Q "The Closer" is the show that stuck its stiletto in the door of the guy-dominated crime shows. Why do you think it caught fire in time to save itself from being canceled?

A I like to think it's as simple as good writers and good acting. When a show makes money, they want to make more like it, so you get more female leads in their late 40s and early 50s. It's really about what's successful, what makes money.

Q Your character is often described as a "hard-as-nails heroine," "tightly wound."

A Yeah, I hate that.

Q So give us your own personality profile of Brenda.

A She is commanding in her job and disastrous in her personal life. She is incredibly intuitive about everyone but herself. She's interested in what makes other people tick, but not interested in growing emotionally as a person -- although she's very emotional. In her relationship with her boyfriend, she's the one who's a workaholic and afraid of commitment. I would also call her someone who can be incredibly fragile.

Q What traits do you and Brenda share?

A Like her, I have an obsession with and addiction to chocolate. Except I'm not trying to control it. I can't find my car keys, either; my handbag is an endless pit of confusion. I feel totally inept in my life; I'm still touch-typing but am about to get a Blackberry even though I won't be able to work it. I'm out of step with what's cool. I only go to uncool restaurants.

Q "The Closer" has been called a "one-woman show." How much of its strength comes from the strong supporting cast?

A There's no way Brenda would be Brenda without her relationships with these people. You get to know her through them. This season each of the guys has a great episode with some focus on them. It's often hard to keep a straight face while shooting because now I've known them so long and they're hysterical.

Q Has what you've learned about interrogation helped you get your way more often in your personal life?

A I can't manipulate like that. But I am really good at getting people to talk about things they don't want to.

Q Your husband, Kevin Bacon, has directed a couple of episodes of "The Closer." What do your children think of your character and the show?

A Our kids are so uninterested in anything we do. They just think of us as parents.

Q In tonight's season premiere, why doesn't Brenda tell Fritz about something pretty scary that has just happened to her in their house?

A Because she feels somehow complicit: Did I bring on this violation, into my home? She knows she wasn't being mindful of danger and she doesn't want Fritz to know about that.

Q Every now and again Brenda throws viewers for a loop, even though they think they know her. Is that how the show will keep evolving?

A It's important for us not to dot every i and cross every t.

Q Would you like to get more stage work?

A Doing "Twelfth Night" on Broadway was really great. I'd love to do a musical, a Jennifer Holliday-style role. If you put that out in the zeitgeist, that's OK.

KRISTIN TILLOTSON