The Closer

 Posted on August 6, 2024  |  6 minutes  |  1099 words  |  Larita Shotwell

A decade after Thomas Magnum's retirement, Tom Selleck rolls back onto the CBS schedule with a character-driven midseason sitcom about a man having a midlife crisis and the people who are only too pleased to help him have it.

A decade after Thomas Magnum’s retirement, Tom Selleck rolls back onto the CBS schedule with a character-driven midseason sitcom about a man having a midlife crisis and the people who are only too pleased to help him have it. For Selleck, there’s no real pressure. All he has to do is single-handedly resuscitate CBS’ sluggish Monday night slate. Based on a fairly promising pilot, the guy who once battled “The Cosby Show” on competitive terms might just pull it off.

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Surely, “The Closer” has a lot going for it going in: a lively cast (Selleck, Ed Asner, Penelope Ann Miller), snappy dialogue, “Murphy Brown’s” old timeslot and the good sense not to push the one-liners too hard. That’s fortunate, because the opener isn’t all that funny. But the show feels like it will one day be funny. And Selleck looks as if he’s having a really good time.

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Energetic kickoff seg, penned by creators Ed Decter and John J. Strauss, introduces us to Jack McLaren (Selleck), a Denver adman who’s so legendary for his ability to close deals that he’s literally called “The Legend.” His credo: “Never let the client see you’re human.”

This is how huge Jack is: he gets to play golf with the president. But it does Jack’s career no good when he beats the president’s pants off (so to speak) on the course, considering that the U.S. Army just happens to be his agency’s biggest client. Within hours, he and his entire creative team are history. And it all happens at pretty much the same time that his wife (guest Joanna Kerns) is serving him with divorce papers.

Some legend.

But in typically contrived sitcom fashion, Jack barely blinks before rejecting a huge offer from a competitor and launching his own ad agency along with his motley cohorts: crusty creative director Carl Dobson (Asner), nerd deluxe copywriter Bruno (David Krumholtz), eternally wisecracking secretary Beverly (Suzy Nakamura) and wiggy accountant Erica (Miller).

The supporting players are standard-issue and harmless enough. The only true standout in the pilot is Miller, whose character’s flighty ways play against stereotype in that she’s an Ivy League grad (a nice touch).

Episode strikes a pothole about halfway in when Jack gets hit with an emotional sock to the solar plexus and has something resembling a bonding moment with his feisty daughter Alex (solidly played by Hedy Burress), who wants to forsake college for a snowboarding career. But Barry Corbin’s cornpone turn during the final scenes rides in to save the day, bringing the show a quirky energy it earlier lacks.

In short, “The Closer” ain’t quite there yet, but has obvious potential. Selleck is self-deprecatingly smooth if a bit mechanical in his return to the series grind, perhaps showing the rust of 10 years away from primetime’s paces. But he will no doubt hit his stride quickly enough. His show just might, too, if it can resist the temptation to substitute wackiness for believability.

In six weeks, we’ll know a lot more. The smart money says not to bet against Selleck — even when he’s not wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

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The Closer

Mon. (23), 9-9:30 p.m., CBS

  • Production: Filmed in Burbank by TWS II Prods and Frontier Pictures in association with CBS Prods. and Warner Bros. TV. Executive producers, Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, Tom Selleck; producer, Craig Wyrick-Solari; director, Andrew D. Weyman; writers, Decter, Strauss.
  • Cast: Cast: Tom Selleck, Ed Asner, Penelope Ann Miller, David Krumholtz, Hedy Burress, Suzy Nakamura, Joanna Kerns, Barry Corbin, Michael McKean, Clyde Kusatsu. Camera, Ken Lamkin; editor, Steve Rasch; music, Ed Alton; sound, Larry Stephens; casting, Geraldine Leder.

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