Parents' Guide to

Major Crimes

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

A strong female lead anchors gripping crime drama.

TV TNT Drama 2012
Major Crimes Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Brenda R.
Brenda R. Adult
September 23, 2017
age 12+

Best acting and writing out there

I love this show. The writing, character development, depth of work relationships, and acting are superb. I love Mary and I think the parenting of Rusty over the seasons is some of the best I've seen in any drama. Although the crimes are tough they are handled with reverence and sensitivity and are superb dramas across a broad spectrum. Just cannot say enough good about the show which in essence is a well-written family drama and the family is the Major Crimes division.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Betty F.
Betty F. Adult
March 17, 2017
age 16+

One of my favorite shows....

When I heard Kyra Sedgwick was leaving I was very upset... Because I was not crazy about mary mcdonnell roll on the closure... But boy was I wrong... It is even better than before.... And I'm so glad the rest of the crew stayed!!!!! There's only one thing I'm not crazy about and that is Rusty... But I guess I can tolerate him because major crimes is so good.. Sorry Rusty but you don't add anything to major crimes.....
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MAJOR CRIMES, a spin-off of TNT's popular crime drama The Closer, Mary McDonnell is Captain Sharon Raydor, who has taken over leadership of the LAPD's Major Crimes unit after The Closer's Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) stepped down under mysterious circumstances. Johnson's specialty was extracting confessions from reluctant suspects, but the recession has hit law enforcement, and now the LAPD is trying to save time, money, and manpower by getting suspects to agree to plea bargains, thus avoiding a trial. Major Crime's criminals are wily and nefarious, but Raydor and her law enforcement cohorts have clever and tricky (and occasionally ethically questionable) ways of getting them to accept pleas. Captain Raydor is a tough and powerful woman on the job, but she has a softer side too, particularly when it comes to Rusty, an LAPD witness and foster kid Raydor takes in to protect him from those who would harm him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (3 ):

TNT could hardly have found a more magnetic and compelling lead in Mary McDonnell, who is altogether more fun to watch than The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick. As viewers of cult favorite Battlestar Galactica discovered a few years ago, McDonnell makes a powerful center to build a show around, and she's utterly relatable as a strong woman doing her level best in a very difficult job.

The rest of the cast is as uniformly excellent as they were on The Closer, though young viewers in particular may be confused by the fast-moving dialogue and the zippy plot, which doesn't slow down to explain complex legal concepts. Those who don't have a basic understanding of the law and criminal cases will be a bit lost, though fans of police procedurals will be able to keep up just fine. Also excellent: Unlike other cop shows, the crimes being committed are heinous, but not exploitative, i.e. no rape victims shown in torn clothing with the camera lingering lasciviously over exposed body parts. Crime is not glamorized on Major Crimes, nor is police work. Though in real life, Captain Raydor's hair might not look so perfectly blown-out after a long day on the job.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why it's unusual to see a female cop on television in charge of a law enforcement division in Major Crimes. Are female cast members common on cop shows? How is Captain Raydor alike or different from other female police officers and detectives on television?

  • Major Crimes is a spin-off of another female-centered crime drama, The Closer. Why do you think TNT chose to build this spin-off around a female officer? What audience was TNT hoping to attract, or keep by casting Mary McDonnell as Captain Raydor?

  • When you watch Major Crimes, do you notice a difference in the way criminals and law enforcement officers are presented? Does the music, dialogue, or camera angles change? What does that say about the way the viewer is supposed to regard the officers versus the criminal suspects?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate