G.W. Bailey has been a recognizable face in the television industry for decades. He's been featured on some of the best shows of all time, including recurring characters on M.A.S.H. (Rizzo) and St. Elsewhere (Dr. Beale), along with guest turns on Charlie's Angels, CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch, Soap, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, and many, many more. He would be an entertainment legend with just his work in on the small screen in the '80s, but he's probably best recognized as Lt. Thaddeus Harris from the Police Academy movies. Well, that's what he would be best recognized for until a little show called The Closer took cable ratings by storm. The highest rated show on basic cable returns tonight for its fourth season and Bailey's back with it as the often-befuddled Lt. Provenza. He came through Chicago and debuted the premiere to a group of lucky fans the night before sitting down to chat with The Deadbolt about his history in television, why the show is such a hit, and much more.

THE DEADBOLT: The ratings for the show have been spectacular, but let's start with the people who aren't watching. I often hear that there's a glut of mystery shows. So why watch this one?

G.W. BAILEY: Because it's the best one of the bunch. [laughs] Watch this one because, at the end of the day, mysteries are mysteries. I think there are two issues on this particular show. One is - and I can say this because I don't write it - it's smart. It's very smart. It's smart dialogue, smart mystery stories. They don't dumb it down for you. And then, ultimately, this is a character-driven piece. These people are fun to watch. These are interesting, flawed characters that you really get to know. Kyra Sedgwick, who plays The Closer, is an extraordinary actress and individual. As the character has developed, it's just fun to watch her. It's fascinating.

This is a lead-in a "TV mystery/drama", and yet she's an extraordinarily flawed character. Not your regular "heroine". She plays her age. She plays a woman who's in her 40s and not trying to be someone she isn't. And then they've surrounded her with a very diverse group of characters who are fun on their own to watch. Every one of them is very unique. They're not all the same, cookie-cutter, "Cop #8". They all have different reasons for being there and very diverse lives. Diversity is the key to the show.

THE DEADBOLT: I find that a lot of shows you either get the strong lead or the deep ensemble, and The Closer is the rare show that has them both. I usually find that a show is only as good as its worst supporting character.

BAILEY: Right. Texture is everything. It's depth. Depth of the supporting cast is what makes the difference between one show and another.

THE DEADBOLT: And you've been in some pretty deep supporting casts, all the way back to St. Elsewhere and M.A.S.H.. How has TV changed since you started in the business, or has it?

BAILEY: For me, the change hasn't been so much with ensembles, but one of the reasons that I'm so excited and proud of our show is that the audience discovered it and have stuck with it. They're really a very strong fan base that support the show. They like it and they want to see it. But also, what [TNT] has given them is a timeframe that they can depend on. When I was a kid, you would anticipate so tremendously a show that you watched. You couldn't wait till Tuesday night. That was your only opportunity to see it. The window was only so big. That 30 minutes or that hour was so important. The anticipation was so tremendous. Now, of course, they can see it online and it's rerun a million times within three days. Half the time, you don't even know when it's gonna be on. I've heard Lost is a great show. I've never seen it. But I've also heard people say, "I get 'lost' trying to find it. It's on. It's not on. Here's six weeks of it. Then nothing for a month later."

My granddaughter the other day was watching something on her PHONE. It was an episode of Hannah Montana or something. She downloads it and watches it whenever she wants to. I'm sure she doesn't have a clue as to when it's actually on. There's no anticipation. So, for us, to get a sizable share of the audience to watch Monday nights at 8pm? TNT has given them that. Very clearly defined time - "This is what it is." We do fifteen episodes. This year is a little odd because of the writer's strike. We're starting the show a month late because of the strike. My understanding is that we're going to go 10 because they don't want to go into the Fall against the networks and then wait till January to go the other five. And then back to the regular schedule next year.

THE DEADBOLT: I'm sure you get this question a lot, but with a lot of these mystery shows, the cast door revolves quickly. Do you worry about getting a script and finding yourself written out?

BAILEY: Not really. Would I be disappointed if Provenza got shot? Yes, of course I would. [laughs] It's a great gig. It's a lot of fun.

THE DEADBOLT: Is there a possibility of that?

BAILEY: Anytime any of us act up or are pain in the ass, the Exec Producer says, "Please remember - the LAPD is a very dangerous place to work." You can get caught in the crossfire any time. Of course, on our show, we know one person who is safe. Ms. Sedgwick is safe. I don't think she worries about it. [laughs]

THE DEADBOLT: Do you have a favorite episode?

BAILEY: Sure. Like any actor, my favorite is the one I had the most to do in. [laughs] It's also a big favorite with a lot of our viewers and that was from the second season called "To Serve and Protect". It was where Tony Dennison, who plays Flynn, and I were going to a Dodgers game and we find a dead body in our garage and we make the decision to leave her there until after the game. Of course, we come back and the body is gone. It's very funny. It was also very much about the theme of that year, which was family and what she went through to protect us and get us out of this mess. To keep that family unit together.

Getting "Closer" to G.W. Bailey Page 2