Kyra Sedgwick Bids Farewell to TNT’s ‘The Closer’

good things must come to an end.

Actress Kyra Sedgwick is wrapping up her seventh and final season as L.A. Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on TNT’s hit crime drama The Closer.

The show, which made its debut in 2005 and since has become one of cable television’s most popular drama series, is heading in to it’s final six episodes before we say goodbye to the LAPD deputy chief best known for uncanny ability to break some of toughest criminals.

The Detroit News reports that while Sedgwick, 46, says she has enjoyed all the sleep she’s getting now that filming of the show has wrapped, she also feels fans’ pain when they come up to her and explain their disappointment that her character is leaving the show.

“It’s so sweet. I feel the same way. I really do,” said Sedgwick during a recent phone interview with the Detroit News, adding that she knows why loyal viewers are so saddened. “When I agreed to do the show, it was very much apparent even in the pilot, that she’d be a real person people could relate to. And real people have a lot of self doubt and real people are strong and vulnerable. Her contradictions are what made her so interesting and what made her so real. And I think that people like to see themselves reflected, especially on television.”

Fortunately, Sedwick’s exit from The Closer doesn’t mark the end of the series itself.

Upon Kyra’s departure, Mary McDonnell’s character, Sharon Raydor, will take command of Brenda’s squad and the series will continue under the name “Major Crimes.”

As for the new series, creator James Duff explains:

“In “Major Crimes, the LAPD joins forces with the district attorney’s office to get convictions in murder cases strong enough to cut down the expense of trying murder cases. “‘The Closer’ ended with a confession. We now end with a conviction.”

“The Closer” returns tonight (July 9) at 9pm on TNT for its final six episodes while Major Crimes is all set to debut on Aug. 13, immediately following the final “Closer,” and will pick up some of the threads.

Readers: Are you a fan of Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer? Are you planning on catching Major Crimes when it premiers next month?