TNT’s ‘Closer’ sets cable record

TNT is off to a record pace in TV’s summer ratings derby. According to figures from Nielsen Media Research, the cable network rounded up 7 million total viewers for Monday’s premiere of “The Closer,” with Kyra Sedgwick as an expert criminal interrogator. That’s the best showing ever for any original series on basic cable.

Meanwhile, TNT continues to corral viewers for “Into the West,” a six-week miniseries from executive producer Steven Spielberg. Friday’s episode was last week’s second-most-watched program on basic cable (6.5 million viewers), surpassed only by the June 6 NBA matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat (9.1 million), also on TNT.