chosen a real crackerjack of a show to test-drive, and you shall be rewarded for your expenditure of brain power every Monday night. For the regulars from Season 2... here, have a pastry.Let's start with a show of hands: Who thought the Wallaces' son did it? Yep, my hand is up. I know, I know, it's rare that the prime suspect proves to the be culprit in Brenda Leigh-land, but I thought for sure this was going to be a "he did it/no, he didn't/oops, yes he did" reveal. That is, until they unveiled the secret second family. You know, early on I was pondering, "The dad spends a lot of time with this unseen shrink, maybe they are one and the same?" I see now I should have stuck with that. That whole cell-phone-behind-the-wet-bar clue threw me, too. I thought,...
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So, did you watch TVGuide.com's live webcast with the cast and creator of The Closer? Wasn't Miss Kyra positively luminous? (Though the way she kept shifting in her seat, I suspect that director's chair was wicked uncomfortable.)Ladies, did Jon Tenney live up to his cutie rep? Could Tony's baseball analogy have been any more, um, "involved"? Doesn't the road trip/U-Haul episode sound like a hoot? What do you think of Robert Gossett's "Salt & Pepper"/Taylor-and-Provenza spinoff idea? Should we not read too much into the fact that Gina Ravera was MIA, seeing as Corey Reynolds said Daniels and Gabriel will continue dating this season?Did the question you sent in make the cut, and get answered by one of our fab guests? Share your thoughts on what was discussed, and the coming season as a whole, here and now. Thank yew!
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This Thursday, June 7, at 4 pm/ET, TVGuide.com will host a live and interactive webcast in which The Closer creator James Duff and cast members including Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons and Anthony Denison will survey the new season premiering June 18. TV Guide's Craig Tomashoff will moderate the chat, inviting the guest panel to respond to questions e-mailed in by you, the fans.To participate in the webcast, which will be simulcast on TNT.tv and CNN Pipeline, click the TVGuide.com homepage link going up Thursday afternoon.SEND YOUR QUESTIONS NOW: To make sure your questions get answered, post them below if you are logged in or submit them via e-mail.TV Guide Network's InFANity: The Closer airs Monday, June 11, at 9 pm/ET.
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Jon Tenney, The Closer
TNT's The Closer (Mondays at 9 pm/ET) is the hottest show on cable right now, and it has the numbers to prove it. On the day that the Season 2 premiere's record ratings came in, TVGuide.com got on the phone with Jon Tenney, who plays FBI agent Fritz Howard, beau to Kyra Sedgwick's crafty, if curt, police chief.
TVGuide.com: So you're a star of TV's most-watched — what's the qualifier again? — ad-supported cable drama telecast ever?
Jon Tenney: "Ad-supported, original scripted cabl
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Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Question: Hey, Matt! I love your column and read it all the time. I fell in love with The Closer while watching its first season repeats on TNT. Do you think that a show like this will ever get a chance to run during the traditional season, or will it always be stuck in the summer season? Also, what's your opinion about the cast and its chances for a third season? Thanks!
Answer: Later this week I'll be sitting down to watch the first two episodes of The Closer's second season, and I'll be sharing my thoughts before the show's premiere on June 12. I thought the first season was solid, and that if it weren't for Edie Falco, Kyra Sedgwick would have a decent chance at an Emmy (she'll certainly get a nomination). For a show built around such a strong character, the bench strength of the supporting cast is exceptional (J.K. Simmons, Jon Tenney, Tony Denison, G.W. Bailey, to name just a few). It's one of the better crime dramas on TV, and given the glut in that genre, that's saying
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