Major Crimes will kick off its fourth season June 8th on TNT. As a huge fan of its mother show The Closer, I wasn’t sure if Major Crimes, which includes most of the cast from The Closer, could survive without the unforgettable Kyra Sedgwick. However, Mary McDonnell proved herself to be a more than capable lead as Captain Sharon Raydor, and I was quickly hooked.

Major Crimes linked itself to The Closer in some interesting ways. Rusty Beck (Graham Patrick Martin), who first appeared in the last episode of The Closer as a street hustler who barely escapes being murdered by Philip Stroh (Billy Burke), becomes Raydor’s foster son. During the third season, as Raydor is working to adopt Rusty, she must deal with her ex-husband, (Tom Berenger), her adult son Ricky (Ryan Kennedy), and the return of Philip Stroh.

Major Crimes gets Lt. Provenza (G.W. Bailey)—whose first name is actually revealed this season, Lt. (Tony Denison), Lt. Michael Tao (Michael Paul Chan) and Det. Julio Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) are significantly involved in the stories, sometimes allowing us to get a peek at their personal lives. Throughout the season, Raydor and Flynn are “spending time together, so they may or may not be dating. In the episode “Internal Affairs,” Sanchez is forced to deal with his anger management issues when he has to deal with a case involving his mother.

Cmdr. Russell Taylor (Robert Gossett) still pops up on occasion as the annoying voice of authority, and John Tenney shows up as Fritz Howard, now LAPD Deputy Chief of Special Operations Bureau. Sadly, he is seriously underused, but one hopes that having him around will lead to an appearance by Brenda Leigh Johnson!

The Major Crimes Unit dealt with a variety of cases during the third season, ranging from a parolee says that he didn’t do it and is found murdered the next day; a serial killer who plans his murders based on astrology; a stalker found murdered in a storage container rented by the actor she was stalking; an alleged rapist is murdered and cooperation is hard to come by; the return of Philip Stroh, and more.

All and all, the third season of Major Crimes was a strong one. The stories are engaging, and the acting is strong across the board. If I had one complaint, it would be the Philip Stroh storyline. It’s been in the background for the run of the series, and I’d like to see it resolved once and for all.

Presented in widescreen, this is a newly filmed series. As such, it looks as good as a a show possibly can on standard DVD. Colors are bright and vibrant; there are no scratches or debris to speak of.

The English 5.1 Surround Sound track serves the material well, providing clear dialogue and ambient sounds.

English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel