• Advertising Age, Thursday, August 9, 2012 4:04 PM

TNT's retooling of the hit Krya Sedgwick detective show "The Closer" into "Major Crimes," an ensemble show featuring much of the same cast but without Sedgwick, is a "decidedly uncommon" maneuver that could be copied by other networks if successful, writes Brian Steinberg. "One of the few examples that stands out is 'Mayberry R.F.D,' which was essentially a way for CBS to keep 'The Andy Griffith Show' on the air after its star left the series in 1968," according to Steinberg.

The new show is an easier sell to advertisers because of its "familiar elements," and "Apple, AT&T and Eli Lilly are among the 'Closer' advertisers that are also buying ads in 'Major Crimes,'" writes Steinberg. Still, it's a gamble how much of the previous audience the new show will keep. (As longtime "Closer" fans, we'll definitely be tuning in, partly because we love the characters of Provenza and Flynn, always good for at least one comic episode a season.)

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