Will the wedding between trepidatious Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and calm and cool Fritz (Jon Tenney) actually take place? Can proving a suicide is really a murder keep the Deputy Chief from church hunting with her parents? And, more importantly, can the sugar-addicted bride-to-be actually pick just one wedding cake? Those questions and more crop up in the second half of the fourth season of "The Closer," which premieres tonight at 9:00/8:00c on TNT. Series creator James Duff and actor G.W. Bailey (Detective Lieutenant Provenza) talked with our Jim Halterman about the upcoming episodes.

Asked about why they believe viewers are flocking to the popular series now more than ever, Bailey, who seems to enjoy wisecracking as much as his on-screen alter ego, immediately shouted, "Mainly because of Provenza!" Laughing along with his former high school acting teacher, Duff added, "I think partially because of Provenza... I think [the audience] builds their own relationship with these characters and the character is plot. If you construct your show properly or your story properly, character is plot because you can put someone else down in the same circumstances and you'd have a different outcome. So [the audience] wants to not only see what the challenges are and what the story is going to be but how the characters react to the story."

In Duff's opinion, there's one prominent reason why any television show's fan base grows. "I think [the audience} loves the actors and I think that's ultimately how good shows manage to stay on the air. I think you really have to like the actors. There are some big exceptions to that like 'Law and Order,' [which] is a tremendous exception and they do a fantastic job and it's a really good show."

As for the no-end-in-sight longevity of "The Closer," Duff modestly said, "I'd love to be able to tell you that it was my writing and that I'm such a genius but I think we try to write a really good show and we do our very best that way... but I think generally speaking anytime a show is successful it's because people have developed a relationship with the actors and Kyra Sedgwick is just amazing. She's just an amazing human being."

The manner in which "The Closer" folds dramatic and comedic elements seamlessly together is one of the more popular aspects of the series. Duff explained that comedy often comes out drama and vice versa. For example, he said, recently the cast and crew were, "talking about what a prolonged SAG strike would do to the business [and that] has lead to a lot of very comic remarks around here even though it's dire and dark. I mean, people's jobs are in jeopardy. People's livelihoods are at stake and here we are making jokes. And that's the way human beings are... if you were going to tunnel through some of the darkest areas of the human heart, you'd need a flashlight and humor is that light."

Duff added that another aspect of the show that seems to work for viewers is the fact that the writers and actors don't spend their time zeroing in too much on the humor or drama of the scenes in each episode but let the emotions flow in a more organic way. "We don't play comedy. We don't play drama. We play the action and people get to react to it the way they want. Some people laugh out loud, some people smile and some people don't get it."

With a long career including stints on such classic television as "M*A*S*H* and the "Police Academy" films, Bailey joked about his experience late in his career and what challenges he still experiences. "At my age, it's just getting up and getting to work... trying to make it through the morning is the main thing. [laughs] In terms of the [Provenza] character himself, you want to keep him very much alive and very much engaged and it's easy for this guy because he really has no other life. He's a curmudgeon and he constantly gripes about things but he doesn't want to be anywhere else. We had this brilliant episode they wrote where he tells J.K. [Simmons, who plays Chief Pope], "You'll never be rid of me. Never!" The main reason is this is his life and he pretty much goes home to an empty house."

Bailey talked about a favorite moment with Provenza when his character was able to show a more serious side with his partner, Sanchez (played by Raymond Cruz). "Certainly because my character is called up to do a lot of the lighter stuff that whenever you have a moment that really tears at you," Bailey explained. "Sanchez's brother was killed and people reached out to him and he doesn't want to expose himself to anybody in his emotional state. And then at the very end of the episode, [Sanchez] finally collapses in Provenza's arms... it was quite a moving experience for both of us."

While the regular cast is one of the strongest on television, the guest roster is equally impressive. In tonight's episode, Brenda's parents (played by Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin) return to help Brenda and Fritz with wedding preparations. While he wrote those roles specifically for the two veteran actors, Duff shared his pleasure at the caliber of guest stars (Jason O'Mara, S. Epatha Merkerson and William Daniels to name a few) they've been able to get on the series. "We write for the part and then we go out and find the very best actors that we can find to play those roles. You would be surprised at how many talented people are walking around Hollywood without a job at any given moment. We have gotten some of the very best actors." In discussing that many of those guest actors are also fans of the show. "I'll say because the roles, the way they are written for some reason, and because they get a chance to work with this cast and with Kyra, we have drawn some really, really good actors."

News of a spin-off of the popular series broke last fall but, as of now, the details have been minimal at this point. Therefore, it was an obvious question for Duff, who would only offer, "Hopefully we'll have something to discuss at the end of this month."

Asked if Brenda would actually make it down the aisle, Duff was just as cryptic, only saying, "I think cable gives you the chance to do the unexpected and to try things that have not been tried before or people say can't be done." Fans of "The Closer" will have to tune in to find out the answer when the Emmy-winning series returns tonight at 9:00/8:00c on TNT.