The Closer (1998 TV series)

The Closer is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS for 10 episodes from February 23 to May 4, 1998. The show starred Tom Selleck as a successful advertising agency executive.

The Closer
GenreSitcom
Created byEd Decter
John J. Strauss
StarringTom Selleck
David Krumholtz
Hedy Burress
Ed Asner
Suzy Nakamura
Penelope Ann Miller
ComposerEd Alton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesT.W.S. II Productions
Frontier Pictures
CBS Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 23 (1998-02-23) –
May 4, 1998 (1998-05-04)

Plot edit

Jack McLaren (Tom Selleck), a successful advertising executive, starts his own agency. The business, the employees in the agency, and his personal life provide the story lines. The characters include a creative director, Carl Dobson (Ed Asner), an accountant, Erica Hewitt (Penelope Ann Miller), and a bored secretary, Beverly (Suzy Nakamura); McLaren's estranged and eventually divorced wife, Claire McLaren (Joanna Kerns), and daughter Alex (Hedy Burress).

Cast edit

Production edit

The project was originally started off at Paramount Television with Barry Kemp at the helm. Eventually, it parted ways and moved to project to Warner Bros., and recruited Ed Decter and John J. Strauss as the new writer/producing/showrunning team.[1]

Director and writers edit

The director for the series was Andrew D. Weyman. It had the following writers:

  • Tom Burkhard
  • Howard Busgang
  • Ed Decter
  • David Kidd
  • Laura Perkins-Brittain
  • Ron Burch

Producers edit

  • Howard Busgang
  • Ed Decter
  • Penny Segal
  • Tom Selleck
  • John J. Strauss
  • Craig Wyrick-Solari

Episodes edit

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date Viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Andrew D. WeymanEd Decter & John J. StraussFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)15.74[2]
2"Morality Bites"UnknownUnknownMarch 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)13.56[3]
3"Dobbs Takes A Holiday"UnknownUnknownMarch 9, 1998 (1998-03-09)11.31[4]
4"The Closure"Shelley JensenTad QuillMarch 16, 1998 (1998-03-16)9.96[5]
5"The Rebound"UnknownUnknownMarch 30, 1998 (1998-03-30)10.79[6]
6"Baby, It's Cold Outside"UnknownUnknownApril 6, 1998 (1998-04-06)10.06[7]
An old flame, actress Victoria, visits and she and Jack start to rekindle their romance – Victoria and Jack sing and dance in a fantasy musical sequence.
7"Honor Thy Jack"Will MackenzieHoward Busgang & Mark BlutmanApril 13, 1998 (1998-04-13)8.42[8]
8"Deep Game"UnknownUnknownApril 20, 1998 (1998-04-20)8.81[9]
9"The Hand That Rocks the Office"Shelley JensenStory by : Rita Mimoun
Teleplay by : Ethan Banville & Shari Brooks
April 27, 1998 (1998-04-27)8.50[10]
10"My Best Friend's Funeral"Alan RafkinBill WolkoffMay 4, 1998 (1998-05-04)7.66[11]

Awards and nominations edit

  • Emmy Award — Outstanding Music and Lyrics (for the song "You Don't Know Jack") (nominated)

References edit

  1. ^ "WB TV closes in on CBS' Selleck sitcom". Variety. 1997-09-11. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  2. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 23-March 1)". The Los Angeles Times. March 4, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 2–8)". The Los Angeles Times. March 11, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 9–15)". The Los Angeles Times. March 18, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 16–22)". The Los Angeles Times. March 25, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  6. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 30-April 5)". The Los Angeles Times. April 8, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 6–12)". The Los Angeles Times. April 15, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  8. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 13–19)". The Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 27-May 3)". The Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 4–10)". The Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 

External links edit