Tom Selleck Starred In A Forgotten '90s Sitcom That Shares A Name With A Popular Drama

Do you remember "The Closer"? Tom Selleck's "The Closer," that is. While you've likely heard of the Kyra Sedgwick-led crime drama of the same name, chances are you're less familiar with Selleck's stab at the title. That's because "The Closer" — the Selleck version — closed its doors before they really had a chance to open in the first place.

Selleck's "The Closer" premiered on February 23, 1998... and ended May 4, 1998. That gave the CBS sitcom time to air a mere 10 episodes before its untimely demise. The show followed Selleck's character, a smarmy advertising executive known for closing deals (hence, "The Closer") as he endeavored to open his own agency. "You can say a lot of positive things by playing a character who makes mistakes," the former "Magnum, P.I." star said of the show ahead of its 1998 premiere (per The Spokesman-Review). "The audience keeps watching and doesn't tune out if you play a character who's got edge, who's got flaws." 

Unfortunately, Selleck was wrong. "The Closer" failed to gain any audience momentum, and it was canceled by the network before three of its slated 13 episodes were produced. Sedgwick's "The Closer," on the other hand, fared much better. The 2005 series — unrelated to the forgotten '90s sitcom apart from its shared title — ran for 109 episodes on TNT and won Sedgwick an Emmy in 2010.

Tom Selleck didn't have much luck with the title of Kyra Sedgwick's series, but he did find great success within its genre. Selleck is perhaps best known as private investigator Thomas Magnum, aka "Magnum, P.I.," who solved Hawaiian crimes in CBS' fan-favorite series from 1980 through 1988. The actor's work on "Magnum, P.I." won him an Emmy in 1984.

While he hasn't managed to secure another Emmy (despite seven total nominations), Selleck has gone on to become even more of a legend in the world of crime dramas. For 14 seasons, the actor reigned as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in CBS' "Blue Bloods," which wrapped up its massively successful run in 2024. But while he's certainly cemented his crime-fighting legacy, Selleck may not be finished with the world of "Blue Bloods." Nothing has been confirmed as of this writing, but fans can hold out a little bit of hope that they'll see Frank again in spin-off "Boston Blue," per a recent tease from its showrunners.