Kearran Giovanni- New Cop on Kyra’s Old Team

In a new article in SheKnows.com, Major Crimes’ Kearran Giovanni talks about family, her Broadway-via-Texas roots, and coming into her role Amy Sykes on Major Crimes.

 

 

SheKnows: Something like 90 percent of The Closer’s cast and crew are continuing on to Major Crimes. Did you have “new girl” nerves coming to the set?

Kearran: Absolutely. But I got here and, honestly, it was just perfect. Everyone was so welcoming! It’s like we’re all family — Mary [McDonnell] is like a mom and a sister rolled into one, and the boys and I play golf and hang out outside of work. I couldn’t be luckier to have jumped into this world… it feels like I was on The Closer for seven years.

Read the whole article here.

MORE Magazine “Investigates Mary McDonnell from ‘Major Crimes”

Finally, More Magazine has interviewed Mary McDonnell about Major Crimes, and there is a lot of wonderful new insight!

Hey, Kyra Sedgwick, there’s a new boss in town—or rather, a familiar face that is taking over TNT in a big way. Mary McDonnell is proud and honored to move up the ranks and star in the network’s new series “Major Crimes,” which might look a lot like “The Closer.” We’ll clue you in to why.

 

More: I get the impression Mary and Sharon can really relate to one another?
MMD: I can totally relate to her. The more I got to know her the more she revealed to me. In the beginning I just came to know her as an antagonist. Now I have had the opportunity to see so many aspects of her that I never knew existed. There is the mother in her, and I myself am a mother. We didn’t know she was into the ballet, and is a natural leader.

Read the entire interview here.

Cable Top 25: ‘Major Crimes’ Tops Cable Viewership for the Week Ending August 26, 2012

According to tvbythenumbers.com, Major Crimes scored the Top Cable Viewership spot for the week of August 26th- not bad for it’s second episode ever!

 

 

 

Top 25 cable shows for the week ending August 26, 2012

Rank Shows Net Day Time Viewers Live+SD (000)
1 MAJOR CRIMES TNT Mon 09:00P-10:00P 5399
2 PHILADELPHIA/NEW ENGLAND ESPN Mon 08:00P-11:22P 5066
3 TRUE BLOOD HBOM Sun 09:04P-09:57P 5049
4 BURN NOTICE USA Thu 09:00P-10:01P 4958
5 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:30P-11:01P 4818

‘Major Crimes’: Mary McDonnell on Taking Over From Kyra Sedgwick and Unexpected Challenges

A great new interview with Mary McDonnell was posted today from The Hollywood Reporter, with lots of great new insight into the transition between The Closer and Major Crimes, Raydor’s backstory, and what to expect as the season progresses.

THR: You’re now leading your own show, taking the reins from Kyra Sedgwick. Was there any moment of hesitation?

McDonnell: No, there really wasn’t. To be perfectly honest with you, it evolved so organically. It was a natural evolution. The whole idea that it would blossom into more of an ensemble was also a part of the equation. On the one hand, I knew and was quite happy to carry the bulk and I loved James Duff’s writing and his mind — the transition of this character from antagonist to protagonist, which I’ve never done in my career — but I also felt very strongly about this whole group of people was a whole new show as well, I knew there was tons of story to be mined.

Read the whole interview here.

Mary McDonnell’s New “Major” Gig”

“There are a handful of actors whose presence alone transforms a television show into a Can’t Miss TV Event! Such was the case when Mary McDonnell joined The Closer in 2009 for a three-episode arc. The response to her character, Captain Sharon Raydor, was so strong (both behind the scenes and in the real world), that producers wisely extended her time on the show — and then crafted a spin-off explicitly for Mary to carry.”

Read the whole article from theInsider.com here.

‘Major Crimes’ Mary McDonnell on what keeps her coming back to television

Zap2it: What’s your overall view of taking your role as police captain Sharon Raydor from “The Closer” into “Major Crimes”?
Mary McDonnell: I can already feel the potential in some of these scenes rising. I look around cable television, and there are strong women on every single network who are not 25 years old; let’s put it that way.
Read the entire interview here.

Interview: Kearran Giovanni Talks ‘Major Crimes’

Kearran Giovanni talked to Starry Constellation Magazine about coming to Major Crimes, and what to expect from Amy Sykes this season.

Q:  What do you think it is about the show “Major Crimes” that has really captivated so many viewers? Is it because it is jumping in with some of the already known cast, or is it something new to other people because maybe they didn’t follow along? A little bit of both?

A:  I think it’s a little bit of both. I remember when “Sex in the City” ended I felt I lost all my best friends, I mourned the show. I feel like in that way, the people that were huge “Closer” fans, you’re making this thing from a piece of “The Closer,” but you still get to continue on and in a way you get to learn even more about some of the characters that you didn’t really get to see before, that everyone has a part. You’ll see that there’s pretty much an episode per person. They’ve really spread out our storyline where we all really get to showcase ourselves, and I think for a long time that didn’t really get to happen for a lot of the cast, so now it’s really a nice ensemble show. Then I think, for some new people coming in that maybe weren’t huge “Closer” fans, I think they’re going to get more of a cop drama in a way. There was kind of a quirkiness about “The Closer” that maybe had been a little – what’s the word – I think it’s focused a little more on Kyra obviously and her family, whereas this show I think, it’s a little speedier. I think there’s a little more speed in how things are solved and how quickly we move, and especially in the first episodes you’ll see, it’s almost like watching a feature film. Just the way it’s filmed, the music has changed, and I think that faster pace is going to get a lot of new audience members as well. 

Read the whole interview here.

Major Crimes Carries on The Closer’s Legacy

A great new article from the Sioux City Journal about Major Crimes, including some interesting notes about Sharon Radyor.

“Among the biggest surprises? Her home life. During preparations for the new series, Duff consulted McDonnell and let her help choose some of the set pieces in Raydor’s apartment. Among the obvious? Watercolors everywhere. “I’m not good at painting but I decided she did them herself,” McDonnell says. “It shows another side of her personality.”

Full Article Here