Spinoffs are nothing new in TV. Some of the biggest hits of all time were spinoffs -- Frasier, Boston Legal, Private Practice, The Jeffersons, The Andy Griffith Show, Rhoda, Maude, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: CI...the list goes on and on.

The news today that TNT is backing a spinoff from The Closer is no surprise. It makes sense.

The Closer is the top drama on cable in the ratings and has garnered Emmy notice. That kind of success demands replication, and TNT has empowered the brains behind The Closer, creator James Duff to make it happen.

If Duff follows the formula set in The Closer, and there's no reason to believe otherwise, we're going to see a character-driven drama. Insiders claim that the show is being referred to as The Fixer and may or may not be built around a character already on The Closer.

Breaking off any of the squad surrounding Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, though, would be an error in judgment. The most interesting characters in the group, say Provenza or Pope, would be hard to replace on the mother show. It's more likely that an outside character might be introduced in an episode of The Closer, someone who will butt heads with Brenda or be iconoclastic and unique enough, to be set up in his/her own show.

Currently, Ricardo Ramos (Stephen Martines) -- an L.A. Times reporter who's been an irritating presence on a few episodes -- would be the kind of character to carry a show. Whether he is the guy or could be The Fixer is just a guess. When I think of what a fixer is, I'm reminded of Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction. I don't think that's what Duff will be contemplating.

The quality from The Closer should be maintained in this new production since Duff is writing it with co-exec producers Adam Belanoff and Michael Berchem. Thus far this season, the show's been excellent.