Major Crimes, Season 1 DVD

Editorial Reviews
Go into bold new territory with TV’s favorite squad of detectives! Set in L.A., Major Crimes picks up where The Closer leaves off, centering on how to secure an airtight conviction, and exploring how police and prosecutors work together to build a case. With many of The Closer’s beloved characters, Major Crimes delivers the same high caliber of action and drama as the hit series it follows.

Viewers bereft at the demise of The Closer will find plenty to like about Major Crimes, another top-notch cop drama from TNT. The connection is no coincidence; with The Closer shutting down following the departure of Emmy winner and star Kyra Sedgwick after seven seasons, the producers were charged with creating what one of them calls “a similar franchise with a new heart,” and this is it. A significant number of the cast members from the earlier show are back, but there are notable changes as well, most notably the replacement of Sedgwick’s Brenda Johnson by Captain Sharon Raydor (Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell). Hers is not an easy transition. Coming from the Los Angeles Police Department’s dreaded “Force Investigation Division,” Raydor, who also appeared in various Closer episodes, is distrusted and outright disliked by most of her new colleagues, especially old-school lieutenant Louie Provenza. This internecine conflict is a distraction, to say the least, as Raydor is obliged to spend much of the season trying to win the others over, all while working some nasty murder cases (involving kidnapping, gunrunning, human trafficking, military veterans-turned-robbers, a serial rapist, and other unsavory business). And that’s not all. Raydor, long estranged from her husband and the mother of grown children, takes a cynical, parentless teen boy (Graham Patrick Martin) who witnessed a killing under her wing, a story arc that continues across the season’s 10 episodes. What’s more, there’s the bigger issue of the justice system itself: with the city of Los Angeles having major money problems, the police are not-so-gently encouraged to cut deals with criminals so as to preclude expensive trials, a mandate that does not sit well with the rank and file. The show has its light moments (when a fitness trainer named Chad is found suspended upside down from an apparatus, Provenza immediately dubs him “hanging Chad”) but there’s enough grit to keep police procedural lovers satisfied.

Wow…just finished watching season one of Major Crimes. I don’t have TNT so I had to wait until it was out on DVD (I have all the seasons of The Closer) to see it. I preordered it a while ago and I was so happy to finally get it. What do I think? Well…it is missing a little pizzazz, but it has all the elements of a great show in the making. The first couple of episodes I was waiting for something really big to happen. This show kind of sneaks up on you because I think it’s very subtle in the way they close their cases. It’s not like The Closer when there’s a big moment for Brenda and we just know she’s going in for the kill. I always liked the characters in The Closer and I had hoped I would see them at their best (from a writing standpoint, because their acting is always great) in Major Crimes. I think MC brings out different things in these guys (and women) than The Closer did. It’s good though. Really good! Love the addition of Sykes, I think she has a rich full background that will be fun to see emerge. She seems to hold her own with the guys now, and I really like that there isn’t too much conflict between any of them. They could have made it really hard for Raydor to get these guys to go with the flow but it’s much nicer to see that they all have her back. I never thought I would be cheering for Sharon Raydor but wow Mary Mcdonnell’s acting is so terrific. The addition of Rusty gives us a chance to see a completely different side to her. She’s vulnerable and so darn strong at the same time. My biggest gripe is with the periodic pop in of Fritz. Fritz was such a well written character in TC but now it just seems like they bring him on to show us he’s still around. He’s such a good actor and he should have a more important part to play. I would like to see him more often and in a much larger roll. I miss him! I’ll preorder Season Two as soon as it’s available and I really hope there are more seasons to come.

Product details
Actors: Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison
Format: Color, Dolby, Widescreen, PAL
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 4 for Australia
Number of discs: 3
Studio: WarnerBrothers
DVD Release in: 2012