When it premieres in the summer, TNT's "The Closer" spinoff "Major Crimes" will feature that rare thing in a TV crime show: A lead character who's not a rogue or a rule-breaker.
Capt. Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell), in fact, is pretty much the opposite of the maverick-cop archetype. "The Closer" and "Major Crimes" creator James Duff says part of what he wants to explore in the new show is the dynamic of the Major Crimes squad working under a very different kind of boss.
"It will be interesting to see how each one of them responds to Raydor," Duff said Saturday (Jan. 14) at the TV critics' press tour. "Provenza [G.W. Bailey] wants to pursue a scorched-earth policy to get rid of her. He expected he was going to be left in charge, and his hopes were dashed. He has to be brought back into the fold a little bit."
McDonnell says she's looking forward to seeing how her character, whose job until now has been primarily to "police the police," as she puts it, will respond to the demands of her new position.
"[She] understands policy and procedure, but she has a position now that demands of her a more instinctive response," McDonnell says. "... That's the nut of it -- how you bring a person like this into this situation, and can they accommodate that situation."
"Major Crimes" is set to premiere on TNT in the summer, one week after "The Closer's" series finale.
