Tom Selleck's short-lived 1998 CBS sitcom "The Closer" is easy to confuse with the Kyra Sedgwick crime drama that debuted seven years later. The two shows share only a title. Selleck's version premiered on February 23, 1998, and ended on May 4, 1998, after CBS aired 10 episodes.
The sitcom centered on Selleck as a smarmy advertising executive known for closing deals, hence the title, as he tried to open his own agency. Ahead of the premiere, Selleck told The Spokesman-Review that playing a character who makes mistakes can be positive, arguing that audiences stay engaged with a character who has edge and flaws. The show did not gain audience momentum, and it was canceled before three of its planned 13 episodes were produced.
Sedgwick's "The Closer," by contrast, ran for 109 episodes on TNT and earned her an Emmy in 2010. It was unrelated to the Selleck sitcom beyond the shared name.
Selleck had greater success in crime dramas. He became known as private investigator Thomas Magnum in CBS's "Magnum, P.I.," which ran from 1980 to 1988 and won him an Emmy in 1984. He has not won another Emmy despite seven total nominations. He later played New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan for 14 seasons on CBS's "Blue Bloods," which wrapped its run in 2024. Nothing has been confirmed, but fans may see Frank again in the spin-off "Boston Blue," according to a recent tease from its showrunners.
Sources: TVLine.