It's a Christmas miracle on 'The Closer'! Or no, wait. Actually, it's the exact opposite of that. On the new episode (Mon., 9PM ET on TNT), Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson's parents are still in town. Yes, Clay and Willie Rae Johnson (Frances Sternhagen and Barry Corbin) are still visiting their daughter in Los Angeles.

But then, a sudden robbery of the Johnson's RV means a loss of all their Christmas gifts -- and their beloved microwave. It's a Christmas anti-miracle!

Clay and Willie are shocked by the crime rate in the big city -- now, they're threatening to cut short their endless trip, so that they can return to the safety of their home in Atlanta. Will Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) be able to keep them around? Or will it turn out that the whole theft was an inside job all along?

(S03E06) "I'm nobody's pawn, Shawn. I'm a queen." -- Gus Guster

Since the third season of Psych began there has been an underlying theme of family. During the season premiere the focus was on Shawn and his parents. Then, a few weeks ago, we got a chance to see the relationship between Shawn and his shifty uncle. With this week's episode we move away from the Spencer family and focus on a member of the Santa Barbara Police Department, Chief Karen Vick, and her older sibling.

Siblings are rare in the Psych universe. We know Shawn is an only child (unless they introduce a half-brother or sister in later seasons) and Henry has a younger brother, and Gus may have mentioned some brothers or sisters in the past, but that's about it. So, when we are introduced to a character's brother or sister it helps to not only expand the character, but it also shows another side to them that viewers may have never seen before. Such is the case of Chief Vick, who showed a mean and petty side to her that we have never encountered in previous episodes.

For fans of The Closer, the wait is almost over. Season four finally kicks off next week, knocking off the third of the five shows that I have anxiously been waiting for. Burn Notice and Stargate Atlantis premiered this week. The Closer and Psych go live next week. And Eureka returns at the end of the month. It's going to be a great summer for television.

The fine folks over at TNT were nice enough to send along a press kit, so I've just finished watching the premiere and reading up on a few of the things they have planned for the new season. Last year we spent a lot of time on family as Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and Fritz (Jon Tenney) moved forward with their engagement. That, of course, involved finally revealing the engagement to Brenda's parents (Frances Sternhagen, Barry Corbin). And we followed along as the two of them began to search for a new house. Season four picks up from there. After the jump, a look at the premiere and a few things coming this season. Possibly a couple very minor spoilers, but no big plot points.

I got to sit in on a conference call with The Closer creator James Duff this week. I have sat in on these calls before-- well, one-- and the call was so crowded with other writers that I couldn't get a word in edgewise. The call with Duff was fantastic because they asked me if I had any questions! But I'll get to that later.

The Closer premieres its third season on Monday at 9pm EST on TNT. I, for one, cannot wait! I had heard the hype about the show, but when I finally watched it (on DVD), I was floored. I have always admired Kyra Sedgewick, especially from Singles and Something to Talk About. And as a parent, I appreciated the sacrifices to her career she made to raise her children while they were young. However, I wasn't prepared for the Tasmanian devil package of energy and talent she unleashed on Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson.

The theme of this third season is family: How do you keep a family together? This theme will be manifest not only as we see more of Brenda's parents (including Northern Exposure's Maurice (Barry Corbin) as her tightly-strung father), but we watch her navigate her relationship with Fritz, and also explore the possibility of having a child.

A few bits of casting news for some shows that will be returning later this year.

Actor Keith Carradine will be joining the cast of Showtime's Dexter for the 2nd season, which premieres September 30th. On the show Carradine will play Lieutenant Frank Lundy, Special Agent for the FBI who will be investigating a large number of bodies recently discovered in Miami. He will appear in nearly all of the 2nd season episodes.

Actor Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure) will be showing up in four episodes of The Closer, which begins its 3rd season on TNT on June 18th. He will portray Clay Johnson, the charming but tough father of Kyra Sedgwick's character Brenda Leigh Johnson. Also returning will be Frances Sternhagen as Brenda's mother.