It’s almost time for The Closer’s December 21 fifth-season finale “Dead Man’s Hand,” so continue reading for a brief advance review, courtesy of the advance copy of the episode that TNT was kind enough to send me a while ago.

As noted previously, the finale features the return of Battlestar Galactica alumna and two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell (pictured above at left), who plays Captain Sharon Raydor. Moreover, the episode was directed by none other than series creator James Duff.

Bummer! Viewers are just two days away from the December 21 fifth-season finale of The Closer, which is called “Dead Man’s Hand.”

As previously reported, the episode will feature the welcome return of guest star Mary McDonnell, who originated the role of Brenda’s on-the-job rival Captain Sharon Raydor. Continue reading to preview the finale in a few spoiler photos that feature McDonnell alongside series star Kyra Sedgwick.

Fabulous recurring guest star Mary McDonnell (pictured below at left) returns to reprise her role as tough Captain Sharon Raydor on The Closer’s December 21 Season Five finale called “Dead Man’s Hand.”

And as hard as it is to believe, when Raydor shows up, she’s going to need a big favor from her nemesis Brenda’s team.

Acting veteran Beau Bridges (My Name Is Earl, Stargate Sg-1) guest stars on the brand-new December 14 episode of The Closer called “Make Over.”

Bridges plays Lieutenant Provenza’s former partner Detective Andrews, and TNT promises his role will be “surprising.”

Don’t forget the current fifth season of TNT’s hit crime drama The Closer kicks off with “The Life,” the first of three brand-new winter episodes, on Monday, December 7, at 9pm ET.

If you’d like a hint or two about what’s coming up before the show goes on hiatus again at the end of December, just follow the jump for a few handy and informative spoilers.

The December 7 fifth-midseason premiere of The Closer is rapidly approaching, and TNT has a brand-new sneak peek at the episode called “The Life.”

The main case revolves around the murder of a 12-year-old boy in the unfortunate position of having had both a father and brother involved with gangs.

If you didn’t already know, Thursday, November 26, is the federal holiday Thanksgiving in the United States. In keeping with the popular theme of eating until you’re ready to burst and then lounging around doing as much of nothing as possible, TNT has two mini-marathons scheduled for TV lovers.

And, of course, both are crime dramas: eight episodes of the original series The Closer air from 10am–6pm ET on Turkey Day proper and eight episodes of syndicated Law & Order air from 11am–7pm the day after.

Have you heard yet? There’s going to be a huge new presence on The Closer when the hit crime drama returns on December 7 to complete its current fifth season.

If you aren’t in the know, don’t mind being spoiled, and want a good look at the newcomer in advance, just follow the jump for a photo introduction.

As previously mentioned, Season Five of The Closer finally resumes with three fresh winter episodes at 9pm ET on Monday, December 7.

But before “The Life,” Wild Card,” and Dead Man’s Hand” air, viewers might need a refresher to remember what happened during the twelve episodes in the earlier part of the season. Continue reading to get just that in both summary and video format. The TNT Report aims to please.

Hit cop drama The Closer doesn’t return until December 7, but fans can spend some time with co-creator James Duff right now, courtesy of TNT’s extensive online video library.

Also an executive producer, writer, and occasional director on the network’s most high-profile show, Duff provides a unique and interesting behind-the-scenes look at the Kyra Sedgwick series in a trio of clips.