8 reasons why you should watch The Closer on Peacock!

The Closer is about to debut on Peacock and here’s a few reasons why you should check out this great crime drama!

Debuting in 2005, The Closer was TNT’s first crack at scripted drama that was starting to take off on basic cable. It revolved around Brenda Leigh Johnson, a former CIA interrogator turned cop who was brought in from Georgia to oversee the Priority Murder Squad. Her first move was to change the name to Priority Homicide Division and lead the cops in finding justice. 

The show was an intriguing mix of drama but had some light comedy with a strong ensemble cast. It ran seven seasons, ending in 2012 with 109 episodes. Now about to hit Peacock on Sunday, June 30, here’s a few reasons why The Closer should be worth binging if you’re not already a fan. 

Kyra Sedgwick is marvelous as Brenda

Kyra Sedgwick has had scores of movie and TV roles but Brenda Leigh is her best. She was the first actress to be nominated for an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award for every season of the show and won the Emmy in 2010. It’s easy to see why as she nails Brenda’s nice drawl and some amazing character work. She can be flighty and high-pitched one moment, then cold and bossy the next. 

Often, Brenda puts on the air of a ditzy Southern gal to put people off and help her investigations. It all builds to her getting the suspect into an interrogation room and breaking them down. While the comedy aspects are good, Sedgwick is also amazing as Brenda, facing the issues of her work and is the center of this compelling show. The final season gives her some truly meaty material to prove that Sedgwick deserved that Emmy. 

The supporting cast is just as great

Thankfully, Sedgwick is surrounded by a top-notch supporting cast. The highlight is J.K. Simmons as Will Pope, the chief of the unit with the future Oscar winner nailing the role of this boss often handling Brenda’s antics. The fellow cops include Corey Reynolds as David Gabriel, a top aide; Robert Gossett as Russell Taylor, the LAPD captain initially against Brenda; G. W. Bailey as sardonic veteran Louie Provenza; Tony Denison as Andy Flynn; Michael Paul Chan as Michael Tao; Raymond Cruz as Julio Sanchez; and Phillip P. Keene as Buzz Watson, who steps up as the civilian recording the crime scenes. 

All of the cast gel perfectly together and can easily balance a gritty and brutal episode with a more light-hearted one. The mix of characters is wonderful, they're a compelling ensemble that makes the show shine even when Sedgwick isn’t on screen. 

The personal dynamics can be intriguing 

The show isn’t just a cop drama but has some good personal stuff going for it, too. A key early plot point is Pope in the midst of a divorce that reveals he and Brenda once had an affair. That puts pressure on Brenda who also has to handle the “old boys network” of the LAPD.

Many cases have Brenda clashing on the politics or optics of a case and season 1 had Taylor trying to get her booted from the force. There’s also plots with Sanchez drawn to his inner city roots to occasional romances as the personal lives of the cops can give insight to their cases. 

The crimes run an interesting gamut

The show is interesting in how it works the cases, often opening with the cops showing up at the crime scene. For the first few seasons, it’s all about high-profile murders and the show utilizes the L.A. setting nicely, taking on everything from celebrities to politics. Season 5 has Brenda using some loopholes so the team can take on less high-profile deaths.

That led to more personal cases, with Brenda fighting to find justice for victims the police might have ignored. There was also the tone as some episodes could be dead serious while others were more light-hearted yet they were all told in a fun way to be watchable. 

You can jump in but some longer arcs are around

For the most part, you can jump into The Closer like any other crime show with most of the cases solved in a single episode. There are some long-range story arcs involving Brenda and Pope and sometimes a character from a past episode will pop up a couple of seasons later. For the most part, though, it’s a good procedural to make for an easy binge. Don’t worry about being wrapped up in a wider mythology as The Closer fits easily as a nicely binged crime show. 

Brenda and Fitz are a loveable couple

A terrific addition to the show was Jon Tenney as Fitz Howard, an FBI agent who aids the team on cases. He and Brenda have sparks from the start and eventually married. The pair are wonderful together, professional on the job but with some very steamy bedside talk. They also challenged each other.

Some great moments show them at home, handling the everyday issues of a married couple, Brenda fretting she’s turning into a “cat lady,” and visits from Brenda’s wild parents. It’s one of the best marriages you’ll ever see on a crime show and a great push for the series. 

The Provenza and Flynn episodes are hysterical

Just when it looks like a season of The Closer is getting too dark, we get the annual “Provenza & Flynn get into a ridiculous jam” episode. Somehow, the pair find themselves in a ludicrous situation and we get a flat-out comedy gem. 

Among the stories are the pair leaving a body behind to see a baseball game; seeing a woman’s corpse fall out of the coffin of a friend they’re burying; getting ripped off by flight attendants; and their attempt at process serving has to be seen to be believed. These episodes provide more laughs than some network comedies to make for a fun watch. 

The Closer birthed an equally great spin-off

The last season of The Closer drew on several plot elements from Brenda facing a lawsuit over a past case to looking after an orphaned teen. It also showcased more of Mary McDonell as Sharon Rayder, once an adversary of Brenda’s as a Force Investigation Captain only to become a staunch ally. 

While The Closer ended Brenda’s story, Rayder and almost the entire supporting cast would move on to the spin-off Major Crimes, which ran a good six seasons. Thus, The Closer’s success is matched by how it continued into a strong franchise for TNT. 

The Closer seasons 1-7 stream on Peacock June 30.