The Closer

TNT’s hit series THE CLOSER returns in January, with five new episodes that will unveil new crimes, new investigations and more about the complex life of LAPD Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. Golden Globe® winner Kyra Sedgwick returns as Brenda in this record-breaking series, which in summer 2008 set a new ratings benchmark by averaging more than 8.5 million viewers. New episodes of THE CLOSER start Monday, January 26, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by the debut of TNT’s latest drama series, TRUST ME.

When THE CLOSER left off in September, Detective Sanchez had been shot three times while saving the life of Det. Lt. Provenza as they tried to apprehend a killer. The episode ended as Det. Sanchez was airlifted to a hospital in Brenda’s arms.

As THE CLOSER returns, we learn the fate of Det. Sanchez and find that Brenda and her squad must deal with a new round of cases, including an apparent suicide that the medical examiner is convinced was actually a murder, the death of an obese man whose body is left to rot in the trunk of a car, a possible homicide revealed through cell phone text messages and a murder at an escort agency. Brenda also meets her match when she goes up against a slick lawyer (Bill Burke) who defends a known sex offender found in the vicinity of a brutal rape and murder.

However, it’s not all business for Brenda. In September, Fritz gave Brenda an ultimatum: choose a wedding date or call the whole thing off. By the end of the five episodes, we will finally learn the fate of Fritz and Brenda’s relationship and whether they will make it down the aisle. Meanwhile, Brenda’s parents (guest stars Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin) return. We also meet Fritz’s sister, Claire (guest star Amy Sedaris), who lends her services as a psychic (though she prefers the term “intuitionalist”) to help with one of Brenda’s cases.

Trust Me

Set against the backdrop of the high-pressure world of advertising, Trust Me focuses on Mason (McCormack) and Conner (Cavanagh), a pair of ad men whose strong creative partnership has served the firm of Rothman Greene & Mohr extremely well over the years. Mason, an art director, is a responsible, workaholic family man with a beautiful wife, Erin (Clarke), two children and an undying loyalty to the brands he helps sell. By contrast, his writing partner, Conner (Cavanagh), is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their yin-yang relationship is put to the test when Mason is named a creative director of the agency, making him Conner's boss. The series follows the changing dynamics between the two friends, who are better together than they are apart.

Leverage

Actor Timothy Hutton, who plays Nate Ford on the new show, chatted with us and told PCM why he thinks the show is going to captivate viewers! It looks cool, make sure you tune in! The series follows a team of thieves, hackers and grifers who act as modern-day Robin Hoods, taking revenge against those who use power and weath to victimize others! We're thinking it will be full of great storylines and action!

PCM: Our site readers would like to know, what is it about a show like "Leverage" that will make it appealing to viewers? What will lead viewers wanting more?

Timothy Hutton: "I think the real appeal of the show is getting real satisfaction in the revenge aspect of the show. Seeing some hideous person take advantage of someone, either by denying them medical claim or taking their home away from them by putting a lien on it or an unfair foreclosure or, you know, there's a lot of different subjects that we tackle. And I think that the fun of the show, why people will enjoy seeing it week to week, is seeing somebody helped out who's been deeply wronged. They come to our team and we figure out a way to get their life back together and take out there's a lot of different subjects that we tackle. And I think that the fun of the show, why people will enjoy seeing it week to week, is seeing somebody helped out who's been deeply wronged. They come to our team and we figure out a way to get their life back together and take out the person who took advantage of them in the first place."

All new episode of Leverage airing January 13th at 10:00pm ET/PT

The team targets a ruthless mob boss and winds up catering his daughter's wedding in an all-new episode of TNT's LEVERAGE, starring Oscar® winner Timothy Hutton

Guest-starring Dan Lauria (The Spirit, The Wonder Years) and Nicole Sullivan (MAD TV, The King of Queens)

"The Wedding Job" - Premieres Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) - TV-PG-LV
To retrieve the money promised to the family of an innocent man who took the fall for a Mafia boss, the Leverage team poses as the wedding planners for the don's only daughter on her big day. Somehow, the team must manage to pull off a wedding in the midst of pulling off the heist, all while avoiding a dangerous Russian mobster known as The Butcher.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes
Written by Chris Downey
Created by John Rogers & Chris Downey

TNT MOVIE: Q&A With Noah Wyle

It's Back! The third installment of the incredibly popular series, THE LIBARIAN starring Noah Wyle.

Wyle plays Flynn Carsen, an unlikely hero this time searching for the dreaded Judas Chalice in THE LIBARIAN 3: Curse of the Judas Chalice premiering on TNT Sunday, Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE was directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), who also directed the second Librarian installment, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines. The story opens with the kidnapping of Professor Lazlo (Davison), a brilliant language and history expert at the University of Bucharest. Elderly and using a crutch to walk, he is taken hostage by a group that wants to force him to locate the Judas Chalice. They hope to use the cup - which was made from the 30 pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Jesus - to bring the notorious Prince Vlad Dracul back to life and foist evil on the world.

READ OUR Q&A WITH NOAH WYLE BELOW:

Julie Kissane: I want to start by asking - it seems that fans really do enjoy the sort of back and forth banter and the little comedic elements that they have in this movie. Could you see yourself doing more of a comedy role in the future on other projects? Do you like that kind of humor and acting that way?

Noah Wyle: I do. While these movies are sort of perfectly emblematic of the reasons I wanted to be an actor in the first place. Obviously you want to scratch your dramatic itch every now and again and play with the great things of life, but it's far more rewarding for me especially these days to go to work and have my creative fires stoked by what makes something funny, what makes it engaging and it's just an absolute pleasure.

I think I have more fun doing these movies than anything I've ever done in my career up to date and that stems from feeling very much part of a creative family, an ego-less communal production team that just works extremely well together, travels well together, gets along very well, and makes long days seem like short days. But in terms of where I'd like to go in the future it's you know - yeah, I would love to do more comedy. You know, it's sort of coming back around full circle for me because I - the begging few seasons of ER I was pretty much comic relief on the show. The more dramatic story lines were you know - involved Tony and George and Eriq and Juliannna and Sherry to a large degree and I was the guy tripping over the tray of piss in the background. It was only - there''s other characters left that - the character of (Johnny Carterson) evolved into more of a dramatic story telling vehicle, but there's nothing more fun than a good (Pratt fall).

Julie Kissane: You had mentioned that you did a lot of shooting in New Orleans. Where there any other locations that you shoot this time around for this movie and what was sort of the overall dynamic on the set this time around?

Noah Wyle: Well it sounds strange to say, but this was a little bit of the cart before the horse scenario in that we had identified the location before we crafted the storyline. There were certain budget constraints this time around. We were working with a little less money as a result of the way the financing was put together that made it prohibitive to do an international storyline the way we've done it the last two times.

So focusing domestically was really a question of identifying the part of the country that had the richest mythology in sense of history that would align itself well with our storytelling and that sort of pointed towards Louisiana and it was a really quick jump from that to wanting to do a good karmic turn and bring some work to that city and employ some of their local craftsmen and fuse the economy with some cash and then we you know - setting up on their folklore.

They've got a very rich vampire tradition, a very rich sort of Haitian and French influence and pirate influence. It worked extremely well for us for a storyline. The irony is that we got down there and found out that we were the 11th production to have that noble idea and that the crews were pretty well taken. So we actually had to import quite a few department heads from Texas and Florida to round out our ranks, but the people down there that we did have in our employ couldn't have worked harder or been more gracious about it.

Julie Kissane: Were there any difficult stunts or scenes during the filming of the Judas Chalice that you found to be kind of hard to pull off personally?

Noah Wyle: The widths of the banister that I slid down was a little wider than my natural stance so I ended up with fairly chaffed and bruised thighs after that day of filming, but aside from that you know minor cuts and bruises here and there. It was all fun and part of the day's work.

RAISING THE BAR is a powerful new legal drama from Emmy winning producer Steven Bochco.

The gripping series stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek and follows the lives of young lawyers who work on opposite sides - the public defender's office and the district attorney's office - as well as those who sit in judgment on their cases.

PCM's Erin Renoylds got the chance to chat with Jane Kaczmarek . Read what she said about her new role of Judge Trudy and her role on Malcolm in the Middle:

Erin: Hi Jane, thank you so much for talking to us today!

Jane: Oh, it's my pleasure!
Erin: What drew you to play this specific role of Judge Trudy?

Jane: You know, after Malcolm in the Middle, I was so exhausted! We had done that show for seven seasons. I had two kids during the filming of Malcolm and I was tired! I didn't want to work that kind of schedule anymore. When offers came to me after the show ended, I tended to pass. I wanted a small part and didn't want to play a lead in anything. I was grateful when this show came along, I thought it was interesting. TNT was extremely creative with helping develop a schedule for me that would allow me to be with my children and also get my work on the character done as well. It was TNT that was letting me work in a concentrated way so I'd be a lot of time to be home with my kids while I filmed as well that was so nice with this part.

Erin: Oh, that's great. Well, since you got so used to playing a comedic role on Malcolm in the Middle, do you prefer comedic or dramatic roles?
Jane: Well, I'm enjoying this one a lot! For many, many years, all I did was play dramatic roles. I went to the Yale School of Drama and one of my first jobs after coming to Los Angeles was on The Paper Chase, which was a show about Harvard Law students, we did that on Showtime and I played a lot of lawyers in those years! I had a hard time getting seen for comedies then! I played a character in a Neil Simon play on Broadway, Lost In Yonkers, and then that changed things for me. It opened a lot of doors and people began to let me have some comedic roles! Then I got into doing Malcolm for all that time. Most people now, they think of me as a comedic actor!

Jada Pinkett Smith to Star and Executive Produce as a Nurse and Single Mother in TNT Drama Pilot Time Heals

Jada Pinkett Smith (The Women, The Matrix Trilogy) has signed on to play the lead in TNT's riveting drama pilot TIME HEALS. She will play Director of Nursing Nancy Hawthorne, an unsung hero, caregiver and single mother who always puts the pain of others first. \

TIME HEALS comes to TNT from Sony Pictures Television in association with Pinkett Smith's 100% Womon Productions, John Masius Productions and Jamie Tarses' FanFare Productions. It was created by Emmy®-winner John Masius (St. Elsewhere, Providence, Dead Like Me), who also wrote the pilot script. Masius, Pinkett Smith and Jamie Tarses (My Boys) serve as executive producers.

"John Masius has created a beautifully drawn character, and we couldn't have wished for a better choice to play her than Jada. Nancy Hawthorne is incredibly dynamic, a nurse whose energy, self-sacrifice and heroism changes lives on a daily basis," said Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "We are thrilled to have this wonderful actress on board for this very special drama."

TIME HEALS takes place at Charlotte Mercy Hospital in North Carolina, where the strong but caring Nancy Hawthorne (Pinkett Smith) continuously fights a battle she often knows she won't win. Whether treating the homeless woman in front of the hospital like a human being or trying to talk a suicidal cancer patient off the ledge, Nancy must challenge hospital administrators, heartless doctors, apathetic colleagues and a system that sometimes forgets it's there to serve the sick.

Recently widowed and the mother of a smart, willful teenager, Nancy juggles her career with her equally important role as a single parent. Between the two, she barely has time for herself and has difficulty keeping things together. But she knows she has to. She can't give up on anyone. That's what her passion requires; it's what it takes to be a hero.

Oscar Winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Stars in TNT Original Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story.

The movie, based on Carson's inspirational memoir, that will trace his journey from frustrated inner-city kid to director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.
Carson's memoir, which was crafted with Cecil Murphey, describes life as a child on the mean streets of Detroit. Carson faced difficulties early on, when his father abandoned the family. "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother," Carson wrote. Carson's mother pushed her son to become the best he could be through education. Carson recalled her saying over and over to him, "Bennie, if you can read, honey, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read."

With a new pair of glasses and encouragement to spend time at his local library, Carson dove into the world of books. His scholastic performance improved dramatically. He went on to college and medical school, refusing to give up on the dream he and his mother had for his future, even when prejudice and negative peer pressure threatened to stand in his way. Carson is now a best-selling author and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, where he pours everything he has into helping young people overcome their medical limitations and fulfill their own dreams.

CAST:
Award-winning actress Kimberly Elise (The Great Debaters, The Manchurian Candidate) has signed on to join Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) in the upcoming TNT Original movie GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY, according to an announcement today by Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TNT, TBS and TCM. In the JOHNSON & JOHNSON SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION, Elise is set to play the role of Sonya Carson, a single mother who inspired her son to study and work hard so that he could rise above their inner-city roots, eventually becoming a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon.

"Kimberly is an outstanding actress whose passion comes through in every role she plays," Wright said. "We are thrilled to have her on board for what is certain to be a very stirring film."

Saving Grace is an edgy, unique drama that follows Grace Hanadarko, a tormented, fast-living Oklahoma City police detective who, despite having an excellent career in solving crimes, takes self-destruction to new heights.

After seeing tremendous tragedy, both professionally and personally, Grace reaches a turning point one night and meets a rough-hewn angel (Leon Rippy of Deadwood) with a similar past who wants to help lead her back to the right path.

Show News:

TNT launched EmbraceYourGrace.com, a social networking site that encourages users to trust their instincts and live life to the fullest, much like the character Grace, played by Academy Award® winner Holly Hunter, in TNT's provocative drama series SAVING GRACE.

The interactive site features blog entries from series creator Nancy Miller, as well as other SAVING GRACE staff writers. It also includes blog entries from popular women authors, actresses, comics, musicians, directors and producers who embody the fearlessness and love of the journey that Grace does, including Ellie Rountree, Andrea Strong, Jessica Delfino, Mindy Raf and Sherri Rifkin.

Visitors of EmbraceYourGrace.com are encouraged to create a community by posting comments based on a variety of themes and questions inspired by SAVING GRACE. The site will also include a registry to win a Porsche like the one driven by Grace in the series, a t-shirt giveaway, video polls, clips from the series and a special music video created by Grammy®-winning country music recording artist Gretchen Wilson.


Saving Grace's star and executive producer Oscar Winner Holly Hunter poses with her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!