Major Crimes: Season 1
  • Network: TNT
  • Series Premiere Date: Aug 13, 2012
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
64 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Aug 13, 2012
    83
    A sharply written, acted and directed start that will hook fans immediately.
  2. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Aug 9, 2012
    83
    Major Crimes has the makings of a very sturdy reboot outfitted with a built-in philosophical debate over how justice is served. Supporting characters are newly invigorated, particularly Bailey's Provenza.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Aug 13, 2012
    80
    As before there is a nice balance between social drama and personal business, the tragic and the comic, exaggeration and authenticity.
  4. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Aug 13, 2012
    80
    The Closer may be moving on, but she's left the franchise in good hands.
  5. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Aug 9, 2012
    80
    This handoff is clean.
  6. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Gail Pennington
    Aug 27, 2012
    75
    If you were a "Closer" fan, I'd like to make a case for giving her a chance, because otherwise, Major Crimes is a winner.
  7. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Aug 13, 2012
    70
    In its first hour, at least, Major Crimes appears to be making a pretty seamless transition.
  8. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Aug 13, 2012
    70
    Will the writing of the crimes continue to be as strong as it was on "The Closer"? I'm cautiously optimistic.
  9. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Aug 9, 2012
    67
    Relying less on instinct and showy interrogations, Raydor commands her unit with a nice brusqueness, gathers clues, and solves cases with airtight logic. The primary problem with Major is its slow pace.
  10. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Aug 13, 2012
    63
    What threatens to remain a drag is the format itself, with its weekly focus on plea bargains--and, so far, weekly speeches defending the new focus.
  11. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Aug 13, 2012
    60
    With most of The Closer's original crew staying on, it's almost business as usual--though with Sedgwick no longer at the center, replaced by Mary McDonnell's inscrutably smug and unsympathetic Capt. Sharon Raydor, the franchise can't help but be diminished.
  12. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Lesley Smith
    Aug 13, 2012
    50
    Like The Closer, Major Crimes offers utterly predictable crime-solving.
  13. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Aug 13, 2012
    50
    The first two cases, involving a gang of murderous thieves and the death of a personal trainer, are ho-hum. McDonnell, a fine actress, finally has a chance to inject some dry wit into her stoic investigator.
  14. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Aug 10, 2012
    50
    Those who enjoyed "The Closer" will still find something, if probably not as much, to like about this closer, too. Or really, "Closer 2."
  15. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Aug 9, 2012
    50
    Cases piddle away as everyone hashes out deals at a conference table. Realistic, perhaps, but quite the buzzkill. [20 Aug 2012, p.41]
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  16. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Aug 9, 2012
    50
    Raydor is cut from different cloth that her predecessor and that's going to take some getting used to.
  17. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Aug 13, 2012
    40
    Pleasant in its details but hollow at its center, Major Crimes could argue in favor of a much-derided TV practice: the traditional network development process. It could have benefited from a year or two spent working on a pilot.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 3 out of 11
  1. Zathras
    3
    Major Crimes was a major disappointment for me. By retaining almost the entire cast of The Closer the show invites a comparison in which, in my opinion, it comes off as a pale imitation of the original. While Mary McDonnell is a fine actress her character is not likable and the manner in which she is installed as the head of Major Crimes made that situation even worse for me.

    That same situation and the events that it causes also made me dislike Assistant Chief Taylor even more that I did in the first few seasons of The Closer. The same was true of Chief Pope even though he did not appear on screen. While their actions can be attributed to political realities that fact does not make any of them more sympathetic to the audience.

    Added to this is the addition of another cast member whose character is also made to be rather unlikable by the manner in which she gets her promotion to the squad.

    For me all that Major Crimes accomplished was to make me miss The Closer. I will watch the second episode to give it a chance to change my mind but if it is more of the same I won't be watching the third. I do not enjoy watching shows when this many cast members are not likable.    … Full Review »
  2. dkeliik
    10
    This show takes what The Closer had going to new heights, Mary McDonnell is incredible and brings new perspective to what was becoming a monotonous tv series, can't wait for… Full Review »
  3. andrewire
    9
    Major Crimes is a great crime-solving series. I watched the first episode and it was interesting, intriguing and quite smart. The acting --especially McDonnell-- is superb. She's incredibly versatile and her character will grab your attention immediately. If you watched The Closer, this will feel familiar, but also renewed with new interesting things to explore. I'm definitely watching the whole thing.… Full Review »
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