(Photo: Courtesy of TNT)

6. ‘The Closer’
Kyra Sedgwick’s Brenda Johnson made a surprise return to TNT this month with a special two-hour The Closer, in which an old pal from her CIA days talked her into an unofficial investigation of the murder of an Arab boy who turned out to be the innocent victim of terrorists, moles, and a triple-cross out of John le Carré. Christmas joy from a summer series out of season: the mint-julep vapors, the steel-trap mind, the closet chocolate-snacking, the FBI boyfriend, the fiercely loyal subordinates, and a timely reminder of why this is now running nose-to-nose with Bones as my favorite show.