UPDATE: TNT plans a 'Closer' spinoff with Kyra Sedgwick bowing out

By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com filed January 31, 2011

Deadline.com, in an exclusive Jan. 25, said TNT isn't willing to throw out "The Closer" now that Kyra Sedgwick said she's done after a seventh and final season.

(UDPATE: Jan. 31, 2011) A few days later, EW.com found out the specific details: the season will be expanded from 15 to 21 episodes. Sedgwick will stay on for all 21 episodes but a new character will likely be introduced for a spinoff. First, there will be 10 episodes this summer, five in the winter, then six more in the summer of 2012. Details of the spinoff are still a bit sketchy. )

You can't blame TNT. The show was a huge breakout hit from day one and has drawn more viewers  than any other basic cable scripted series. Sedgwick's decision to leave was her own. Then again, Sedgwick is such an integral part of the show, it's like trying to sustain "House" without Hugh Laurie.

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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog