← Major Crimes Major Crimes: The Essentials Major Crimes keeps The Closer’s squad and trades confessions for plea deals. Its long story belongs mostly to Rusty, the teenage witness Sharon Raydor takes in, and to the squad’s lives around the cases. This path keeps those threads and the multi-part cases that move them, and lets most standalone cases go.
For a first-time viewer who wants Rusty’s and Sharon’s story, and the Stroh case, without six seasons of standalone cases. Flagged episodes are light keeps; skip them if you’re short on time.
Open episode checklist ↓ Path details & story map Major Crimes watch order The Closer, seasons 1–7 (TNT, 2005–2012): 109 episodes. Watch it first; its last six episodes lead straight into this show. Major Crimes, seasons 1–6 (TNT, 2012–2018): 105 episodes, from the night The Closer ended to the January 2018 finale. Major Crimes keeps the case-of-the-week format but leans harder on the squad’s lives, above all Sharon Raydor’s and Rusty Beck’s. The Essentials path above keeps 62 of the 105 episodes: every season finale, the team’s arrivals and exits, the stories that run across seasons, and every episode of season 6, which is built from three multi-part cases. Most standalone cases go.
It is The Closer’s continuation rather than a reboot: same creator, James Duff, same LAPD division, most of the same squad. It premiered on TNT the night The Closer ended, August 13, 2012, with Captain Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell) in charge and a new brief: build cases strong enough to force a plea deal instead of chasing confessions.
You can start here; the first episode works as a starting point. But it opens soon after The Closer’s finale and gives much of it away, and the squad’s distrust of Raydor comes from her years investigating them in the old show. The shortest bridge is The Closer’s last six episodes, S7E16–21, which TNT added to lead into this one.
It does get an ending. TNT announced before season 6 aired that it would be the last, and the finale was made knowing it. Our watch-order guide covers why the show ended and how it follows on from The Closer, with spoilers folded shut.
In October 2026, all six seasons streamed on Netflix in the US, there since September 3, 2026 and included on the plan with ads. They could also be bought on Amazon, Apple TV and Fandango At Home. The Netflix deal is US only; in the UK and Canada, JustWatch listed Major Crimes as purchase-only.
Research sources — linked pages may contain spoilers Episode lengths vary. Plan viewing days at your own pace →
Updated October 22, 2026
Where the story lives numbers below are seasons · hover any mark for the episode
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Hide what’s ahead of me Titles, stills and notes unlock as you tick episodes off Season 1 5 in the path
🔒 S01E01 Reloaded Reveal S01E01 details Sharon Raydor now runs a squad that used to dread her, and Rusty, the teenage witness against Phillip Stroh, lands in her care.
🔒 S01E02 Before and After Reveal S01E02 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep: the squad, Provenza most of all, is still getting used to Raydor’s rules. Short on time? Skip it.
🔒 S01E03 Medical Causes Reveal S01E03 details Keep it for Rusty: Raydor goes looking for his mother. The case of the week is secondary.
4 skipped
🔒 S01E08 Dismissed with Prejudice Reveal S01E08 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Rusty and the question of his father. Skip it if time is short; the finale picks the thread up.
1 skipped
🔒 S01E10 Long Shot Reveal S01E10 details Season one’s finale: a sniper case worked with the FBI’s Fritz Howard, while Rusty’s father question comes to a head. Watch Provenza.
Season 2 8 in the path
🔒 S02E01 Final Cut Reveal S02E01 details Season two opens with the Stroh trial ahead. Meet Deputy DA Emma Rios, who has her own ideas about Rusty.
🔒 S02E02 False Pretenses Reveal S02E02 details Keep this one: season two’s long-running Rusty storyline begins here and builds all the way to the finale.
2 skipped
🔒 S02E05 D.O.A. Reveal S02E05 details Sharon’s estranged husband, Jack, turns up in Los Angeles, and her family life becomes part of the show.
3 skipped
🔒 S02E09 There's No Place Like Home Reveal S02E09 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep and a fan favourite: a standalone case stacked with veteran 1970s TV faces. Skip it if pressed.
3 skipped
🔒 S02E13 Jailbait Reveal S02E13 details Meet Dr. Joe Bowman, the therapist brought in to assess Rusty. The threats storyline takes its next real step.
3 skipped
🔒 S02E17 Year-End Blowout Reveal S02E17 details The squad goes on the offensive over the threats against Rusty. Meet SIS Lt. Chuck Cooper, then go straight into the two-part finale.
🔒 S02E18 Return to Sender: Part 1 Reveal S02E18 details Part one of the two-part season finale. The threats against Rusty come to a head; watch both halves back to back.
🔒 S02E19 Return to Sender: Part 2 Reveal S02E19 details Part two, straight on from part one, and season two’s finale. The Stroh case drives the whole hour.
Season 3 10 in the path
1 skipped
🔒 S03E02 Personal Day Reveal S03E02 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Rusty and Sharon: he has been slipping away on trips he won’t explain to her. Skip it if pressed.
2 skipped
🔒 S03E05 Do Not Disturb Reveal S03E05 details A personal hour for Rusty, with a smaller one for Sykes. Keep it for both; the case is secondary.
🔒 S03E06 Jane Doe #38 Reveal S03E06 details Two reasons to keep it: a case worth remembering, and a turn in Sharon’s home life.
🔒 S03E07 Two Options Reveal S03E07 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep but a fan favourite: a tense hostage hunt alongside SWAT. Skippable if pressed, though Sharon and Rusty’s story inches forward.
2 skipped
🔒 S03E10 Zoo Story Reveal S03E10 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Rusty and his mother; it sets up the next episode. Short on time? Skip it and go straight on.
🔒 S03E11 Down the Drain Reveal S03E11 details Keep this one: Rusty, his mother and Sharon, and the question the last few episodes have been building toward.
🔒 S03E12 Party Foul Reveal S03E12 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Provenza’s life off the job: meet Patrice. Skip it if you’re short on time.
4 skipped
🔒 S03E17 Internal Affairs Reveal S03E17 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep that puts Julio’s temper under scrutiny, with a Jack subplot for Rusty. Skippable, though it adds context to what follows.
🔒 S03E18 Special Master: Part 1 Reveal S03E18 details Part one of two, closing season three, with the Stroh case back at the centre. Watch both halves together.
🔒 S03E19 Special Master: Part 2 Reveal S03E19 details Part two and season three’s finale, straight on from part one. Stay with it to the final scene.
Season 4 11 in the path
🔒 S04E01 A Rose Is a Rose Reveal S04E01 details Rusty’s season-four project starts here: a journalism assignment sends him back to a case you’ve already seen.
3 skipped
🔒 S04E05 Snitch Reveal S04E05 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep: Sykes guards a witness, and a quiet Flynn scene starts a thread the season builds on. Skip it if pressed.
2 skipped
🔒 S04E08 Hostage of Fortune Reveal S04E08 details Rusty’s journalism project takes a real step forward, and Gus enters his story. Keep it for both.
2 skipped
🔒 S04E11 Four of a Kind Reveal S04E11 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep: Rusty picks his next angle on the case, and Flynn and Sharon’s story moves on. Skip it if time is tight.
5 skipped
🔒 S04E17 #FindKaylaWeber Reveal S04E17 details Rusty’s season-long project comes to a head. Keep it for him, and for Gus.
🔒 S04E18 Penalty Phase Reveal S04E18 details Kept for a turn in Rusty’s personal life; the case of the week is secondary.
🔒 S04E19 Hindsight: Part 1 Reveal S04E19 details Part one of the five-part season finale: a new shooting links back to old unsolved cases, and Sykes finds an unlikely ally.
🔒 S04E20 Hindsight: Part 2 Reveal S04E20 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part two of five, and a lighter keep for the Sykes and Rusty side threads. Short on time? Cut straight to part five.
🔒 S04E21 Hindsight: Part 3 Reveal S04E21 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part three of five. Another lighter keep, here mostly for Rusty’s family thread; skippable if time is short.
🔒 S04E22 Hindsight: Part 4 Reveal S04E22 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part four of five, and a lighter keep that lines up Rusty’s, Sykes’s and Provenza’s threads for the finale. Skip it if pressed.
🔒 S04E23 Hindsight: Part 5 Reveal S04E23 details Part five of five and season four’s finale. The case and every side story from the last four parts land here.
Season 5 15 in the path
🔒 S05E01 Present Tense Reveal S05E01 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep that opens season five; skip it if pressed. Buzz starts a side story of his own here that the season keeps coming back to.
🔒 S05E02 N.S.F.W. Reveal S05E02 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep: Rusty’s mother turns up with news that matters to a later Rusty episode. Skip it if pressed.
5 skipped
🔒 S05E08 Off the Wagon Reveal S05E08 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Rusty, with his mother and with Gus. Skip it if pressed; the case of the week is secondary.
🔒 S05E09 Family Law Reveal S05E09 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep that picks up two season-five side stories: Buzz’s family cold case and Julio’s hopes to foster. Skip it if pressed.
🔒 S05E10 Dead Zone Reveal S05E10 details Keep this one: the case that starts here grows into the three-parter that follows, and it’s personal for Julio.
🔒 S05E11 White Lies: Part 1 Reveal S05E11 details Part one of three, carrying on from the last episode’s case. Watch all three parts back to back.
🔒 S05E12 White Lies: Part 2 Reveal S05E12 details Part two of three. Meet Wes Nolan, and keep an eye on Buzz: his cold case moves too.
🔒 S05E13 White Lies: Part 3 Reveal S05E13 details Part three of three, closing the season’s first half. Julio’s and Buzz’s stories both come to a head.
🔒 S05E14 Heart Failure Reveal S05E14 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep opening season five’s back half: meet Deputy Chief Winnie Davis as the race for Taylor’s old job begins. Skippable if pressed.
1 skipped
🔒 S05E16 Quid Pro Quo Reveal S05E16 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Sykes, who takes the witness stand in a murder trial. Skip it if pressed.
🔒 S05E17 Dead Drop Reveal S05E17 details Keep it for Sharon and Andy Flynn, whose story takes a step here. Julio’s thread with Mark picks up again too.
🔒 S05E18 Bad Blood Reveal S05E18 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep for Sharon’s family, with her son Ricky in town. Skip it if pressed; it’s more home life than story.
🔒 S05E19 Intersection Reveal S05E19 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
A lighter keep, mostly for Provenza, who is losing patience with the race for Taylor’s old job. Skip it if time is short.
🔒 S05E20 Shockwave: Part 1 Reveal S05E20 details Part one of the season finale: a bombing case brings the promotion race to a head, and Rusty and Gus face a choice.
🔒 S05E21 Shockwave: Part 2 Reveal S05E21 details Season five’s finale, straight on from part one. The bomb case, the promotion race and Rusty’s choice all land here.
Season 6 13 in the path
🔒 S06E01 Sanctuary City: Part 1 Reveal S06E01 details The final season opens on part one of a five-part case. Meet Detective Camila Paige, and note who’s in charge upstairs now.
🔒 S06E02 Sanctuary City: Part 2 Reveal S06E02 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part two of five, and a lighter keep: the case grinds on, with a Rusty subplot at home. Skippable if time is short.
🔒 S06E03 Sanctuary City: Part 3 Reveal S06E03 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part three of five, and a lighter keep: the FBI complicates the case and Provenza runs short of patience. Skippable; part four follows directly.
🔒 S06E04 Sanctuary City: Part 4 Reveal S06E04 details Part four of five, straight on from where part three stopped. Keep it for the personal story more than the case.
🔒 S06E05 Sanctuary City: Part 5 Reveal S06E05 details Part five of five: the case closes, and this is one of the show’s big personal hours. Don’t skip it.
🔒 S06E06 Conspiracy Theory: Part 1 Reveal S06E06 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part one of four, and a lighter keep: a new case, and Rusty and Gus still have unfinished business. Skippable if time is short.
🔒 S06E07 Conspiracy Theory: Part 2 Reveal S06E07 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part two of four, and another lighter keep: the case widens, and Rusty’s business with Gus continues. Skip it if pressed.
🔒 S06E08 Conspiracy Theory: Part 3 Reveal S06E08 details Context retained — see the note when revealed.
Part three of four, and a lighter keep: the case takes a turn, with one Provenza scene worth having. Skippable if time is short.
🔒 S06E09 Conspiracy Theory: Part 4 Reveal S06E09 details Part four of four, closing the case. Don’t skip it; the last four episodes follow straight on from here.
🔒 S06E10 By Any Means: Part 1 Reveal S06E10 details The last four episodes start here. The squad and Sharon’s family take stock, and the Stroh case moves to the front.
🔒 S06E11 By Any Means: Part 2 Reveal S06E11 details Part two of four: the hunt reaches back into Stroh’s past. Watch it straight after part one.
🔒 S06E12 By Any Means: Part 3 Reveal S06E12 details Part three of four, the second-to-last episode. Buzz and Rusty both play big parts in the hunt.
🔒 S06E13 By Any Means: Part 4 Reveal S06E13 details The series finale, straight on from part three. Watch it right through to the last scene.
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