Fifth Season to Mark a Year of Change on Ad-Supported Cable's #1 Series of All Time: TNT's THE CLOSER
Hit Series Starring Golden Globe® Winner Kyra Sedgwick Returns for Season 5 on Monday, June 8, 2009

Screen Actors Guild Award®-Nominated Ensemble Cast Includes Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert
Gossett, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Raymond Cruz, Michael Paul Chan and Phillip P. Keene

It’s going to be a year of change for Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and her Major Crimes unit as TNT’s THE
CLOSER returns for its fifth season. The record-breaking crime drama, which stars Golden Globe® winner Kyra Sedgwick,
continues to dominate the industry as ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time. THE CLOSER’s fifth season is set to premiere Monday, June 8 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on TNT.

Sedgwick gives an unforgettable performance as Deputy Chief Johnson, a formerA tlanta detective brought to Los Angeles to head a special LAPD homicide unit. She is a top-notch investigator with unparalleled interrogation skills and a track record for closing nearly every case with a suspect’s confession. On the home front, she’s not quite as adept at handling her personal relationships.

Instead, work tends to take first priority in her life and even threatened to derail her wedding in the season-four finale.
This acclaimed series also features a strong cast that has garnered three Screen Actors Guild Award® ensemble nominations.

Corey Reynolds (The Terminal) co-stars as Sgt. Gabriel, who was once a rising star in the department but now feels as if his career is stalling after an inter-office romance and breakup .Tony Denison (Prison Break) and G.W. Bailey (M*A*S*H) play Lt. Flynn and Lt. Provenza, a pair of solid investigators who have a penchant for goofing around at the risk of endangering the integrity of the squad’s investigations. Michael Paul Chan (Arrested Development) is Lt. Tao, the squad’s computer expert who tends to go overboard explaining the minutia of the latest technology used to help solve a case. Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad) plays Det. Julio Sanchez, a passionate and intense gang expert who recently recovered from a gunshot wound and endured the loss of his brother.

The series also stars Jon Tenney (Tombstone) as Brenda’s husband, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard, who finally managed to get her to the altar after much resistance; J.K. Simmons (Juno) as Brenda’s demanding boss, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope, who endures constant pressure from his superiors to make budget cuts and create more synergy among the divisions; Robert Gossett (Arlington Road) as head of Robbery-Homicide Commander Taylor, who frequently serves as the press liaison on Brenda’s cases; and Phillip P Keene (The DA) as Buzz Watson, whose video surveillance footage is often essential to Brenda’s investigations.

For the fifth season, THE CLOSER will explore the issue of change. Just as Brenda starts adjusting to married life, she loses someone very dear to her. In addition, the intra-office conflict between Sgt. Gabriel and Det. Daniels is resolved for good and another squad member goes through a complete attitude change after falling in love. The economy forces one of Brenda’s detectives to take a second job, while the fatal shooting of a suspect leads to career complications for another.
Even through the changes, Brenda and her Major Crimes unit will be hard at work tracking down some of Los Angeles’ toughest criminals. This year they’ll tackle such cases as the possible kidnapping of a corrupt financier, a multiple homicide involving a family, the killing of a security guard at a gang rehabilitation center and the shooting death of a white supremacist.

“After four years of really getting to know these characters, the fifth seasonm arks a great time to see how they react to major changes both inside and outside the squad room,” said series creator James Duff. “We’re very excited about where we’re taking Brenda and her squad in the coming year.”

Since its premiere in 2005, THE CLOSER has earned numerous ad-supported cable viewership records, ranking as the #1 series of all time and scoring the #1 series telecast of all time. Each year, the show’s audience grows larger, with its 2008 episodes averaging more than 7.3 million viewers.

THE CLOSER comes to TNT from The Shephard/Robin Company, in association with Warner Bros. Television . The
series is executive-produced by Greer Shephard (Nip/Tuck, The D.A. ), Michael M. Robin (Nip/Tuck, The D.A. , NYPD Blue),
James Duff (The D.A. , The Agency), Rick Wallace (Men In Trees, L.A. Law ) and Kyra Sedgwick. The show is produced by
Andrew J. Sacks (The D.A, Adaptation , Two Soldiers), and Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney from 1992 to 2000,
serves as consulting producer.

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such
original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar , with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, starring Jada Pinkett Smith; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order , Without a Trace , ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards® ; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

“Products of Discovery”
When Brenda’s squad investigates the quadruple murder of a family, she accidentally stumbles into the middle of an FBI
investigation that may have been a factor in the homicide. Meanwhile, Provenza’s ebullient mood has suddenly turned sour. Lee Tergesen (Oz, TNT’s Wanted) guest stars.

Directed by: Michael M. Robin
Written by: Michael Alaimo

“Blood Money”
The apparent kidnapping of a rich financier under investigation for ripping off investors leads Brenda’s squad to think he may have staged his own abduction. During the investigation, Gabriel tries to cover the forensic accounting duties, since Det. Daniels has been promoted to another division. Meanwhile, something strange has come over Lt. Provenza. And Kitty, Brenda and Fritz’s cat, is enduring serious medical issues.

Directed by: Rick Wallace
Written by: Steven Kane

“Red Tape”
Sgt. Gabriel shoots a murder suspect he is certain is armed and firing at him, but the evidence does not match up with his
account. Enter Capt. Sharon Raydor (special guest star Mary McDonnell), the head of the Force Investigation Division, whose responsibility is to investigate the shooting. But Raydor’s investigation is interfering with Brenda’s investigation into the murder, which may have been ethnically motivated.

Directed by: Rick Wallace
Written by: Duppy Demetrius

“Walking Back the Cat”
Brenda and her squad are temporarily deputized into the FBI when a missing person case turns into a full-blown murder
investigation involving drug trafficking at gay dance parties. The case gives Brenda and Fritz the chance to work together again, but her investigative tactics don’t exactly fit FBI protocol.

Directed by Steve Robin
Written by Leo Geter

“Half Load”
Brenda’s squad investigates the murder of a former gang banger, but the evidence indicates he may not have been the target. The case leads Brenda on a return trip to the doorstep of Father Jack and the Crenshaw Community Center, where an upset neighborhood is convinced the LAPD doesn’t care about stifling crime in the area. It’s up to Brenda to prove otherwise.

Directed by Roxann Dawson
Written by Ken Martin & Mike Berchem

“Tapped Out”
Brenda’s team investigates the shooting death of a popular online “hook-up king” who was in the process of putting together a television pilot for a men’s cable network. The case goes awry when a police impersonator enters the picture. Meanwhile, Pope does a rotation as a regular member of Brenda’s squad to get a firsthand look at how the team works, but his experience isn’t exactly what he expected it would be.

Directed by Adam Arkin
Written by Adam Belanoff

 

Kyra Sedgwick
Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, /Executive Producer

Kyra Sedgwick, whose career has included critically acclaimed roles on stage, film and television, returns to her Golden
Globe®-winning role as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson on TNT’s blockbuster series THE CLOSER.

On the big screen, Sedgwick most recently appeared with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the football comedy The
Game Plan. She also co-starred in and co-produced the independent film Loverboy. Sedgwick’s other recent big-screen credits include Cavedweller, which she developed and produced – and for which she received a 2005 Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress; Nicole Kassell’s award-winning The Woodsman, a dark drama co-starring Kevin Bacon that won the Jury Prize at the Deauville Film Festival, had its world premiere in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was showcased in Cannes as part of the 2004 Director’s Fortnight line-up; and Rebecca Miller’s Personal Velocity, which won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

Among Sedgwick’s long list of feature film credits are Phenomenon, opposite John Travolta; Oliver Stone’s Born on the
Fourth of July; the Merchant-Ivory production of Mr. and Mrs. Bridge ; Singles; Lemon Sky; Hearts & Souls , with Robert
Downey Jr.; and Montana, with Stanley Tucci, Robin Tunney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. She also co-starred in Fisher
Stevens’ Just a Kiss ; Behind the Red Door, opposite Keifer Sutherland and Stockard Channing; and Secondhand Lions,
co-starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment.

For television, Sedgwick co-starred opposite William H. Macy and Helen Mirren in TNT’s Peabody Award-winning
drama Door to Door. Other credits include Something the Lord Made, Twelfth Night (or What You Will) and Losing Chase ,
which she executive produced and in addition to starring opposite Mirren and Beau Bridges.

Sedgwick’s theater credits include The Culture Project’s New York production of The Exonerated, Nicholas Hytner’s
Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, Ah Whilderness! for which she won the Theater Award, and David Mamet’s Oleanna, which
garnered her a Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle Award and a Drama League Award.

Sedgwick can next be seen in the futuristic thriller Game, starring Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall and John Leguizamo,
set to be released in September.

Jon Tenney
FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard

Jon Tenney’s professional career includes extensive work on stage, as well as in feature films and television. He
launched his TV career with a guest-starring role on Murphy Brown and has been a series regular on several shows, in addition to appearing in recurring roles on CSI and Will & Grace .

Tenney also has been successful in film, beginning with his debut in Watch It, opposite Tom Sizemore, John C.
McGinley and Peter Gallagher. He went on to appear in Fools Rush In, co-starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek, and
Showtime’s original feature Twilight of the Golds, co-starring Jennifer Beals, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser. Tenney recently starred opposite Albert Brooks in the independent film Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World and the Showtime movie Homecoming. He has also appeared in Crime & Punishment, Equal Justice and The Division, and had roles in the critically acclaimed films Tombstone and Oliver Stone’s Nixon. Tenney will next be seen starring in Legion opposite Dennis Quaid, Paul Bethany and Tyrese Gibson, as well as the Sony Screen Gems Thriller The Stepfather with Sela Ward, Penn Badgley and Dylan Walsh, and the film adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Dianne Wiest.

J.K. Simmons
Asst. Police Chief Will Pope

J.K. Simmons has appeared in diverse projects spanning feature films, television and stage performances on and off
Broadway. Before achieving success in acting, Simmons studied to become a composer at the University of Montana.
Simmons’ feature film credits include Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Hidalgo, The Ladykillers, The Mexican (with
Brad Pitt), For Love of the Game, The Gift, Off the Map, Thank You for Smoking , The Astronaut Farmer, Bury My Heart at
Wounded Knee, Rendition and Juno. Most recently, he appeared in The Vicious Kind , which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, New in Town with Renee Zellweger, and I Love You, Man with Paul Rudd. Simmons’ upcoming films include An Invisible Sign of My Own, Men Who Stare at Goats, and Jennifer’s Body, the new script from Diablo Cody ( Juno).

In addition to feature films, Simmons has appeared in several guest-starring roles on award-winning TV series including
Arrested Development, Nip/Tuck, ER, Spin City and Law & Order. He also played Vern Schillinger in Tom Fontana’s Oz for
six seasons on HBO.

Corey Reynolds
Sgt. David Gabriel

Prior to THE CLOSER , Reynolds made his Broadway debut playing “Seaweed” in the Tony Award-winning musical
Hairspray, a performance that garnered Reynolds nominations for the Outer Circle Critics Award, the Drama Desk Award and the prestigious Tony Award. After seeing Reynolds star-making turn in Hairspray, Steven Spielberg personally cast Reynolds in his feature-film debut in The Terminal with Tom Hanks.
Reynolds was born and raised in Richmond, Va., beginning his professional career at age 16 performing around his
hometown. He went on to perform in the national and international tours of the Broadway musicals Smokey Joe’s Café and
Saturday Night Fever, as well as regional performances of Parade and Avenue X.

Robert Gossett
Commander Taylor

Robert Gossett was born in the Bronx, New York, and, after high school, landed his first professional gig in One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the Mercer Arts Center in Greenwich Village.

He went on to perform in Lloyd Richard’s Broadway production of Fences, Hal Scott’s A Raisin in the Sun and Donald
McKayle’s The Last Minstrel Show . Other notable theater performances include Manhattan Made Me, Sons and Fathers of Sons , A Soldier’s Play and Colored People’s Time, all of which were performed with the famed Negro Ensemble Company of New York.

Gossett’s awards include the NAACP Theater Award for Best Performance by a Male and the Dramalogue Best Actor
Award for his performance in Indigo Blues, directed by his wife, Michele Gossett. He also earned the LA Weekly Theater award for Washington Square Moves.

In film, Gossett has starred in Irwin Winkler’s The Net, alongside Sandra Bullock; Time Hunter’s The Maker, with
Matthew Modine; Arlington Road, with Jeff Bridges; White Man’s Burden, with John Travolta; and The Spring in Her Step .
Gossett will next appear with Heather Locklear and Billy Ray Cyrus in the film Flying By, which is slated to be released in 2009.

G.W. Bailey
Lieutenant Provenza

G.W. Bailey ’s career spans three decades and is a gallery of memorable, distinctive characters. A native Texan, he
began his training at Texas Tech University and started his professional career at the prestigious Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Ky.

Bailey later moved to Los Angeles, where he started his television career in a string of guest-starring roles on episodic
series, in addition to continuing his stage work. Among his series credits are M*A*S*H, The Jeff Foxworthy Show and St.
Elsewhere. Bailey also starred in several TV movies, such as the award-winning Double Crossed and The Siege at Ruby Ridge.

Bailey’s feature career began with the film Police Academy and flourished with starring roles in such movies as
Mannequin, Short Circuit , Burglar and Rustler’s Rhapsody, among others. He returned to academia in the mid 1990s and
graduated from Texas State University in 1994. Bailey served as artist-in-residence for several years, working occasionally in Hollywood and on the stage in New York.

 

Bailey’s many interests include his work with The Sunshine Kids Foundation, where he is executive director. Sunshine
Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to children with cancer. Established in 1982, the foundation is committed to providing positive group activities and emotional support for young cancer patients.

Tony Denison
Lieutenant Andy Flynn

With Broadway credits under his belt, Tony Denison made his momentous television debut starring in
producer/director Michael Mann’s critically acclaimed drama Crime Story. As Ray Luca in the one-hour television drama series, he received a fistful of kudos, including Time magazine recognition as television’s best villain of the 1980s.
Since then, Denison has appeared in more than two-dozen motion pictures, with Columbia Tri Star’s Art of Revenge,
Joel Bender's Independent feature Deadly, Little Vegas and The Effect opposite Charles Dutton being the most recent. Following Crime Story is an impressive list of dozens of television appearances that include notable guest-starring roles on such shows as CSI, Criminal Minds, Boston Legal, The District, J.A.G., Cold Case, The O.C., ER, NYPD Blue and Charmed.
Tony landed the role of recurring character Paul Harper in the one-hour television drama series The D.A., and
audiences again were charmed by Denison in the series regular role of Head Coach Mike George in ESPN’s first scripted series, Playmakers. 2006 found Tony doing double duty, landing the plum recurring role of the Dad in Prison Break, as well as starring in THE CLOSER as Det. Andy Flynn.

Michael Paul Chan
Lieutenant Mike Tao

Michael Paul Chan’s professional acting training at the American Conservatory Theatre started him on a journey that has
taken him all over the world. China, Thailand, Israel and the United Kingdom are just some of the locales Chan has worked in the past several years.

His varied interests and travels have served him well in his acting career, as his roles most often cross both cultural and class backgrounds.

Chan’s film credits include The Insider, with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe; Spy Game, with Robert Redford and Brad
Pitt; U.S. Marshals , with Tommy Lee Jones; Falling Down , with Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall; and the critically
acclaimed adaptation of The Joy Luck Club.

Raymond Cruz
Detective Julio Sanchez

Raymond Cruz has appeared in more than 30 feature films and has worked extensively in television, playing a wide range
of characters. His work in films includes roles in Havoc, with Anne Hathaway; Training Day, with Denzel Washington;
Collateral Damage, with Arnold Schwarzenegger; Alien 4: Resurrection, with Sigourney Weaver; and Clear and Present Danger, with Harrison Ford. Other notable films include The Last Marshal , The Rock, The Substitute, Out for Justice and Under Siege.

On television, Cruz has had recurring roles on My Name is Earl, Breaking Bad, Day Break, The Division, 24 and
Nip/Tuck. He has also guest starred on numerous hit shows, including CSI, CSI: Miami, NYPD Blue, The Practice, Star Trek, Boomtown and The X-Files. He recently won an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work on THE CLOSER.

Cruz also has an extensive stage background and is a recipient of the Drama Critics award.

Phillip P. Keene
Buzz Watson

Phillip P. Keene has played videographer and surveillance expert Buzz Watson on TNT’s THE CLOSER for the past
four years. His previous television experience includes hosting the series Home and making a guest appearance on the ABC limited series, The DA. He made his feature debut in the Tony Alda film, Role of a Lifetime .
Keene, who is fluent in Spanish and German, earned a degree in history/art history from UCLA and a pilot’s license
before deciding to go into acting, taking classes from Howard Fine, Heidi Davis, Margie Haber and Tony Sepulveda. His hobbies include surfing, collecting Pan Am memorabilia and renovating older homes.

 

Kyra Sedgwick returns in her Golden Globe®-winning role as Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
Brenda is a top-notch investigator and interrogator who pinpoints a suspect, traps the person in a lie and draws a confession. Despite Brenda’s brilliance as an interrogator, she is hopeless at LAPD politics, and her drive to close the case often interferes with her personal life.

J.K. Simmons as Asst. Police Chief Will Pope
Chief Pope is Brenda’s strongest ally, but his support is sometimes limited by pressure from his superiors to follow the rules, make budget cuts and create greater synergy between the divisions of the LAPD.

Jon Tenney as FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard
Fritz and Brenda were finally married at the end of last season. This year, they are determined to keep their personal and
professional lives separate, which may prove difficult because their cases so frequently cross division lines.

Robert Gossett as Commander Taylor
Once Brenda’s rival in the Robbery-Homicide division, Commander Taylor now finds himself helping the Major Crimes Division on many cases. He frequently acts as a press liaison for Brenda and has proven to be a strong ally for closing cases.

Corey Reynolds as Sgt. David Gabriel
Sgt. Gabriel is Brenda’s closest aide and her one-time favorite. But he jeopardized his relationship with Brenda last season by ending a difficult inter-departmental romance that forced a member of the squad into another division .

G.W. Bailey as Lt. Provenza
The squad’s resident old-timer still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He likes to bend the rules to avoid doing too much work and will surprise the squad this season with a change in attitude.

Tony Denison as Lt. Andy Flynn
Lt. Flynn is passionate about his job but sometimes lets his friendship with Provenza get in the way. He always has a wise crack to keep the squad lifted, even in stressful situations.

Michael Paul Chan as Lt. Mike Tao
Lt. Tao is the go-to guy for anything technology related. He thrives on using his expertise to crack cases; the more complex, the better. But he also tends to go overboard on details when explaining things, especially to someone as technologically challenged as Brenda.

Raymond Cruz as Det. Julio Sanchez
Det. Sanchez is knowledgeable about the complications of gang warfare in Los Angeles and can be a bit intimidating to a suspect. Even when his emotions run high, Sanchez knows how far he can push without crossing the line. Last season, he endured the loss of his brother to gang violence and even took a bullet for Provenza.

Philip P. Keene as Buzz Watson
Buzz is the electronics room technician. In addition, he is the videographer of all crime-scene documentation for the Major Crimes Division. The outdated equipment provided by the LAPD causes Buzz constant frustration, but his instruments often prove useful in cracking a case.