Last year, TNT announced that the hit series THE CLOSER would end after it’s seventh season. It appears that may not be the case.
DEADLINE is reporting that producers are talking with TNT about a couple of different options that might keep things going.
One option, likely the most appealing, is extending season seven an extra six episodes for a total of 21. Star Kyra Sedgwick’s contract is up after this season and they certainly would want to keep her for those extra episodes.
Other options, and these could be in addition to extending the current season, would be continue the show without Sedgwick, or develop a new spin-off. Continuing the current show seems problematic, to me, since Kyra’s character is THE CLOSER. If they could convince her to stay on for six more episodes, they could use those to set the scene for a new series. Extra episodes would allow them to use KS’s starpower to establish characters for a new series.
This surprises me not at all. THE CLOSER is not only the cabler’s biggest show, it has also been an award magnet and was the first real hit series for TNT. It, along with the recently departed SAVING GRACE, kept TNT in the Emmy spotlight for years. Both Sedgwick and SG star Holly Hunter nabbed a number of nominations.
In the last couple of years, TNT has been playing around with plenty of new dramas. RIZZOLI & ISLES appears to be the closest thing they have to a replacement for Kyra and company. But that series has only one season under it’s belt and who knows if they will be able to maintain their momentum.
