Article: "In [R&I], the third character is their relationship."

From Minneapolis Star Tribune:

TV's female crimefighters carry a badge, a gun and a tough-as-nails attitude. But there's one tool they're rarely provided with: gal pals.

Sgt. Lucy Bates, assigned to "Hill Street Blues," drank and played poker exclusively with the boys. For all her Southern charm, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson of "The Closer" can't seem to attract a single girlfriend. Mary Shannon of "In Plain Sight" acts like it's against the law to be even civil to other women.

Until last year, you had to go back to "Charlie's Angels" and "Cagney & Lacey" for a popular drama in which women had each other's back, both on and off the job.

Then came TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles," a formulaic cable series that mixed witty banter with gruesome crimes, neatly wrapped up by the end of the hour.

It didn't appear to be anything more than a so-so dessert to follow "The Closer."

But something extraordinary happened. "Rizzoli" quietly became cable's most watched drama, a title it may well retain as it returns Monday for its second season.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

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