will major crimes return?
TNT is closing the book on Major Crimes.
The Mary McDonnell procedural is set to end after its upcoming sixth season, the cabler announced Tuesday.
The sixth season is set to premiere Oct. 31 on the Turner-owned network, with the two-hour series finale dated for Jan. 16. This upcoming season will also see the cop drama celebrate its 100th episode.
“The whole company of Major Crimes is dedicated to making 2017-18 the best season yet,” said series creator James Duff. “We will finish our long run on TNT with a finale worthy of our loyal viewers and their years of unstinting support.”
A spinoff of The Closer, Major Crimes launched in 2012 following the former show’s series finale. The Closer, which starred Kyra Sedgwick in her Emmy-winning role, ran for seven seasons and became one of TNT’s biggest hits. While Sedgwick and future Oscar winner J.K. Simmons both departed, many of The Closer’s ensemble moved to Major Crimes, led by McDonnell, who reprised her recurring role from the original series.
“Major Crimes has successfully navigated the many challenges that arise with a spinoff; the primary mission of which is staying true to its core DNA while expanding into unique territory all its own,” said TNT’s exec vp original programming Sarah Aubrey. “From Brenda Leigh Johnson to Commander Sharon Raydor, the cast and crew have done a phenomenal job of creating enduring characters — many of whom are celebrating 200 episodes together this season.”
The decision to end Major Crimes despite its ongoing popularity comes as TNT and TBS president Kevin Reilly continues to push both cable channels toward more prestige offerings, such as Animal Kingdom, Good Behavior and Claws. In addition to Major Crimes, the hit cop drama Rizzoli & Isles wrapped in 2016 after a seven-season run. TNT’s other original dramas include The Librarians and The Last Ship.
The cabler’s upcoming slate includes ambitious period drama The Alienist as well as the Chris Pine six-part series One Day She’ll Darken.
Since Reilly took over, TNT, like many other platforms, has leaned more toward shows produced in-house through Turner’s Studio T. However, both Claws and Animal Kingdom, like Major Crimes, hail from Warner Bros TV.
The network says the sixth season will be the last for the popular crime drama. Season 6 premieres October 31 at 9 PM ET/PT, and the series will wrap with a two-episode finale on Tuesday, January 16 at 9 PM ET/PT.
Major Crimes, a spinoff from TNT’s hit drama The Closer, is the network’s No.1 series in total viewers and has consistently ranked as one of cable’s most-watched drama series since its breakout debut in 2012. In its most recent season and spring run on TNT, the series reached an average 7.7M viewers per episode across linear, VOD, and digital platforms.
It is one of just a couple of series left over from the previous TNT regime, along with The Librarians as well as The Last Ship, which also is expected to end to its run after Season 5.
“Major Crimes has successfully navigated the many challenges that arise with a spin-off; the primary mission of which is staying true to its core DNA while expanding into unique territory all its own,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “From Brenda Leigh Johnson to Commander Sharon Raydor, the cast and crew have done a phenomenal job of creating enduring characters – many of whom are celebrating 200 episodes together this season.”
This year, the series takes a serialized turn as the squad struggles to solve mysteries and murders surrounded by complex political conflicts, attempting to sidestep controversial issues as they track down three lethal murderers. As Cmdr. Sharon Raydor grows accustomed to her new boss, Assistant Chief Leo Mason, the detectives find themselves questioning their faith in the rapidly changing priorities of the justice system and their ability to reason through difficult changes.
The ensemble cast is headed by two-time Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell. Also starring are G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz, Phillip P. Keene, Graham Patrick Martin, Kearran Giovanni, Jonathan Del Arco, Leonard Roberts, Jessica Meraz and Daniel di Tomasso. The series also features recurring appearances by Jon Tenney as Deputy Chief of the Special Operations Bureau Fritz Howard, Ransford Doherty as Coroner’s Investigator Kendall, Kathe Mazur as DDA Andrea Hobbs, Rene Rosado as Gus Wallace, Dawnn Lewis as Patrice Provenza and Bill Brochtrup as LAPD psychologist, Dr. Joe Bowman.
McDonnell addressed the finality of her character's ending, and thus the show's ending, in a Facebook post after "Conspiracy Theory: Part 4" aired on Dec. 19. "No one of us would have chosen to end the show. The writing was so clearly on the wall and had been for at least two seasons," she wrote.
