The moment actress Angie Dickinson flashed her Detective Pepper Anderson I.D. badge in the very first episode of the seminal 1970s cop series Police Woman, female crime-fighters would never be portrayed the same way again on the small screen. In separate conversations with Earl Dittman,  two of modern television crime-fighters, The Closer’s  Kyra “One degree of Kevin Bacon” Sedgwick and Law and Order: SVU’s Mariska “I feel sorry for Tom Cruise” Hargitay, talk about their shows’ respective “Daughters of Dickinson.” Plus, a special crime & punishment-themed edition of this week’s DVDs, all after the jump.

Two highly-rated and critically-acclaimed series currently airing on network and cable television happen to feature a pair of shrewd, assertive, big city detectives in lead roles: Kyra Sedgwick as LA’s Deputy Police Chief, Brenda Leigh Johnson, on cable’s number one-rated The Closer,and Mariska Hargitay as NYPD Detective Olivia Benson on the long-running Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit.

Kyra Sedgwick on The Closer: The Complete Fourth Season

In just a few weeks, Kyra Sedgwick will charge back into her team’s LAPD squad room (formerly the Priority Homicide Division) in the premiere episode of Season Five of The Closer, but if you need a quick dose of Brenda Leigh’s amazing abilities to “close” murder cases during year four, it’s now here. As the head of the newly-christened Major Crimes Division, Chief Johnson is a sassy, offbeat and very Southern world-class interrogator who can always work a confessions from the unlikeliest of suspects. Throughout the 15 episodes of Season Four, Johnson not only has to deal with murderers, drug dealers and arsonists, but with even tougher opponents: her mom, dad, a potential sister-in-law and Fritz, her FBI boyfriend. A Golden Globe-winner for her portrayal as the tender but tough-as-nails Chief Johnson, Kyra Sedgwick reminisces about Season Four, what it’s like to play Brenda and working with Kevin Bacon, her spouse for over two decades.

Are you ready for the new season to start?

“I’m definitely excited because I miss Brenda during the downtime.”

For you, what were some of the highlights of Season Four, especially for Brenda? What can viewers look forward to on the DVD?

“It was a great season. Brenda was continually juggling her balancing act of a personal life and work. Instead of buying a new place with her guy, they had an interim place, because she didn’t  have enough cash to buy a house like most people in America. There were also issues with most of the members of her squad. On top of all that, she has had a reporter who was sticking around as a source of conflict. There were also budget issues and people who might lose their jobs. And she was trying to catch criminals at the same time.”

What’s the key to playing a character like Brenda — who is both tough and tender?

“I like playing her both ways. She’s incredibly vicious and strong and combative and also can be vulnerable and fragile.”

Your hubby Kevin Bacon and your (two) grown kids live in Connecticut while you have to spend most of your time on the opposite coast filming The Closer. Much of Season Four deals with how Brenda is able to juggle her personal and professional lives. How are you able to balance them both?
“It’s really a one day at a time kind of thing for me. If I have to look at the mountain facing me, I get overwhelmed. I have a very full life. It can get overwhelming, but I’m grateful for it. I don’t do everything perfectly. All of us struggle. I mean, if someone stopped by my house they’d probably find some laundry bags sitting on the kitchen counter. My bag will stay unpacked from the last trip until I get to it or Kevin will say, ‘You have to unpack your bag, honey.’”

Kevin has directed several episodes of The Closer. Are you and Kevin planning on working together again in the future?

“I produced Kevin in Loverboy, and we’re working on another film. Hopefully, we’ll be able to raise the money.”

Is it always a good idea for you to work with her husband?

“It’s great. He’s an amazing director and actor and has done great work as a producer. He cuts his rates for me, too!” [Laughs]

In a town like Hollywood, your marriage to Kevin has lasted what has been considered an eternity — over 20 years.

“Yes, we’re coming up to our twenty-first year, which is fantastic. I know you’re going to ask the secret of being married for over 20 years. The truth is there is no secret. It’s all about love and communication. I also got lucky — very, very lucky. He’s an amazing man.”

The Closer: The Complete Fourth Seasonhas Bonus Features including: “Day in the Life of a Homicide Detective and “Catching a Lie” featurettes; a gag reel and unaired scenes.

Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – The Ninth Year

With the finale of Season Ten having just aired, fans don’t have to wait very long to reopen the 2007-2008 case files belonging to NYPD Detectives Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). In this multiple Emmy Award-winning  Law & Orderspin-off, the focus is on the most shocking and horrendous sex crimes that take place in the boroughs of New York City. Ever since the series’ inception in 1999, the charismatic Mariska (ma-rish-ka) Hargitay, the daughter of the late 1950s screen sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and Hungarian actor/bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, has not only helped to transform SVU into the most successful show of the L&Ofranchise, but it’s also turned Hargitay into one of the highest-paid actresses on television (she is rumoured to take home $400,000 per episode). Although salary disputes could spell the end of Benson and Stabler’s tenure at SVU, Hargitay’s Emmy-winning performances will continue to keep viewers glued to their sets thanks to DVD technology. Hargitay, the married mother of a toddler, explains why she doesn’t mind being glammed down for the show, her respect for the series’ cast and writers and why she was meant to play Detective Benson.

Because of the nature of SVU, your character, Olivia Benson, doesn’t quite get to be the glam girl that other actresses get to be. How do you feel about that?

“Oh, well it’s fun just to be a girl when I can. I love my character so much and it was an easy price to pay for the things that I get to do as an actress and for the stories that I get to tell and for the people that I get to move and tell their story and touch their lives. I’m continually bombarded with people’s stories of survival and gratitude. The response to our show is so overwhelming that I will be glammed down any day of the week to play the part of Olivia Benson.”

How much are you involved in the writing of each episode?

“Not a lot, because the writers are amazing. They are geniuses at researching and they always come up with the stories. We have a read-through every week, and basically, we go through the read-through to see if anything has changed or to give ideas back, but I have to say now that I don’t worry anymore. They understand our characters and especially mine. I feel like I’m in such good  hands. That’s why I’m still excited about the shows we did for this season. I love what they do with Benson, who for nine years now, this has been her job and this is her life and this is what she’s doing and this is her commitment.”

If you spend any time looking at cable television, it seems like some incarnation of Law & Order — the original series, SVU or Criminal Intent — is on every hour of every day.

“It is. It’s on every 20 minutes.” [Laughs]

With all the recognition you must get from people who love SVU, don’t you dread walking the streets? How do you keep from becoming a shut-in?

“I’ll tell you something, I knew that fame was hard for people like the cast of Friends, when it was on, and I can’t imagine what it’s like for someone like Tom Cruise. Once, when I was in Rome, I saw Tom Cruise with his sunglasses on at night, and I was like, ‘I feel so sorry for Tom Cruise.’ I mean, to be a superstar like that, can you imagine? But for me, it’s different.”

Why is it different?

“With my character of Olivia, I think that it’s the kind of fan that I attract, that our show attracts. First of all, you’re dealing with a sophisticated viewer. With SVU, you’re dealing with an intelligent, sophisticated, sensitive person and the people that I meet are like, ‘I love the show. Thank you so much.’ And then they walk away. They’re never intrusive. It’s a gift.”

It must also be a gift to work with such a great ensemble cast.

“It is, they’re incredible. Chris Meloni is brilliant. I feel that I am so fortunate that I get to work with the caliber of actors that I get to — like Chris Meloni, he’s a genius, and Ice-T, he’s continually surprising me. I mean, there are no words to describe how talented that they all are. I’m having the time of my life.”

What’s the silliest thing that you’ve ever read about yourself?

“Oh, there are so many things. Well, I once read that I did Playboy. It was my sister. People mistake me with my siblings. It’s usually stuff I never did. But you sort of learn to get a thicker skin, and I’ve been really lucky that way from the press and the support from people on the show and people really love the character. So I feel very blessed. When you walk down the street people go, ‘I love you.’ And you just want to cry. SVU has done great things for me and for my entire life. I couldn’t have hoped or dreamed for a better role than Olivia Benson, on a show like SVU. I feel like I was meant to play this part.”

NEW ON DVD

Driven To Kill

After years of playing the pure-hearted hero, for his latest big screen actioner Steven Seagal portrays Ruslan Druchev, a former Russian mob boss with a bloody, mysterious criminal past. Although the onetime gang leader had long put his evil ways behind him (nowadays, he’s writing crime novels), his dark side surfaces when an arch enemy murders his ex-wife on his estranged daughter’s wedding day. Revenge is the only thing on this former enforcer’s mind and Ruslan will not rest until his own brand of merciless, murderous justice is served.  The bullets start flying, the blood starts spilling and the bodies begin to pile up — in true cinematic Steven Seagal style — as the ex-mobster seeks retribution for the lives of his loved ones on the Blu-Ray and DVD versions of Driven To Kill.

The Legend Of Fong Sai-Yuk

Taking home a Best Action Choreography award from the Hong Kong Film Awards (the unofficial birthplace of kung fu action epics), this action-packed martial arts biopic (also known as The Legend)could only star one of the most revered actors of the genre — Jet Li. In his latest celluloid adventure, Jet Li plays the real-life, 18th Century folk hero who must go head-to-head against the toughest protectors of a corrupt government in order to save his family and win the attentions of a gorgeous female villager. While trying to score with the local gal (who happens to be the daughter of a crooked Manchu bureaucrat), he inadvertently becomes the leader of a resistance movement that is fighting to free his people from tyranny. Directed by renowned fight choreographer Corey Yuen-Kwai, The Legend Of Dong Sai-YukDVD includes interviews with the filmmaker, the screenwriter and Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan.

The Mod Squad: Season Two, Volume Two

Long before Monk, Life or In Plain Sight made crime-fighting look cool and groovy, there was The Mod Squad(the original series, not the appalling, disastrous film adaptation starring Claire Daines). Debuting in 1970, The Mod Squadfollowed the assignments of three so-called counter-culturists who reluctantly become members of the “fuzz” (just imagine hippy cops with .44 Magnums and wearing love beads). Brought together as an attempt to bridge the generation gap, Michael Cole played the wealthy, long-haired Pete, Clarence Williams III was Linc, a “brotha” from inner-city L.A. and Peggy Lipton portrayed Julie, a full-fledged member of the Flower Power movement. Sent out each week to bring down drug dealers, rapists and murderers, the trio not only battle the lawbreakers but they often find themselves fighting their collective conscience and wondering why they are part of the establishment they are supposed to hate. Only available on DVD.

Raising The Bar: The Complete First Season

Raising The Bar, another smart legal drama from über-producer Steven Bocho — creator of such landmark shows as L.A. Law and NYPD Blue — focuses on an enthusiastic group of young, idealistic public defenders and district attorneys who are constantly fighting for integrity and truth in the judicial system while attempting to maintain some semblances of personal lives. Setting the stage for the highly-anticipated Season Two (which airs in June) Raising the Bar: The Complete First Season introduces audiences to optimistic public defender Jerry Kellerman (Mark Paul Gosselaar) as he roams the hallways of justice and demanding fair hearings for everyone he represents, despite the personal costs. Jerry often finds himself battling Judge Kessler (Jane Kaczmarek) for his clients’ rights. Also starring Gloria Reuben, Teddy Sears, Natalia Cigliuti and Melissa Sagemiller, Raising The Barexposes the strengths and weaknesses of this tiny group of up-and-coming attorneys — both in court and in the bedroom. In addition to insightful audio commentaries with the cast and crew, this DVD also includes a chat with the actors and two featurettes including a bloopers reel.

Killshot

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), executive-produced by Quentin Tarantino and based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, Killshotsports an impressive, all-star cast that includes Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson and Mickey Rourke. Killshot tells the terrifying story of an alienated husband and wife that are required to go into witness protection after observing a ghastly murder and pointing out a notorious hitman as the killer. The brief serenity of their new identities is crushed after the hitman and his bloodthirsty sidekick discover the couple’s whereabouts. Feeling they can no longer trust law enforcement officials and having run out of places to hide, the husband and wife take matters into their own hands to keep each other alive. Filled with exciting bonus features, this nail-biting DVD is a first-class thriller.

A Thousand Years Of Good Prayers/ The Princess Of Nebraska

Directed by Wayne Wang, A Thousand Years Of Good Prayersis the story a woman (Yiyun Li) who leaves China to make herself a new home in America. Starting a new life, however, is put on hold when her visiting father (Henry O) begins to confess the lies and the atrocities he committed during the Cultural Revolution. The DVD contains a photo gallery and interviews with Li and O. The second film of the package, The Princess Of Nebraska is the tale of one young woman’s attempts to break away from the laws of Chinese tradition. As she quickly learns, breaking old rules come with a hefty price. This disc also features an interview with Li, a photo gallery and two featurettes.

Outlander

A visually-stunning science fiction adventure, Outlanderstars Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) as a lone Viking soldier — the sole, surviving member of his Norwegian tribal clan — who tries to form an alliance with two groups of Viking warriors in order to defeat a creature from outer space. Appearing in ancient Scandinavia after the crash of spaceship, a man-eating alien beast must be stopped before it can kill every Viking still alive. After bringing the dueling tribes together, the vengeful Viking seeks retribution for the death of his family and friends by combining advanced technology with Iron Age weaponry to pursue the monster and destroy him once and for all. Labeled a “sci-mythic epic” Outlander is a heroic tale, and the DVD is loaded with special features.

Gunsmoke

In the longest-running North American television Western, no single man knew how to dole out justice better than the head lawman of Dodge City, U.S. Marshall Matt Dillion. Masterfully portrayed for two decades by James Arness (who garnered several acting awards for the role), Marshall Dillion commanded respect for the badge  during a period in history when lawlessness reigned supreme. The role model for dozens of big and small screen heroes, Marshall Dillion was still testing the boundaries and sizing up the loyalties among the townsfolk of 1800’s Dodge City (played by Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone and Dennis Weaver) during 1958’s Season Three. But on the DVD of Gunsmoke, like the series itself, you always know who would come out on top in the constant battles between the good guys in white cowboy hats and the criminals in the black ones.