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'Closer' Spends Sour Holiday On Night When TNT Also Brings Back 'Grace'

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 3, 2007

Could the special Christmas episode of the TNT drama "The Closer" be that jump-the-shark moment for the popular drama series?

Tonight's two-hour holiday romp reveals the worst side of Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick): her selfish obsession with solving the crime.

With Brenda, the end always justifies the means, so she bends the rules to get confessions. She's like a Southern, sugarcoated version of Jack Bauer but without the physical torture.

On this episode, which begins at 8, she also shows a callous disrespect for her parents (played by Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen). Brenda and fiance Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney) return to her hometown, supposedly to spend the holidays with her folks. But it turns out that she is only interested in picking up a fugitive.

Through a series of mishaps, Brenda, Fritz and the Johnsons end up taking the suspect to Los Angeles in an RV. It's the road trip from hell.

GRACEFUL RETURN: TNT's other hit series, "Saving Grace," also comes off hiatus at 10 tonight for a December run.

In the first of four new episodes, a tornado rips through town, trapping Grace (Holly Hunter) in a collapsed building with a suspect named Dorothy (Mary Kay Place). The comparisons to "The Wizard of Oz" stop there as Grace and Dorothy bond.

SNOWBOUND: Lifetime offers a new Christmas movie, "Lost Holiday: The Jim and Suzanne Shemwell Story," based on a true incident. It airs at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Jamie Gertz stars as a controlling, fun-challenged mother of two who gets stranded in the wilderness with her estranged husband (Dylan Walsh). While fighting the elements for weeks, the couple rediscover why they first fell in love. But will they survive after search parties stop looking? Their youngest daughter doesn't give up and turns to God with a unique prayer for help.

RERUNS BEGIN: The November sweeps are over. The writers strike is in full swing. And so the reruns begin.

ABC is repeating "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at 8 tonight. The CBS lineup tonight is filled with encores. Fox starts the night with a rerun of "House."

New tonight are NBC's "Chuck," "Heroes" and "Life." Where is "Journeyman"? NBC says it will be back next week at 10 p.m. But if "Life" shows life tonight, watch out.

Like every sci-fi show, "Journeyman" has a small but loyal fan base, and there are rumblings that the fans will start bombarding NBC with packages of Rice-a-Roni to make their point. That's "the San Francisco treat," and the time-traveling series is set in Frisco.

Meanwhile, "Heroes" fans are excited about tonight's episode, on which two of the characters are going to die. Of course, on this show characters can come back to life, so it's no big deal.

Also new tonight: ABCs "Samantha Who?" "Notes From the Underbelly" and "October Road" and Fox's "K-ville."

INTIMATE AND ARTFUL: WUSF radio, 89.7 FM, has come up with a novel fundraising event.

For a $250 donation each, 100 supporters of the station can attend a musical dinner party that includes a gourmet meal, classical music, ballet, jazz, vocalists and a 50-member choir.

"An Artful, Intimate Evening With WUSF Public Broadcasting," at 7 p.m. Saturday, also includes a chance to meet WUSF on-air hosts, including Carson Cooper, Susan Giles Wantuck, Russell Gant and Bob Seymour.

The party will take place at the Siesta Key home of Mark and Jennie Famiglio.

Mark Famiglio, a Sarasota real estate, communications and aviation entrepreneur, is on the WUSF Partners advisory board. To hang with other artful types who listen to WUSF, call (813) 974-8680.

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