Major Crimes: The Complete First Season

After the TNT police procedural The Closer ended, the producers decided to keep the supporting cast together under new leadership. Taking over from Kyra Sedgwick's Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson here is Mary McDonnell as Capt. Sharon Raydor, a former Internal Affairs investigator now heading the Major Crimes squad (The Closer veterans G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz, and Phillip P. Keene, with new member Kearran Giovanni, fill out the team). Raydor also becomes something of a foster mother to troubled street kid Rusty (Graham Patrick Martin), who happens to be a witness in a major case. The crimes being investigated are similar to ones in the old show, and the character chemistry remains intact—made even a little more interesting as the team explores tentative new working relationships. But Raydor is more soft-spoken and less eccentric a leader than Sedgwick's tough Brenda, more concerned with putting together an airtight case than getting an interrogation-room confession. Fans of The Closer will likely follow along, and McDonnell may even attract a fresh crop of viewers; otherwise, this is familiar material, albeit with a strong ensemble cast. Compiling all 10 episodes from the 2012 debut run, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)