Geekscape Interviews: ‘Major Crimes’ creator James Duff
TNT announced early in the month of October that it’s high-rated television show, Major Crimes would end with its sixth season. The final season premieres on October 31st.
Major Crimes has been a serialized show. Each week there would be a new case with a new victim, or victims, and new suspects. This season, there are 3 new cases, with their own set of victims and suspects that take up the 13-episode order.
James Duff, the creator of Major Crimes, spoke about the themes of the season, which revolve around Faith, Reason, and Risk.
“It gets tested,” Duff said, commenting on Faith, the theme that launches the season in the five-part story arc Sanctuary City.
In Sanctuary City three boys are missing. Time is not on the side of these elite detectives. Each boy missing has a metaphorical stop watch, forcing the detectives to race against time. The detectives find themselves questioning their faith as the priorities of the justice system change.
The detectives find themselves trying to figure out how to reason through the changes in the justice system and another difficult situation that arises.
“We do a show about conspiracy theory,” he said in regard to what is ahead for the sixth season. Without giving too much away about the actual story line, he added that the four-part arc Conspiracy Theory, “has become very, very, topical.”
It was announced earlier in the year that Billy Burke was coming back to reprise his role as serial killer, Phillip Stroh. Fans of The Closer and Major Crimes know that Phillip Stroh does not work alone. Phillip Stroh and his co-villain, played by William Attenborough will appear in the last four episodes called, “By 
Any Means.”
It is no secret to fans of the show that there is some animosity between members of the Major Crimes division and Phillip Stroh. Fans will remember that the last they saw of Stroh he had broken out of his handcuffs and fled Los Angeles. Why he is back, when he made is a clean getaway is a question on these detective’s minds.
“The ending of Phillip Stroh is the end of Phillip Stroh,” Duff remarked. Whether Phillip Stroh is put into a body bag or back behind bars is still unknown. But whatever the answer is, his story is done by the end of the run of the show.
Despite being tested by faith, or finding the reason of a situation, and the plans that have changed due to risks taken, there is romance.
Andy Flynn (Tony Denison), he has every intention of marrying Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell). At least that’s what the plan is until Sharon puts on the breaks.
“She does suggest stopping it,” Duff said. “Andy has to make his case. It’s a good case. Tony Denison and Mary McDonnell do some of the finest acting they have ever done in the entire series.”
When asked about the cancellation of the show and the fans, Duff commented, “The interaction between the viewers and the show – we have been able to form a community out of that. I am so sad [to be] leaving that community behind.”
For the end of the show, how he would describe it?
“The ending of the series is defiant,” Duff said. “I have through what I wanted to say. That’s the word I have chosen.”
In conclusion, Duff remarked that the stories of the Major Crimes in the six seasons that it was on the air with TNT, were, “The story of ordinary people.”
