Season 7
The Closer is an American television drama series created by James Duff, Michael M. Robin and Greer Shephard which chronicles the cases of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, who comes from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases.
Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rub her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogators eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
The series aired in the USA on TNT from 13 June, 2005 to 13 August, 2012. There are 109 hour-long episodes in seven seasons.
The Closer originally premiered in South Africa on M-Net on Wednesday 16 November 2005, at 19h30. After the first season the show was moved to DStv's actionX channel, which became M-Net Action in 2008. After the fifth season the show was moved to DStv's M-Net Series channel. The show also aired on TopTV's Top One channel.
See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times by channel.
Season 7 premiered on M-Net Series on Tuesday 27 March 2012, at 21h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 21 episodes in the seventh and final season.
Season 7
Over the past six years, Kyra Sedgwick's Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson has put some of Los Angeles' most brutal killers behind bars.
With her keen investigative instincts and brilliant interrogation techniques, Brenda often closes her cases by eliciting a confession or cornering a suspect through sometimes-questionable methods.
Now, Brenda's tactics are coming under the scrutiny of the L.A.P.D.'s new Chief of Police, who is on the verge of announcing an extensive reorganisation that could spell the end of Major Crimes. The situation also has the potential of fracturing the family-like dynamic within the squad.
Sedgwick is joined by a 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 Brenda's current boss, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope, whose own career is about to experience a seismic shift; and Robert Gossett as Commander Taylor, whose role in the department is on the verge of being redefined.
There's also Corey Reynolds as Brenda's right-hand man Detective Sergeant David Gabriel, who is becoming increasingly disillusioned with her tactics; Tony Denison as Lieutenant Andy Flynn, whose insensitive comments and poor judgment have frequently caught Brenda's ire; and G.W. Bailey as Lieutenant Provenza, a seasoned veteran who serves as Brenda's second in command, despite a record of embarrassing blunders.
Additionally, there's 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.
Joining The Closer as a regular cast member this season is two-time Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell, who has guest-starred in the prior two seasons as Captain Sharon Raydor.
This year, Raydor's newfound friendship with Brenda is challenged when L.A.P.D. Police Chief Tommy Delk (guest-star Courtney B. Vance) assigns her to an internal investigation involving Major Crimes.
Despite the whirlwind of controversy building around her, Brenda is determined to continue doing her job the best she can, and she expects the same of her squad members.
Together, they will take on some of the toughest cases of their careers, beginning in the season opener with a multiple homicide that hits close to home for Gabriel.
This season, the squad will also try to track down a missing boy who attends the summer camp where Tao's son works. Flynn and Provenza will once again find themselves in hot water when an attempt to serve court papers goes horribly awry.
Emmy-winning actor/director Adam Arkin is set to guest-star in that episode as a financier targeted by his clients after he pulls off a Ponzi scheme.
Seasons
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 16 Nov 2005 | Finale: 8 Feb 2006 | Wednesdays, 19h30
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 2 May 2010 | Finale: 21 Jul 2010 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Season 2 (15 episodes)
Channel: actionX | Premiere: 12 Feb 2007 | Finale: 21 May 2007 | Mondays, 20h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 28 Jul 2010 | Finale: 3 Nov 2010 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Season 3 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 21 Apr 2008 | Finale: 28 Jul 2008 | Mondays, 20h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 17 Aug 2011 | Finale: 23 Nov 2011 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Season 4 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 22 Jun 2009 | Finale: 28 Sep 2009 | Mondays, 19h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 11 Jan 2012 | Finale: 18 Apr 2012 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Season 5 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 11 Oct 2010 | Finale: 17 Jan 2011 | Mondays, 19h00
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 20 Dec 2012 | Finale: 28 Mar 2013 | Thursdays, 21h00
Season 6 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 5 Apr 2011 | Finale: 12 Jul 2011 | Tuesdays, 19h30
Season 7 (21 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 27 Mar 2012 | Finale: 28 Aug 2012 | Tuesdays, 21h30