I've been watching TNT's new original series Rizzoli & Isles, and I must say, I rather like it! I usually don't watch much summer tv. My mom watches The Closer, so from time to time, I'll watch the episodes with her. I tried to watch USA's Covert Affairs, but gave up after two episodes. (I don't want to waste time watching a show that I feel I could've written.) For the most part, I find summer show's boring and have difficulty watching them every week.
I gave Rizzoli & Isles a go because the concept seemed interesting. Also, I'm all for a show with two female leads, especially if it's not a Sex & the City remake. (I have nothing against Sex & the City, but most shows with multiple female leads are 'girlie' and focus on relationships. Rizzoli & Isles is about cops. As detective shows are not typically seen as a female genre, I'm interested in a show that is.) I'm familiar with Angie Harmon from her Law & Order days. My mother is a huge Law & Order fan, so I grew up watching all the different versions. My only impression of Sasha Alexander was from NCIS, a show that my mom adores, but I can't sit through. My mom dislikes Alexander's character on NCIS, Kate, and prefers the episodes with Ziva.
I like the fact that Rizzoli & Isles takes the recent cliché of partner series (two opposites), but gives it an original spin (two women). Two traditional partner shows that come to mind from last season are Bones and Castle. Both utilize the establish norms of these kinds of shows: man and woman, complete opposites, foils to one another. They often annoy each other and (pretend to) dislike each other initially, but actually eventually realize they respect and and enjoy the company of the other. They grew up with different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. We usually find one partner to represent the brain of the unit, and the other, the heart. Both characters are admired by their peers in their respective fields; they are "good cops" or "good doctors." They believe their success as partners derives from having such separate strengths and contrary points of view.
In Bones, Brennan is cool and analytical. She is a genius, and grew up without family. Booth, however, is a family man. He's more in touch with his emotions than Brennan. His strength as an investigator comes from his intuition. He 'goes with his gut' and bases his theories on the feelings he gets from the suspects and victims, while Brennan relies on forensic evidence. The characters in Castle are similarly diverse. Beckett is serious and Castle is silly. Castle's life is luxurious and social and he has a stable family unit. Beckett, contrastingly, lives alone and simply. Her life revolves around her work.
(For the record, Mulder and Scully are my favorite diametrically opposed investigative team. I'd consider it blasphemy to write about partners on television and at least not mention the greatest partnership to ever have existed.)
Jane Rizzoli grew up in a tight-knit, middle class Bostonian family. She's tough and athletic. She didn't go to college. She's intelligent, but Dr. Maura Isles is the 'smart one' of the team. We've not yet heard about Isles' family, but we know she went to boarding school and college. She has expensive tastes and obviously came from a high society family. Jokes have been made about Isles' inability to understand or relate to people.
The idea of taking these tropes and translating them into a show about two (heterosexual, as far as we can tell) female detectives fascinates me. (Okay, technically, Rizzoli is the detective, and Isles is a doctor. But the idea remains the same. Technically, Castle is a writer, not a cop, and Brennan is a forensic anthropologist and not an employee of the FBI.) The contradictory points of view still brings the expected fun banter and light teasing. But, as it's two women, the idea of romantic love will likely go unexplored. (I know much of the fanbase hopes they become a couple, or already believes they are, but I find it incredibly unlikely that it will ever become canon.) And, while I would have no issues if the two become romantically involved, I love seeing two strong, independent women on television as friends. With the exception of shows in the "girlie" or "chick" genres (i.e. Sex & the City, Cashmere Mafia, etc), you rarely find one on television in which the main, professional female characters are supportive and encouraging of each other. My favorite example of this is Cuddy and Cameron from the early seasons of House. Although one might think that understanding and compassion would come from the fact that they both have to deal with the curmudgeon Dr. House, it actually positions them as adversaries. In Cameron's entire run on the show, I believe she and Cuddy only had one positive interaction. The rest were rude and, well, bitchy. This also happens in Ally McBeal when Nelle Porter joins the law firm and the other women decide, without even meeting her, that they're going to hate her because she's beautiful and new to the firm. This perpetuates the notion that women can't get along and work together. Is this really how we want to represent women in society?
(It is important to note that we do see women as friends on television. In addition to the previously mentioned "girlie" genre, we most frequently see women professionals on television as friends when one is the lead and the other is only a supporting character. I see this as unproductive because most of the interactions center on the one main character, showing an unequal friendship. On Ally McBeal, when Ally and her best friend Renee talk, it's usually about Ally and her problems. Rarely do we see them discuss Renee's life.)
Rizzoli & Isles here bas the chance to show intelligent, professional women, who work well together, can support and encourage each other without manipulation or backstabbing, and enjoy each other's company. Definitely sounds like a show worthy of my time.
I gave Rizzoli & Isles a go because the concept seemed interesting. Also, I'm all for a show with two female leads, especially if it's not a Sex & the City remake. (I have nothing against Sex & the City, but most shows with multiple female leads are 'girlie' and focus on relationships. Rizzoli & Isles is about cops. As detective shows are not typically seen as a female genre, I'm interested in a show that is.) I'm familiar with Angie Harmon from her Law & Order days. My mother is a huge Law & Order fan, so I grew up watching all the different versions. My only impression of Sasha Alexander was from NCIS, a show that my mom adores, but I can't sit through. My mom dislikes Alexander's character on NCIS, Kate, and prefers the episodes with Ziva.
I like the fact that Rizzoli & Isles takes the recent cliché of partner series (two opposites), but gives it an original spin (two women). Two traditional partner shows that come to mind from last season are Bones and Castle. Both utilize the establish norms of these kinds of shows: man and woman, complete opposites, foils to one another. They often annoy each other and (pretend to) dislike each other initially, but actually eventually realize they respect and and enjoy the company of the other. They grew up with different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. We usually find one partner to represent the brain of the unit, and the other, the heart. Both characters are admired by their peers in their respective fields; they are "good cops" or "good doctors." They believe their success as partners derives from having such separate strengths and contrary points of view.
In Bones, Brennan is cool and analytical. She is a genius, and grew up without family. Booth, however, is a family man. He's more in touch with his emotions than Brennan. His strength as an investigator comes from his intuition. He 'goes with his gut' and bases his theories on the feelings he gets from the suspects and victims, while Brennan relies on forensic evidence. The characters in Castle are similarly diverse. Beckett is serious and Castle is silly. Castle's life is luxurious and social and he has a stable family unit. Beckett, contrastingly, lives alone and simply. Her life revolves around her work.
(For the record, Mulder and Scully are my favorite diametrically opposed investigative team. I'd consider it blasphemy to write about partners on television and at least not mention the greatest partnership to ever have existed.)
Jane Rizzoli grew up in a tight-knit, middle class Bostonian family. She's tough and athletic. She didn't go to college. She's intelligent, but Dr. Maura Isles is the 'smart one' of the team. We've not yet heard about Isles' family, but we know she went to boarding school and college. She has expensive tastes and obviously came from a high society family. Jokes have been made about Isles' inability to understand or relate to people.
The idea of taking these tropes and translating them into a show about two (heterosexual, as far as we can tell) female detectives fascinates me. (Okay, technically, Rizzoli is the detective, and Isles is a doctor. But the idea remains the same. Technically, Castle is a writer, not a cop, and Brennan is a forensic anthropologist and not an employee of the FBI.) The contradictory points of view still brings the expected fun banter and light teasing. But, as it's two women, the idea of romantic love will likely go unexplored. (I know much of the fanbase hopes they become a couple, or already believes they are, but I find it incredibly unlikely that it will ever become canon.) And, while I would have no issues if the two become romantically involved, I love seeing two strong, independent women on television as friends. With the exception of shows in the "girlie" or "chick" genres (i.e. Sex & the City, Cashmere Mafia, etc), you rarely find one on television in which the main, professional female characters are supportive and encouraging of each other. My favorite example of this is Cuddy and Cameron from the early seasons of House. Although one might think that understanding and compassion would come from the fact that they both have to deal with the curmudgeon Dr. House, it actually positions them as adversaries. In Cameron's entire run on the show, I believe she and Cuddy only had one positive interaction. The rest were rude and, well, bitchy. This also happens in Ally McBeal when Nelle Porter joins the law firm and the other women decide, without even meeting her, that they're going to hate her because she's beautiful and new to the firm. This perpetuates the notion that women can't get along and work together. Is this really how we want to represent women in society?
(It is important to note that we do see women as friends on television. In addition to the previously mentioned "girlie" genre, we most frequently see women professionals on television as friends when one is the lead and the other is only a supporting character. I see this as unproductive because most of the interactions center on the one main character, showing an unequal friendship. On Ally McBeal, when Ally and her best friend Renee talk, it's usually about Ally and her problems. Rarely do we see them discuss Renee's life.)
Rizzoli & Isles here bas the chance to show intelligent, professional women, who work well together, can support and encourage each other without manipulation or backstabbing, and enjoy each other's company. Definitely sounds like a show worthy of my time.
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