nomadreader

It is not a secret that I have become completely enamored with The Closer . It is one of the best written and best acted programs on television today. I am quickly making my way through the second season on dvd in preparation for the June 18 th premiere of season three. Blessedly, season two takes the strong characters carved out during the first season and takes them deeper. Frances Sternhagen as Brenda's mother is brilliant. Whoever cast her and wrote that two episode arc deserves a raise and an Emmy. The interplay of Sternhagen and the sublimely good Kyra Sedgwick (seriously, I didn't believe she had it in her until I started watching) managed to parallel their actions and words in a beautiful ode to the sometimes strained Southern mother and daughter relationship. I wasn't sure Sternhagen could outdo her rendition as Bunny on Sex and the City , but she is even better in this role. I hope she's back during season three. If you haven't seen The Closer ...

All of the networks have now announced their fall television schedules, and I'm more excited about pilots than I've been in years. Thankfully, for once, there are rarely more than two shows I want to watch scheduled for the same time. Laurel's TV Picks has a fantastic (Central time) grid for each day of the week. There are good-looking new shows, the return of almost every show I like (goodbye, Jericho ) and an ingenious plot development for One Tree Hill . The senior class of main characters will graduate from high school this spring. When One Tree Hill returns in January, our gang will be out of college. Gone is the awkward transition that has killed far too many teenage-based shows. It's a win-win situation. The stars get to be their own age on screen. I think this development is brilliant, and if it's successful, I daresay other shows will follow-suit. I also hope CBS and the other networks have learned their lessons with quality new shows like Jeric...

I remember watching the premiere episode of The Closer two years ago, but I can't recall why I didn't keep watching. In February, I DVRed the season one marathon of the show, and I finally sat down to watch an episode this weekend. Instead, I watched six. The Closer is well-written, smart, gritty and immensely watchable. It's rare that I want to sit and watch a crime drama for hours, but I could have watched the entire season in one sitting if I would have started it before 8 p.m. Kyra Segwick, whom I've always enjoyed to some extent but would not tune into a show or movie only to see her, shines. I only have one minor issue with the show, and I imagine it is a nomadreader specific reason. James Avery plays the medical examiner. I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air , and I have an immensely difficult time seeing him as anyone but Mr. Banks, let alone a serious doctor. Perhaps Avery does have something to do with this issue, as I have no trouble with Will S...