The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, has made a big splash kicking off the summer television season.  First, its second-season premiere was commercial free.  Second, it was a good show.  And third, it blew away the competition with 8.3 million viewers, the most-watched scripted series ever on basic cable.  Historically, “the only thing that’s owned by broadcast is scripted series,” says TBS and TNT’s chief operating officer Steve Koonin to USA Today. “Now, with The Closer, Nip/Tuck and Monk, that’s not true anymore.”  Just to put into perspective just how many viewers watch The Closer try this on for size: the show had an audience that matched HBO’s biggest series, The Sopranos.

Joining TNT, USA, and FX in the scripted game are Spike!, ABC Family, E! and TBS.  All four have several scripted dramas shows that could hit your TV as early as this fall.