Production Begins on Season Two of TNT�s Top-Rated Crime Drama

THE CLOSER, while Encore of First Season Scores Big with 5.2 Million Viewers

Golden Globe� and SAG Awards� Nominee Kyra Sedgwick Returns in Memorable Role as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson, Television�s #1 Interrogator

Jan. 31 Encore Delivers 5.2 Million Viewers, Ranks as #1 Cable Program for the Day among Key Adult Demos

Series Produced by The Shephard/Robin Company in Association with Warner Bros. Television to Launch Second Season in Summer 2006, Exclusively on TNT

Cable�s top sensation is heading before cameras once again on Feb. 27, when TNT�s THE CLOSER begins production on its second dramatically charged season. In just its first year on the air, the series earned star Kyra Sedgwick (Something To Talk About, Loverboy, TNT�s Door to Door) both Golden Globe� and Screen Actors Guild Award� nominations, while also ranking as cable�s #1 new series of 2005. TNT is currently in the midst of airing an encore of the first season, which is scoring extremely high ratings, this week delivering 5.2 million viewers and outperforming the original telecast of the episode, as well as series� premiere average, among targeted adult demos.

Production for the second season in Los Angeles will also feature the return of the entire SAG Award�-nominated ensemble cast, including Sedgwick as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson; Jon Tenney (You Can Count on Me, Get Real) as FBI Agent Fritz Howard, Brenda�s love interest who also sometimes works with her on investigations; J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Law & Order, Oz) as Brenda�s boss, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope, with whom she once had an affair; Corey Reynolds (The Terminal, Tony nominee for Hairspray) as Sgt. David Gabriel, Brenda�s right-hand man; Robert Gossett (Arlington Road, The Net) as Commander Taylor, head of the robbery homicide division and a frequent thorn in Brenda�s side; G.W. Bailey (M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Police Academy) as quick-witted veteran Detective Lt. Provenza; Tony Denison (Melrose Place, The Amy Fisher Story) as disgruntled Detective Andy Flynn; Michael Paul Chan (Robbery Homicide Division, The Insider) as technology-minded Detective Mike Tao; Raymond Cruz (Collateral Damage, Training Day) as Detective Julio Sanchez; and Gina Ravera (The Temptations, Soul Food) as Detective Irene Daniels.

In December, TNT began an encore run of the first season of THE CLOSER, with episodes airing each Tuesday at 10 p.m. This past Tuesday, Jan. 31, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research, the episode entitled �Fantasy Date� delivered 2,017,000 adults 18-49; 2,343,000 adults 25-54; 5,184,000 persons 2+ and 3,901,000 households. The telecast outperformed the premiere of the same episode on July 18 in all four demos, as well as the overall premiere average for the series among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. This week�s telecast also ranked as cable�s #1 program for the day among the network�s targeted adult demos, outdelivering the State of the Union address on the cable news networks.

�This series represents not only the very best of TNT, but also the very best of television, and viewers are responding very positively to this high-quality drama,� said Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TNT and sister network TBS. �From its strong showing in our encore run, it�s clear that THE CLOSER is not only a hit today, but one that�s going to have a very long, successful shelf life.�

�The combination of top production values, great writing and directing, and a stellar, award-caliber cast, led by Kyra Sedgwick, have helped THE CLOSER build a large and loyal fan base,� said Michael Wright, senior vice president of original programming for TNT and TBS. �We are really looking forward to a second season that takes us further into the world of television�s premier interrogator and hopefully introduces the show to a whole new group of fans.�

THE CLOSER follows the ever-challenging world of Chief Detective Brenda Johnson (Sedgwick), a transplant from Atlanta who is now working for the Priority Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. Her position on this elite detective squad, which handles high-profile cases of a sensitive nature, is one a tenuous balancing act. She faces sometimes-antagonistic roadblocks, even from her own peers within the department, and must manage a team that is only now to the point of accepting her unconventional style and giving her the benefit of the doubt. Meanwhile, she finds herself trying to keep her head above water in the rushing mayhem of Los Angeles, finding comfort in her beau, FBI Agent Fritz Howard (Tenney), or sometimes in a package of snack cakes.

But Brenda�s primary focus is her job. She has an impeccable talent for knowing a person�s secrets and obtaining confessions, with skills that stem from understanding her own quirks, imperfections and neuroses. No matter the personal costs, she does whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if it means alienating others in her squad.

THE CLOSER 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.

THE CLOSER launched June 13, 2005, with a delivery of 5,259,000 households, making the premiere ad supported cable�s #1 original series telecast ever. It went on to finish its first season as cable�s #1 new original series of the year among targeted adult demos, viewers and households.

Turner Network Television (TNT), television�s destination for drama and one of cable�s top-rated networks, offers original movies and series, including the detective drama series The Closer, starring Golden Globe� and Screen Actors Guild Awards� nominee Kyra Sedgwick; Saved, a new character-driven drama starring Tom Everett Scott; and next year�s eagerly anticipated anthology series Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. TNT is also home to powerful one-hour dramas, such as Law & Order, Without a Trace, Alias, Las Vegas, Cold Case, ER, NYPD Blue, Charmed, Judging Amy and Angel; 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.