The Best Episodes Written By James Duff
Every TV Episode Written by James Duff Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters
James Duff Ratings Summary
The best episode written by James Duff is "Silent Partner", rated 9.7/10 from 3 user votes. It was "directed by Arvin Brown". "Silent Partner" aired on 12/26/2011 and is rated 0.4 point(s) higher than their second highest rated, "You Have the Right to Remain Jolly".
9.7/10 3 votes#1 - Silent Partner
Season 7 Episode 15 - Aired 12/26/2011
Brenda seeks help from a businessman, played by guest star Jason George (Grey's Anatomy), with old ties to the neighborhood where Turell Baylor was murdered.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: James Duff
9.3/10 3 votes#2 - You Have the Right to Remain Jolly
Season 7 Episode 12 - Aired 12/5/2011
Fred Willard (Modern Family) guest stars as Santa Jack, the owner of a Christmas village who believes he could be the real Father Christmas.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff
9.2/10 6 votes#3 - Overkill
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 9/4/2006
Brenda and Fritz have a hard time agreeing who is in charge when an informant's wife and and FBI agent are both murdered. Brenda discovers that she and the PHD must work quickly when the leading witness in the case is scheduled to testify against a powerful mobster. When the killer's identity is uncovered, the PHD finds themselves under attack; an attack that takes someone down.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
9.2/10 8 votes#4 - Homewrecker
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 6/18/2007
Brenda and the team investigate the grisly slaying of a family, and the only survivor is the drug-addled teen son. Meanwhile, a financial crisis rocks the LAPD, bringing about budget cuts, numerous changes --- and possibly Provenza’s early retirement. And Fritz hopes to move into a new house with Brenda.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
9.2/10 6 votes#5 - Manhunt
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 8/6/2007
It looks to be the return of a serial killer when two bodies turn up dead. With the knowledge that he kills in sets of three, Chief Pope charges Brenda and her squad to hunt down the killer before the third victim is taken.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff
9.2/10 4 votes#6 - Home Improvement
Season 7 Episode 6 - Aired 8/15/2011
A body turns up on a home construction site, while Brenda and Fritz weigh the expense of a high priced attorney.
Director: Sheelin Choksey
Writer: James Duff
9.1/10 7 votes#7 - Standards and Practices
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/5/2005
An unnamed source files a grievance against Brenda in the midst of a high-profile investigation of a murdered L.A. filmmaker. With her career on the line, Brenda is skeptical of Chief Pope's intentions when he volunteers to help. In classic Brenda style, she spurns the accusation, refusing to suppress her demeanor in deference to the complaint. In response to the situation, the PHD team comes together to act in unison, sending shock waves through the entire department.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 7 votes#8 - Critical Missing
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 7/31/2006
When the drowned bodies of a mother and daughter are found by fishermen, Brenda and the team must determine if the apparent suicides are more than that. Following a strange coil of discoveries, the most surprising revelation that surfaces is one about the killer.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 6 votes#9 - No Good Deed
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 8/28/2006
Once again, the PHD finds themselves wading through suspects in the murder of the star witness in a capital punishment case. When Estelle, Pope's angry ex-wife, spills the beans about Brenda to her team, Fritz begins to wonder how she really feels.
Director: Charles Haid
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 5 votes#10 - Serving the King (2)
Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 12/4/2006
Glad to be back with her team, Brenda focuses on finding a terrorist-linked suspect. Working with the CIA, who also wants their hands on this suspect, Brenda realizes that she was given false information, and wonders if she's been set up. To prevent herself and the PHD from falling prey to a sinister plan, Brenda must untangle a web of lies to determine who she can trust - before it's too late.
Director: Kevin Bacon
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 6 votes#11 - Til Death Do Us Part (2)
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 9/10/2007
Still experiencing the strain of her case, Brenda finds herself under another time crunch when she must disprove a questionable alibi within 48 hours to prevent the investigation from falling flat. As Brenda searches for the truth in her case, she discovers some inside information that may have an unfortunate effect on her relationship with Fritz.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 6 votes#12 - Controlled Burn
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 7/14/2008
When a massive fire breaks out in Griffith Park, Priority Homicide is on hand to help. But when an unidentified dead woman's body is found in the center of the scene, Deputy Chief Johnson is doing a lot more investigating then directing traffic. Meanwhile, Brenda and Fritz are living in a small apartment and getting on each other's nerves.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 6 votes#13 - Tijuana Brass
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 9/8/2008
An FBI informant is the prime suspect in the deaths of two Tijuana police officers; Pope, Taylor and Brenda must deal with a public relations mess when a newspaper prints an unflattering story about Priority Homicide.
Director: Anthony Hemingway
Writer: James Duff
9.0/10 5 votes#14 - All In
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 12/9/2013
When a body turns up at a posh country club in a quiet neighborhood, the squad’s investigation leads them down a money trail full of surprises. Flynn is noticeably distracted on the job, and Emma’s actions have Rusty questioning her intentions, causing him to distrust her even more.
Director: Anthony Hemingway
Writer: James Duff
8.8/10 6 votes#15 - Identity Theft
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 8/3/2009
Brenda must reopen the case of a murdered psychiatrist when the man claiming to have committed the crime gives a statement that doesn't quite match the actual events. Based on evidence of the man's acquaintance with the doctor, Brenda believes there is a cover-up and sets out to unearth the truth. Willie Rae throws a roadblock in her path when she pops in for a visit, which actually appears to be an attempt to dump Brenda's handful of a niece onto the newlyweds during for the duration of summer break.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff
8.4/10 10 votes#16 - Pilot
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 6/13/2005
A seemingly routine murder investigation by the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division is interrupted by the arrival of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, the new head of the LAPD’s Priority Murder Squad. An outsider from Atlanta in her first week of service, Brenda has already begun to face the resistance of long-time high-ranking officers, particularly Capt. Taylor of Robbery Homicide, as well as the questionable confidence of her own squad, who have decided to request transfers en masse. Only her assistant, Sgt. Gabriel, seems willing to try to work with her.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
8.4/10 8 votes#17 - About Face
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 6/20/2005
Brenda and the team must investigate the murder of high-profile model Heather Kingsley, who dies as a result of nicotine poisoning, applied to her scalp via her hair conditioner. Suspicion quickly falls on her movie-star husband, Dean, whose philandering ways and false claims of a pre-nuptual agreement make him the likely killer. As Brenda investigates, she is drawn into the world of celebrity beauty, where illusion is everything, and the standard high. When she undergoes a make-over to meet the Dean’s discarded lovers one-by-one, each of whom appears to have a motive to murder, Brenda realizes there may be more to this case than a man trying to get out of a marriage. At the same time, she is slowly seduced by the superficial glamour, which seems to impress her colleagues, and Fritz. As the real killer emerges, Brenda comes to the realization that she can only be who she is, and that the rest is just an illusion.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
8.3/10 7 votes#18 - Blue Blood
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 6/12/2006
Things don't add up when an LA cop turns up dead. Brenda and her team race against the clock to get to the truth, while tension increases between the Priority Homicide Division and the Robbery-Homicide Division. In the meantime, Brenda's relationship with Fritz elevates to a whole new level.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
8.0/10 6 votes#19 - Batter Up
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 8/1/2005
When a gay man is murdered, seemingly the latest victim of a string of hate crimes, Brenda must confront prejudices inside and out of the LAPD. But when the perpetrator of the crimes turns out to be something quite different than expected, and has an alibi for the latest murder, Brenda must dig deeper to discover if this crime is part of the string, or a crime of passion disguised as a hate crime. Meanwhile, Flynn and Taylor step up their efforts to undermine Brenda once again, but with unexpected effects, as the team begins to rally around Brenda. Provenza's quirks begin to emerge, and we meet Terrence Hynes, a County Coroner's Forensics Support worker with an odd sense of humor. On the home front, Brenda finds herself with some new charges when her (male) Kitty has kittens.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: James Duff
7.8/10 4 votes#20 - The Last Word
Season 7 Episode 21 - Aired 8/13/2012
In the series finale, we bid a final farewell to Brenda Leigh Johnson. When a young man calls 911 to report seeing someone being buried in Griffith Park, police find not only her remains, but those of several other women who were kills as far back as two years ago. Brenda immediately suspects Philip Stroh and, despite departmental restrictions, sets out to finally tie him to the murders. Meanwhile, the witness who called 911 makes Brenda look at her life and future. Stay tuned to the next show, Major Crimes, which will pick up from the moment The Closer ends. A large portion of the characters are moving to the new show. to work under the new supervisor of Major Crimes, Captain Sharon Raydor.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
7.8/10 8 votes#21 - Reloaded
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 8/13/2012
The department is still reeling with the recent departure of Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson, creating a tough transition for the newly appointed head of Major Crimes, Captain Sharon Raydor. But there is little time for adjustment as the department rushes to reach a plea bargain when a string of grocery store robberies turns fatal. After proving to be a valuable source for the case, undercover police detective and military veteran Detective Amy Sykes is transferred to Major Crimes. Meanwhile, Raydor takes a big step to protect teenager Rusty Beck after he runs away from his foster family.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: James Duff
7.5/10 6 votes#22 - The Big Bang
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 7/12/2010
After a man is murdered while taking pictures of the stars from his balcony, the squad suspects the crime is somehow connected to the woman with whom he was having an affair. But their investigation is hindered by a missing murder weapon, as well as the difficult adjustment of moving into a new office.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff
7.4/10 60 votes#23 - The End Is the Beginning
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 2/6/2020
Completely unaware of her special nature, Soji continues her work and captures the attention of the Borg cube research project’s executive director. After rehashing past events with a reluctant Raffi, Picard seeks others willing to join his search for Bruce Maddox, including pilot and former Starfleet officer Cristóbal Rios.
Director: Hanelle M. Culpepper
Writer: James Duff
6.6/10 19 votes#24 - Fortunate Son
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/21/2001
The Enterprise crew is dispatched by Starfleet Command to assist Fortunate, a human freight vessel that has been attacked by Nausicaan pirates. On arriving, they are surprised to find that Fortunate's crew is resistant to Archer's efforts to help them and determined to seek revenge against their attackers, no matter the repercussions.
Director: LeVar Burton
Writer: James Duff
2.0/10 1 votes#25 - The Brain Game
Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 4/27/2001
Desperately seeking to be popular again, Mary Cherry fails in an audition to a teen talent show. But that didn't stop her, and she decides to put a team of students together to be in ""The Big Head Challenge"". Everybody is studying for the SATs and they all think it would be a nice way to test their knowledge at this competition. Cherry Cherry, who has become a student at KH (trying to beat her 50 points score in her SAT), also tries to get in, but loses the very last spot to Josh, who surprisingly know a lot more about chicken than we thought. Meanwhile, Carmen decides to take salsa lessons, and has her heart broken by the instructor, whom she had a crush for. But after he realizes how bad he made Carmen feel, he goes to KH to ask her out. At the competition, the gang is first relieved to be against the John Ashcroft Private School for Special Needs Children, but then surprised when they see that Cherry Cherry has bought the entire team and replaced the students by the teen talent show
Director: Craig Zisk
Writer: James Duff