Picture it.  Late spring, 2005.  I’m on the horn with Glenn Albin (my editor for Ocean Drive and VEGAS magazines), talking about the new shows for Fall.  In what I can only assume was an effort to get me off the phone, Glenn instructed me to pick two shows from the upcoming summer season, and write about them; two shows that I felt would “make it” for at least a few seasons.  The two shows I selected were The Closer – a one-hour police drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick – on TNT, and Weeds – a half-hour dark comedy, starring Mary Louise Parker – on Showtime.

And while I’d love to say that I’m just that good at prognosticating, quite a bit of it was luck.  Who would have predicted that these two cable series would become such darlings of fans and critics, alike, lasting seven seasons?  Well, I did – but as I said; a lot of it was good guesswork.  How much?  I recall being fairly jazzed about Hot Properties (a sitcom that introduced me to Sofia Vergara) on ABC, and Pepper Dennis (an hour-long rom-com starring Rebecca Romijn).

Now, both series are wrapping-up their final seasons.  In the past seven years, the shows and their lead actresses have reaped a slew of accolades.  Check this out…

From 2006 – 2011 Kyra Sedgwick was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy, every season, for her portrayal of ‘Deputy Chief Benda Leigh Johnson’ – winning one of each (in 2007 and 2010, respectively).  Additionally, Sedgwick won a People’s Choice Award in 2009, as Favorite TV Drama Diva, and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, for all but one season of the show’s run.  The series has gone on to become the most successful show in the history of ad-supported basic cable.

In that same span of time, Mary Louise Parker has been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards, four Emmys, and four Golden Globes (winning the Globe in 2006, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy), for her role as ‘Nancy Botwin’ – a widowed pot-dealing, iced coffee-sipping suburban mom whose life spins wildly out of control.  She was even nominated for a People’s Choice Award, in 2009, for Favorite TV Drama Diva – ironically (as pertains to this essay) losing to Kyra Sedgwick.

And while both shows have proven to be vehicles for their respective leading ladies, much of their success lies with the one-two punch of adroit writing, and fantastic ensemble casts (in addition to recognizing Sedgwick and Parker, both casts have received repeated nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards).

Anyhoo – now that these shows are gearing-up to be shelved in that great media room in the sky, I urge you all to tune in, and watch.  I am.

The Closer on TNT – Click HERE
Weeds on Showtime – Click HERE

Get into it!