TNT Renews Television�s #1 New Drama of the Summer, THE CLOSER, For Second Season

Kyra Sedgwick Stars in Detective Drama Produced by The Shephard/Robin Company (Nip/Tuck) in Association with Warner Bros. Television

TNT�s blockbuster original series THE CLOSER � which premiered on June 13 to an audience of more than 5.3 million households, making it ad-supported cable�s top original scripted series telecast ever � has been renewed for a second 15-episode season, according to an announcement today by Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TNT and sister network TBS. This gripping drama series stars two-time Golden Globe nominee Kyra Sedgwick (The Woodsman, Something To Talk About, TNT�s Door to Door) as an Atlanta detective transferred to Los Angeles to head the Priority Homicide Division. THE CLOSER, currently running Mondays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), comes to TNT from The Shephard/Robin Company in association with Warner Bros. Television and is executive-produced by Greer Shephard (Nip/Tuck, The D.A.), Michael M. Robin (Nip/Tuck, The D.A., NYPD Blue) and James Duff (The D.A., The Agency), and produced by Andrew J. Sacks. Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney from 1992 to 2000, is a consulting producer on the series.

�With THE CLOSER, we�ve found a show that not only fits our brand and our current programming line-up perfectly, but also has proven to be one of television�s biggest success stories of the summer,� said Koonin. �From its record-breaking premiere to its continued strong performance, THE CLOSER is already proving itself to be a sustainable hit with lasting appeal for drama lovers.�

�THE CLOSER is a remarkably entertaining show,� said Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TNT. �Its creative success is directly related to the incredible skill and sophistication Kyra Sedgwick brings to the role of Brenda Johnson, the terrific cast around her and the producers and writers, who have brought their own distinctive, entertaining point of view to the crime drama genre. We are so happy to renew this marvelous show and look forward to our continued relationship with everyone involved.�

In THE CLOSER, Sedgwick stars as feminine yet forceful, offbeat yet indomitable CIA-trained Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson, a former Atlanta detective brought to Los Angeles to head a special LAPD unit charged with cracking sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Brenda has a great talent for knowing a person�s secrets and obtaining confessions, with skills that stem from understanding her own imperfections and neuroses. No matter the personal costs, she does whatever it takes to find out the truth.

Co-starring in THE CLOSER are J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Law & Order, Oz) as Brenda�s boss, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope; Corey Reynolds (The Terminal, Tony nominee for Hairspray) as Sgt. David Gabriel, Brenda�s right-hand man; Robert Gossett (Arlington Road, The Net) as Captain Taylor, head of the robbery homicide division; G.W. Bailey (M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Police Academy) as Detective Lt. Provenza; Jon Tenney (You Can Count on Me, Get Real) as FBI Agent Fritz Howard, a close friend of Brenda�s now living in Los Angeles.; Tony Denison (Melrose Place, The Amy Fisher Story) as Detective Andy Flynn; Raymond Cruz (Collateral Damage, Training Day) as Detective Julio Sanchez; Michael Paul Chan (Robbery Homicide Division, The Insider) as Detective Mike Tao; and Gina Ravera (The Temptations, Soul Food) as Detective Irene Daniels.

THE CLOSER, television�s #1 new drama series this summer, launched June 13 with a delivery of 5,259,000 households, making the premiere ad supported cable�s #1 original series telecast ever. The series continued its success with subsequent episodes and accounts for three of ad-supported cable�s top 10 non-sports telecasts for the year in delivery of persons 2+, including the top spot, held by the premiere episode (7,027,000). In addition, first-run episodes of THE CLOSER averaged more adults 18-49 in June than first-run episodes of such original summer broadcast series as ABC�s The Scholar and Complete Savages, NBC�s Psychic Detectives, UPN�s Britney & Kevin: Chaotic and Bad Girls Guide and The WB�s Summerland.

Turner Network Television (TNT), television�s destination for drama and one of cable�s top-rated networks, offers original movies and limited series, including Into the West, an epic six-week television event from DreamWorks Television and master storyteller and executive producer Steven Spielberg; original recurring series, including the detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, and the crime thriller Wanted, with Gary Cole; powerful one-hour dramas, such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER, NYPD Blue, Charmed, Judging Amy and Angel, with Alias set to join the line-up in September; broadcast premiere movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is also available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and a leading provider of programming for the television industry.