The Closermay be limping to the finish line.

The first of the TNT drama's final six episodes debuted Monday to 6.1 million viewers, down from the 7.23 million viewers who tuned in for the Season 7 premiere last summer. In the adults 18-49 demographic, the series drew 1.2 million viewers.

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However, TNT's new series Perceptionfollowed with 5.6 million viewers, second only to Dallas (6.9 million viewers) among the season's highest-rated cable debuts. The series, which stars Eric McCormack, held on to nearly all of The Closer's demo ratings, drawing 1.1 million viewers 18-49.

Elsewhere on cable, The Newsroom's third outing drew 2.2 million viewers, growing Week 2's 1.7 million viewers and surpassing the premiere's 2.1 million viewers.