Network: TNT
Episodes: 105 (hour)
Seasons: Seven

TV show dates: July 12, 2010 — September 5, 2016
Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Lorraine Bracco, Bruce McGill, Lee Thompson Young, Jordan Bridges, and Billy Burke.

TV show description:      
This police drama is based on the Rizzoli/Isles series of novels by Tess Gerritsen. The series revolves around a police detective and a medical examiner who, although they’re complete opposites, combine their talents to solve crimes in Boston.

Detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) has the mindset that the criminals she’s chasing are monsters. As a younger girl, with a housewife mom and plumber dad, she saw a police officer on career day at school and decided that was the job for her. She wanted the gun, the badge, and mostly the respect. She worked her way up from a beat patrolman to detective in vice and narcotics, then finally to the homicide unit. Her philosophy in tracking down the criminals is to make it personal — get angry and never give up.

By contrast, it wasn’t until her adult years that Dr. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) figured out she wanted to become a forensic pathologist. She always knew she was different than the other kids and would hide in her room reading and dissecting dead mice. Aside from being a scholar, she was also an accomplished pianist and honor student. All of this led her to student medicine but, after medical school, she realized she wasn’t good at the emotions needed for treating living patients and switched to forensics.

Maura knows she doesn’t have much in common with the police she works with and knows that they call her “Queen of the Dead” behind her back. This includes Jane’s former and present partners. Jane’s former partner, Detective Vince Korsak (Bruce McGill), is very much her mentor. Korsak has always treated her like a daughter, and doesn’t get along well with her new partner, Detective Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young). He’s great when it comes to anything that deals with technology, but gets sick at the sight of blood. Still, he’s just as loyal to Jane as Korsak.

Also very loyal is Angela Rizzoli (Lorraine Bracco), Jane’s mom. She’s the epitome of an Italian mother — somewhat overbearing and very protective of her cubs. She claims to have not slept since Jane became a cop and wishes she’d be a little more feminine. She’s not the only one in the family to feel this way about her, as her little brother Frankie (Jordan Bridges) feels very protective of his big sis. He’s trying to make his way up the police force ladder so also feels like he’s a little in her shadow.

What do you think? Do you like the Rizzoli & Isles TV show? Do you think it should end or continue for an eighth season?

Image courtesy TNT.