LAPD’s Top Investigator Returns in November

A potentially career-ending lawsuit is just one of the issues that continue to plague top LAPD investigator Brenda Leigh Johnson this winter in TNT’s blockbuster series The Closer. The acclaimed drama, starring EmmyÒ winner Kyra Sedgwick, returns Monday, Nov. 28, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) with five new episodes of its seventh season, with the series’ conclusion coming in summer 2012. Among this winter’s offerings will be the 100th episode of The Closer, which is set to air Monday, Dec. 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Over the past six and a half years, Sedgwick’s Chief Johnson and the LAPD’s Major Crimes unit have put some of Los Angeles’ most brutal killers behind bars. With her keen investigative instincts and brilliant interrogation techniques, Brenda usually closes her cases by eliciting a confession through sometimes-questionable methods. This summer, Brenda’s tactics resulted in a civil lawsuit that raised scrutiny over her controversial style and revealed a mysterious leak in her division. Although the original suit was settled, Brenda is now the target of a federal civil rights suit. Special guest star Mark Pellegrino (Lost) returns this winter as Brenda’s lawyer to defend her against the mounting federal investigation by prosecutor Peter Goldman, played by returning guest star Curtis Armstrong (American Dad!).

In the five new episodes airing this winter, the cast will be joined by several additional guest stars. In the show’s 100th episode, “You Have the Right to Remain Jolly,” airing Monday, Dec. 5, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), Fred Willard (Modern Family)guest stars as Santa Jack, the owner of a Christmas village who believes he could be the real Father Christmas. Brenda’s parents, played by guest stars Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin, return on Monday, Dec. 12, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) in “Relative Matters,” the second holiday-themed episode of the season, with surprising news that keeps Brenda’s mind from her case.

Mark Moses (Mad Men) and Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds) will guest-star in “Road Block” on Monday, Dec. 19, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), as the LAPD’s Police Commissioner and his wife, Gail, who may be in trouble when Brenda becomes determined to uncover a scandal one of them tried to cover up. And in the winter finale, “Silent Partner,” airing Monday, Dec. 26, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), Brenda seeks help from a businessman, played by guest star Jason George (Grey’s Anatomy), with old ties to the neighborhood where Turell Baylor was murdered.

Sedgwick is joined by The Closer’s extraordinary Screen Actors Guild AwardÒ-nominated cast, including Jon Tenney as Brenda’s husband, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard, who often feels as if their marriage takes a back seat to Brenda’s cases; J.K. Simmons as interim Police Chief Will Pope, whose career has undergone several seismic shifts; Robert Gossett as Commander Taylor, whose role in the department is constantly being redefined; Corey Reynolds as Brenda’s right-hand man, Detective Sergeant David Gabriel; Tony Denison as Lieutenant Andy Flynn, whose sarcastic comments have frequently landed him in sticky situations; G.W. Bailey as Lieutenant Provenza, a seasoned veteran who serves as Brenda’s second in command, despite a record of embarrassing blunders; Michael Paul Chan as the squad’s tech guru, Lieutenant Mike Tao, whose obsessive attention to detail can try his colleagues’ patience; Raymond Cruz as gang expert Detective Julio Sanchez, who often allows his emotions to get the better of him; and Phillip P. Keene as audio-visual technician Buzz Watson, who demands the utmost respect for the department’s equipment.

Two-time Oscar® nominee Mary McDonnell joined The Closer as a regular cast member this season in the role of Captain Sharon Raydor. For her portrayal, McDonnell recently earned an Emmy nomination, and she will continue to play Raydor in TNT’s new series Major Crimes, which is slated to premiere after the conclusion of The Closer next summer.

Since its premiere in 2005, The Closer has garnered numerous ad-supported cable viewership records, including being the only series in cable history to rank #1 for five consecutive years. This summer, the show averaged more than 8.7 million viewers.