I didn’t see the first or second season. It’s now in re-runs on TNT and I’ve gotten hooked on it. I hadn’t watched previously. I did an SDMB search and found only two threads on it. Went to the tv.com website and found that it’s been renewed for a third season. I love this show, in part because the main character is an intelligent, assertive woman who does the right thing, doesn’t hold grudges, and gets the job done (and doesn’t freak out at the sight of a dead body). But she also has several men working for her who are substantive characters and shine alongside her. Kyra Sedgewick got a Golden Globe, and she deserved it. I’d like to see this show go on for another few years, but I’m not hopeful. Any tv show I like gets cancelled, usually in the first season.
Well now it’s doomed, because I like it, too. And not only do TV shows I like get canceled, but products I start to buy get taken off the store shelves. Sorry. Let’s just watch it while it lasts, okay?
I think my favorite characters, besides Brenda (excuse me, Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson) are Provenza and Tao. And I love the fact that they’re all getting more human as the series goes on.
I saw the premier. Her character seemed very thinly drawn, the supporting characters even more so, and the script full of cliches.
Has it gotten better then? 
-FrL-
I finished the first season on DVD a few weeks ago. It got better as the season progressed, and I really liked it by the end.
I have several episodes of the second season recorded, but I missed the first 4 or 5 episodes, and I’m trying to decide whether I should go ahead and watch what I have, or wait until I can catch the ones I missed first.
I love her character and I find the plots interesting, but I cannot get through that crappy accent of hers. It’s nearly unintelligible most of the time. And they need to tone her lipstick down a bit. Women who are that bright, and who generally dress nicely, are usually not that far off with regard to cosmetic fashion and what looks good on them.
Aside from that, great show!
I’m sure I haven’t seen the first episode since I was confused about the Brenda/Pope relationship and how she came to be the chief, but apparently I’m catching the re-runs fairly early in the series. Today saw the one where she does a deposition as a character witness for Pope, and from there learned about their relationship.
I confess that at first the sugary “I’m-just-a-little-ol’-southern-gal-without-a-brain” persona and constant smiling got on my nerves, but that’s been toned down. Her character has filled out – her relationships with Pope and her squad have progressed, and we’re learning more about her and the squad. I find the relationships just as interesting as the plot. I agree that her makeup needs work – she has full lips and a wide smile, and the coral (or whatever) lipstick is a bit much. But that’s trivial. What I like best about her is that she’s herself and seems very real. She’s always snacking on junk food - usually chocolate - whether hers or someone else’s, and she’s not perfect (well, except for solving crimes). In a recent episode, she was asleep after a night of romance with her FBI boyfriend, and she was on her stomach with her mouth hanging open; when he woke her up, she wiped the side of her mouth as though she’d been drooling. I was, like, yes, that’s the way most of us wake up. And, she looked like she’d been in bed; didn’t wake up with beautiful hair and makeup looking wonderful. I haven’t found the plots predictable except for the ep where the Hispanic piano player killed his daughter’s husband. I could see that coming.
I very much recommend this series to anyone – well-drawn characters with their good and not-so-good sides, lots of office politics (with Brenda spouting off about office politics), a little romance, suspense, and occasionally a little humor.
Yes. I think it is quite good. FWIW, not much on TV appeals to me.