''Close to Home'' is an American

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and

Jerry Bruckheimer Television Jerry Bruckheimer Films Inc. (JBF) is an American independent film production company of Jerry Bruckheimer, formed in 1995, after cutting his ties with film producer Don Simpson, before his subsequent death in 1996. It produced hits such as th ...

for CBS. While in pre-production the series was known as ''American Crime''. It first aired from October 4, 2005, to November 12, 2007, and starred actress Jennifer Finnigan as Annabeth Chase, a Deputy

Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

for

Marion County, Indiana Marion County is located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States census, 2020 United States census reported a population of 977,203, making it the largest county in the state and 51st List of the most populous counties in the United ...

(which contains

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

). Created by Jim Leonard, the series was primarily filmed in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. The score composer was

Michael A. Levine Michael A. Levine (born 20 February 1964 in Tokyo, Japan) is an American composer, music producer and screenwriter born in Japan and currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known for his work in film and television. Early career Trained as ...

. On November 17, 2007, CBS canceled the series after two seasons.

Plot

Annabeth Chase is a

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

with a near perfect conviction record. Throughout the series, she lost only three cases. In Season 1, Episode 21 "David and Goliath", Chase tried a case against a professional baseball player, who killed his pregnant girlfriend. His not guilty verdict was attributed to his fame. Chase lost the case of a man prosecuted for a rape he committed 11 years prior, in Season 2, Episode 18, "Making Amends." In this case the victim was unable to recall the assault, as she unknowingly ingested Rohypnol, known as "The Date Rape Drug", which causes

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

. In Season 2, Episode 21, "Drink the Cup", Chase was unable to convict a corrupt cop named Veeder of the murder of a fellow police officer. In the following episode she successfully tried Veeder for the murder of a young girl he exploited. She is married to a construction worker, Jack Chase ( Christian Kane), and has an infant daughter, Hailey Chase. The show revolves around her balancing her career and family life, as a prosecutor in the city of

First season

In the pilot episode, Chase returns from a 12-week maternity leave to find herself with a new boss, Maureen Scofield (

Kimberly Elise Kimberly Elise Trammel (born April 17, 1967) is an American film and television actress. She made her feature film debut in '' Set It Off'' (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in ''Beloved'' (1998). During her career, ...

), who has been promoted instead of her. Maureen is a no-nonsense, workaholic woman who admires Chase's dedication to her family and her personal life. Above her is County Prosecutor Steve Sharpe ( John Carroll Lynch). Chase wins the first case she prosecutes upon her return to work: an abusive husband who is sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole.

Second season

Annabeth returns to work four months after her husband was killed by a drunk driver in the first-season finale. Annabeth's coming to terms with her husband's death, her grief, and her struggle to return to normalcy, coupled with the guilt and trials of being a

single parent A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wid ...

, are recurring themes throughout the season. Annabeth and Maureen also face a new boss, Chief Deputy Prosecutor James Conlon (

David James Elliott David James Elliott (born September 21, 1960) is a Canadian actor who was the star of the series ''JAG (TV series), JAG'', playing lead character Harmon Rabb, Harmon Rabb Jr. from 1995 to 2005. Early life Elliott was born David William Smith on S ...

), who has just arrived from New York, and whose methods appear to the two prosecutors to be too forceful and sometimes unethical. Near the end of the season, Conlon attempts an attorney general campaign which is derailed as police corruption is discovered, resulting in several prosecutions. Scofield is assassinated as a result of these prosecutions. The season (and series) ends with Chase successfully prosecuting Scofield's assassin.

Cast

* Jennifer Finnigan as Annabeth Chase *

as Maureen Scofield * Christian Kane as Jack Chase (season 1) * John Carroll Lynch as Steve Sharpe (season 1) *

Jon Seda Jonathan Seda (born October 14, 1970) is a Puerto Rican actor. Seda was an amateur boxer who auditioned for and was given a role in the 1992 boxing film ''Gladiator''. He played the role of Chris Pérez alongside Jennifer Lopez in the movie ''Se ...

as Ray Blackwell (season 2) *

Cress Williams Cress Williams (born July 26, 1970) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Prison Break'' and '' Close to Home''. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series ''Hart of Dixie'' and the title character on The CW's ''Bla ...

as Detective Ed Williams (season 2) *

as James Conlon (season 2) *

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...

as Casey Wirth * Bruce Davison as Defense Attorney Doug Hellman * Barry Shabaka Henley as Detective Lou Drummer * Scott Caudill as Michael Hale (season 1) * McKinley Freeman as William Harding (season 1)

U.S. Nielsen Ratings

Despite earning high ratings for what is perceived as the

Friday night death slot The "Friday night death slot" or "Friday evening death slot" is a perceived graveyard slot in American television. It implies a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings (typically, between 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET) ...

and ranking higher than most of its competition in the same slot, the show was still cancelled after only 2 seasons.

International broadcasting

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0460631, Close to Home 2000s American crime drama television series 2005 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings 2000s American legal television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Indianapolis Indiana law Television series about prosecutors