TNT Announces its Summer Lineup, Including "The Closer" and "Rizzoli & Isles"

It used to be that once the fall/winter shows ended, there was nothing but re-runs to watch. It seemed like forever before our favorite shows returned to our screens. Not true, anymore, thank heavens! Needless to say, I was so happy to read TNT’s announcement of its summer lineup this morning, which includes not only Rizzoli & Isles and The Closer, but Leverage and Men of a Certain Age too, among others. In addition, TNT has added some new series, starring some of my favorite actors – Noah Wylie (ER) in Falling Skies and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue, Raising the Bar) in Franklin & Bash. Not only are these two guys fantastic actors, but they’re pretty easy on the eyes, if you catch my drift!

TNT has unveiled its summer schedule, including the Monday, July 11, return of basic cable’s top two series of all time: The Closer, starring 2010 Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick, and Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon (Law & Order) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS). TNT’s summer lineup also includes the network’s two newest series, with the two-hour Sunday, June 19, premiere of the science fiction drama series Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle (ER) and produced by DreamWorks Television and executive-producer Steven Spielberg, and the Wednesday, June 1, premiere of the light-hearted legal drama series Franklin & Bash, starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue) and Breckin Meyer (Road Trip). Also returning this summer are the TNT original series Men of a Certain Age, Leverage, HawthoRNe and Memphis Beat.

Below is a complete rundown of TNT’s original series premiere schedule for summer 2011. Artwork for TNT’s original series can be accessed here.

New Series:
Franklin & Bash – Series premiere Wednesday, June 1, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 1: 10 episodes
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue) and Breckin Meyer (Road Trip) star in this light-hearted legal drama as two fly-by-the seat-of-their-pants lawyers working for a button-down law firm. Malcom McDowell (Heroes, Entourage) also stars as the head of their firm.

Falling Skies – Two-hour series premiere Sunday, June 19, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT); regular timeslot Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 1: 10 episodes
Noah Wyle (ER) stars in this gripping drama series from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg about the aftermath of an alien invasion and the resistance movement formed by the survivors.

Returning Series:
Men of a Certain Age – Premiere: Wednesday, June 1, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2 continues: Six summer episodes
Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) star in this acclaimed drama series about three men facing the challenges of midlife.

Memphis Beat – Premiere: Tuesday, June 14, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2: 10 episodes
Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) stars as a Memphis police detective with an intimate connection to the city, a passion for its music and a very demanding boss. Alfre Woodard (True Blood) and DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) also star.

HawthoRNe – Premiere: Tuesday, June 14, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 3: 10 episodes
This powerful drama series stars Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix trilogy) as Christina Hawthorne, the impassioned Chief Nursing Officer at James River Hospital, with Michael Vartan (Alias) and new cast member Marc Anthony (El Cantate) also starring.

Leverage – Premiere: Sunday, June 26, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 4: 10 summer episodes
Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) stars as the head oftelevision’s coolest gang of thieves, grifters and con artists out to help everyday people get even against the big shots who have destroyed their lives.

The Closer – Premiere: Monday, July 11, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 7: 10 summer episodes
TNT’s record-breaking series returns this summer with 2010 Emmy winner Kyra Sedgwick as Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.

Rizzoli & Isles – Premiere: Monday, July 11, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2: 10 summer episodes
Last summer, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander proved two heads are better than one in this drama series based on the crime novels by best-selling author Tess Gerritsen. As Boston detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles, the pair share a quirky chemistry and put away some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.

Last summer, TNT ranked as basic cable’s #1 network in delivery of its targeted adults 25-54 demographic. The network also grew its overall audience delivery for the summer by 6%. Leading the network’s growth was the Monday night pairing of The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles, which combined to make TNT the first cable network ever to claim two original series with more than 8 million viewers. Leverage scored growth in its new Sunday night timeslot, while HawthoRNe and Memphis Beat ranked as cable’s top Tuesday-night scripted series among women 25-54.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Hawthorne, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (ER); as well as the upcoming Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle, and Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting in late 2011, The Mentalist; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Source: TNT/Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!