Major Crimes season 6 spoilers: Billy Burke poised for return as Phillip Stroh
According to a new report coming in right now from TVLine, Billy Burke is going to be back for at least one season 6 episode as the notorious lawyer / serial killer / all around tormentor. He has not been seen on the TNT series for the past couple of years, but his appearances date all the way back to the days of The Closer, the show that started the franchise.
So how will he be back? That’s something that we’ll get further into down the road, but it seems for now that his return will be closely tied to a mysterious woman, someone he is desperate to find. Will he be so desperate that his search unearths his whereabouts to the Major Crimes Division? That’s something you have to consider a possibility.
The more we get to see Burke, the better off that the series is going to be; alas, his appearances may be few and far between when you consider the fact that Burke is certainly a rather busy man these days. He is a series regular over on another show in CBS’ Zoo, so there may only be a limited amount of time in which he can appear over on the show. We’ll take him, therefore, for however long that we can get.
The ratings implications
Hopefully, they’re great. One of the struggles in 2017 is finding a way to get a consistent audience when there are so many other more-convenient options, ones that don’t require commercial breaks or being home at a specific time. Major Crimes needs to create moments that equal must-see TV, and getting back an iconic villain like Stroh is a step in the right direction. The show needs to recover from some of its lower ratings from this past season, when it found itself airing against both Criminal Minds and Law & Order: SVU, a dubious decision by TNT since these are two of the biggest ratings threats out there in its demo.
The new season, alas, doesn’t air until fall. As a result of that, you’ll be waiting for a little while to see what Stroh brings to the table, and however big of a threat he ends up being to Sharon and company.
Want some more news on Major Crimes?
We’ve got a wide array of regular postings that you can see over here, including a piece where we hinted that Burke could and should be returning to the show. For any longtime fan, this news marks a victory — even if it’s not one for the characters on the show itself.
Have a reaction to Burke coming aboard right now? Be sure to share in the attached comments! (Photo: TNT.)