But Rizzoli & Isles, based on the novels by Tess Gerritsen, has one major twist: the respect and friendship of the two female leads.

Angie Harmon TNT photos

As in Gerritsen’s novels, Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles respect each other’s insights and skills. They don’t always agree and sometimes are at odds, but that doesn’t affect their relationship. The two characters genuinely like each other.

 Call it the female buddy syndrome, or a realistic glimpse at women’s friendships. Whatever.

  This relationship is paramount to the inner workings of Rizzoli & Isles, which airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.

   Angie Harmon as Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Isles make the viewers believe that these two women would bond over a crime scene, talk about their personal lives in the morgue and, if time ever permits, get together for drinks, dinner, or to help clean up a trashed apartment.

  During a recent conference telephone interview with several journalists around the country, the actresses’ chemistry with each other was one of the first subjects that cropped up.

 “When we were trying to find the woman to play Maura, it was kind of like a no-brainer when Sasha came in [to audition],” said Harmon. “We just knew it was her right then.”

Sasha Alexander

 Alexander agreed: “From the moment we read together, it just sort of clicked.”

  Part of the appeal for both actresses also were the surface differences between the characters – the blue-collar Rizzoli is more comfortable in jeans and a sloppy shirt while blue-blood Isles’ ideas of dressing down is flat shoes.

“I really loved the friendship between these two women and watching these two very different women working in this environment, on this kind of gritty male environment,” said Alexander. “That was really the reason that I wanted to be a part of it.” 

 Both actresses are more than a little familiar with crime drama. Harmon became a household name playing ADA Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order from 1998-2001. Alexander played Special Agent Caitlin Todd on NCIS from 2003 to 2005.

 “What stands out [in Rizzoli & Isles] the most is that there’s a lot to these characters,” said Harmon. 

  “We see their back stories. We see their present situations. To me, that was a lot more interesting than just the regular procedure with four heads standing around a body spelling it out for you. Rizzoli & Isles definitely has got a lot more grit to it.  It’s not just a typical procedural show. Our cast will show the different colors of the characters,” said Harmon, who added she spent time preparing for her role by spending time with the actual homicide unit in Boston.

Alexander echoed those sentiments.

 “I really love Maura Isles; she’s very fascinating to me,” said Alexander. “I was very compelled by a woman who would choose this profession. [She] came from a very highly educated wealthy background and could have chosen to do a lot of other things. She is this uber-feminine kind of modern woman [who chose] to work this job.”

Gerritsen’s novels not only provide the foundation for the series but they also inspire Harmon, who says she is a fan of mystery fiction.

“I hadn’t read Tess’ books until we started playing the characters and now I’m obsessed. I come home, I’m exhausted, but I am ready to read more. I just finished The Sinner, and I’m getting ready to start The Keepsake,” said Harmon.

In a way, the novels are enhancing the way Harmon approaches her character.

“It’s like I’m getting a prequel and a history to these people in the book,” Harmon said. “Here I am shooting the history of these two characters and I’m reading their future. You’re sitting here watching these two characters live, but if you know the books you know what happens to them before they know what happens to them,” said Harmon, who added that the series does not always follow the novels’ storylines.

 “I’ve never actually had that happen before in a character that I play. I am shooting a scene with Billie Burke (who plays Gabrielle Dean)  and here I am reading about our future.”

 Although Harmon has had many roles in the past decade, including a year on The Women’s Murder Club, she will always been Abbie Carmichael, thanks to the endless reruns of Law & Order. Indeed, most of us said we were also watching an episode of that recently canceled drama during the interview. Harmon looks back on those days with fondness.

 “I learned some wonderful things from that show. I learned it doesn’t matter how tired you are, you always hang up your wardrobe. I learned from Sam [Waterston] that you never come to the set without your ties. [The Law & Order set] was a wonderful, wonderful place for me. I really thought that the revolving door of Law & Order would sort of going.”

“I would sit in my dressing room and stuff my envelopes with my save the date cards and my wedding invitations,” said Harmon who is married to former football player Jason Sehorn; the couple has three daughters.

 But now there is Jane Rizzoli for Harmon to concentrate on.

“Jane is witty, she’s funny. It’s been a fun time playing her humor and playing her attitude. She’s also very serious about her work. And you know she’s a complete tomboy and that’s very different from me. I love playing her.”

 Rizzoli & Isles airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and PT; 9 p.m. EST.

Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander in Rizzoli & Isles. TNT photo

But even those who have never heard of Gerritsen’s novels about Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles will find much to like in this gripping, well-plotted and intelligent crime drama.

 Rizzoli & Isles launches Monday, July 12, at 10 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific time; 9 p.m. Central time).

Unlike most of the crime dramas on TNT that rely on the characters’ eccentricities to add texture to the plots, Rizzoli & Isles is a straight-ahead, serious cop show.

 The focus here is on the crime detection that springs from the working relationship between the cops and the medical examiner’s office. Rizzoli & Isles sparingly uses humor, springing from the characters’ witty and smart conversations. 

   Rizzoli & Isles is an adult crime drama that is more like Law & Order – without the endless reruns.

   The first two episodes I screened feature well-devised plots that are realistic and intriguing. Some scenes are a bit graphic, but actually are quite tame when compared with some of the current network crime shows such as the CSI’s, Criminal Minds and the Law & Order franchise.

  And the analogy to Law & Order has some merit. Rizzoli is played by Angie Harmon, who played Law & Order’s assistant district attorney Abbie Carmichael from 1998-2001 and was, for my money, the best ADA the show ever had. Harmon is an intelligent actress who always brings a degree of sophistication to her roles. Those high standards continue in her role as the independent Rizzoli.
 
  Sasha Alexander also brings a sense of refinement to her role as Isles. Alexander is best known for her role as Special Agent Caitlin “Kate” Todd in the first two seasons of the drama NCIS.  She also was a regular on Dawson’s Creek, Presidio Med and The Nine. 

  The friendship and respect that Rizzoli and Isles have for each other will be a major part of the series, as it is in the novels.

The two women are the ying and yang – Rizzoli with her close-knit Italian roots and Isles with her blue-blood background. Isles is always impeccably dressed while Rizzoli is more comfortable in torn jeans and isn’t bothered by a dirty shirt. Both women are intelligent and know the value of deep friendships. Their respect for each other won’t preclude them from having disagreements.

 Rizzoli & Isles also features Lee Thompson Young as Rizzoli’s new partner Det. Barry Frost; Lorraine Bracco in a throw-away role as Jane’s mother, Angie Rizzoli; and Bruce McGill as Rizzoli’s former partner and now mentor Det. Vince Korsak. (For trivia buffs, McGill’s played D-Day in National Lampoon’s Animal House, one of my favorite movies.)

Here’s hoping that Rizzoli & Isles runs for years; and that it draws new readers to Gerritsen’s novels.

Rizzoli & Isles begins on TNT at Monday, July 12, at 10 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific time; 9 p.m. Central time) following the sixth-season premiere of The Closer.

Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard. TNT photos

Call it the case of the quirky cop.

Doesn’t it seem as if so many TV cops have to have a gimmick? Sort of like the strippers in the musical Gypsy.

Take Dwight Hendricks, the police detective winningly played by Jason Lee on the new TNT series Memphis Beat airing Tuesday nights.

Dwight is the typical doesn’t play by the rules cop who thrives on TV but wouldn’t last long on the job in real life. He often runs his own investigations. He’s not good at paperwork, or dealing with his supervisors. But he’s got a keen insight to human nature.  

Jason Lee channels Elvis

Dwight loves his mama, Memphis and Elvis. He drives a vintage GTO. To add to his eccentricities, he moonlights as an Elvis tribute singer, which probably will be the ending scene of each episode and will give Lee a chance to channel the King without the costumes of an Elvis impersonator. Don’t worry, we are sure to see plenty of the King’s impersonators. This is Memphis, after all.

  While it’s a given that Dwight will run up against Lt. Tanya Rice, his new supervisor played by always reliable Alfre Woodard. It’s also a given that not only will the lieutenant see his worth, but she’ll have to come to him for personal crisis.

 Quirks aside, Memphis Beat is an entertaining, well-plotted cop drama that has wit, atmosphere and a good storyline. It’s a cop series designed for the summer but with the substance to carry it through the winter. It’s not Hill Street Blues or Castle, but neither is it Cop Rock.

  Judging from the first couple of episodes I screened, the quality should last.

  Lee, sans moustache, taps down his comedic persona from My Name Is Earl to show he can handle a tough-guy role and the rigors of crime drama.

 Lee keeps the serious elements in tact, even when Dwight is joking around and acting goofy. In the first episode, he brings in a lamp with breasts that light up. In the real world, that stunt would get him sent straight to human relations department. But Dwight shrugs it off by saying “things work different around here.”

  An interesting group of supporting characters surround Lee and Woodard. All, of course, are quirky.

   And let’s remember why it’s called Memphis Beat. Memphis is a quirk in itself. And Memphis Beat does the city justice.

  Memphis is an urban city that is about as country as you can get. (Before you Memphisites jump on me, I am giving you a compliment.). Memphis is a big city but it has never lost track of its country roots. Country never feels out of place when it comes to Memphis.

   Jazz, rockabilly, blues and crunk are among the sounds that fill Memphis.  Graceland, the Peabody Hotel and some of the best ribs in the country are in Memphis. It’s a city that’s closest in spirit and eccentricities to New Orleans.

(For the record, it is an estimated population of 670,100, making it the largest city in Tennessee, the third largest in the Southeastern United States and the 19^th largest in the U.S. How’s that for facts?)

George Clooney and his longtime collaborator Grant Heslov are the executive producers, which should keep the scripts entertaining.  

Memphis Beat has the right vibe.

 Memphis Beat airs on Tuesdays nights on TNT at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times; 9 p.m. central time with numerous encorces.

(L to R) Michael Connelly, Stephen J. Cannell, Nathan Fillion (Castle), and James Patterson. ABC photo

  Connelly will be reprising his role on ABC’s Castle at 10 p.m. EST Monday May 17.

  The role, for which Connelly has now become a famous actor playing himself, is in another star-studded poker scene, with James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell.

  The three authors will be playing poker with series lead Nathan Fillion, who stars as best-selling mystery author Rick Castle. In the series, Rick Castle follows homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) on her cases and also uses her as inspiration for his new novels about character Nikki Heat.

  The ratings for the light drama Castle have been on a steady rise and ABC recently announced it is ordering a 22-episode third season. While Castle has its roots in the humor-laden stories of The Rockford Files and Moonlighting, but it is definitely its own show.

  Mystery fans have taken to the series and the poker scenes – which, in my opinion, there are not enough of – add to the show’s charms.

  Connelly’s latest novel is 9 Dragons and he has a short story in the new anthology The Dark End of the Street edited by Jonathan Santlofer and S.J. Rozan.

  Connelly’s next novel The Reversal is scheduled to be published in October 2010 and will feature Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller.

  Foyle’s War, Series VI, will be aired in a three-part presentation as part of PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery! at 9 p.m. EST May 2, 9 and 16. Each segment is 90 minutes long. Check your local listings for the airings and encores.

Michael Kitchen in Foyl's War. PBS photo

  In Foyle’s War, Michael Kitchen returns as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle who reluctantly stayed behind in Hastings, England, during WWII. As the battles waged, Foyle fought murderers, thieves and other criminals in his hometown.

  In this new series, the war has ended; only the crimes are different. As Alan Cumming says in the introduction, attitudes and people have not changed.

    Each of the three episodes looks at the problems of post-WWII England where the battle scars barely lie below the surface.  

  On May 2, Foyle looks into the case of an escaped Russian POW. While Russia was one of Britain’s allies, some Russian soldiers changed sides and fought for Hitler. Those former soldiers now face an uncertain future.

   Racial tension and prejudice is the theme of the May 9 segment in which an African-American GI falls in love with an English woman with whom he has a child. The U.S. Army and the local authorities want to keep the African-American soldiers segregated before they are shipped home to America. This taut, emotional segment entitled “Killing Time” is my favorite.

   The May 16^th segment finds the newly retired Foyle pulled back into duty as he looks into the case of a young man, the son of a prominent family, who is being tried for treason for joining a German SS unit.

    Kitchen is riveting as the cool, insightful Foyle who is unflappable not matter which villain he faces.

   The view of post-WWII England is haunting.

    I am now so hooked on Foyle’s War that I can’t wait to get the previous seasons, now on Acorn Entertainment, which already has the sixth season on DVD.

     Thriller writer Daniel Silva will be one of the commentators during the series America: The Story of Us that airs this week with frequent repeats.

Silva will discuss Ronald Reagan, who galvanized the American public through his famous speeches that helped redefine American politics in the 1980s. If nothing else, this should be a provocative series.

  Details are on the History Channel.

While we’re on the subject of TV, PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery! starts again on May 2 with Foyle’s War. (Come back Sunday for my review). Foyle will also air May 9 and 16.

Six by Agatha kicks off on May 23. Hercule Poirot will begin July 11. Inspector Lewis starts sleuthing on Aug. 29. Coming in the fall from PBS will be Wallander and Sherlock, which is being touted as a “witty, fast-paced modern-day take” on Arthur Conan Doyle’s creator.

We’ll try to have as many reviews about these shows as humanly possible

Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic in Castle. ABC photos

  I loved The Rockford Files and James Garner in the title role. I also loved Hawaii Five-O. In fact, a good friend of ours has the name of a character from this show on his license plate.

  So do we need remakes of either show? I’ve got an idea: let’s just watch reruns or DVDs of these venerable shows and enjoy.

   Not to be, I guess.

   Dermot Mulroney has been picked to play the James Garner role in the NBC remake of the much beloved, Rockford Files.

  Hawaii Five-O, which aired on CBS from 1968 to 1980, held the record for being the longest running crime drama on American television until 2003, when Law & Order eclipsed it. According to CBS, the main character of the new version will be Chris McGarrett, son of the original series’ Steve McGarrett. No word yet on who may star in this remake.

    But the good news is that ABC has ordered a 22-episode third season of the light drama Castle, which is something new. Castle’s ratings have been steadily going up and is proving to be a fan favorite. Castle has its roots in the humor-laden stories of The Rockford Files and Moonlighting, but it is definitely its own show.

   Nathan Fillion stars as best-selling mystery author Rick Castle who follows homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) on her cases and also uses her as inspiration for his new novels about Nikki Heat.

The chemistry between these two very good-looking people is palatable and the humor gently spreads through each episode.

Castle also often features real mystery authors in a regular poker game. Michael Connelly, Stephen J. Cannell and  James Patterson have each showed up to play poker and lend advice to Castle.

Castle airs Monday at 10 p.m. EST.

Notice I said successful.

Sure, there was “3:10 to Yuma” (1957 and 2007), and “Hombre” (1967), but then we had to put up with “The Big Bounce” (1969) and the even worse remake in 2004. “52 Pick-Up” (1986), “Stick” (1985) and “Glitz” (1988) started a string of dismal films based on at Leonard’s work.

 Such a pity because Leonard’s novels should be tailor-made for the big and small screen. His precise dialogue, his way of mixing dark humor in myriad situations and his wry look at crime have kept readers enthralled for decades. It wasn’t until 1995’s “Get Shorty” that Hollywood finally understood Leonard.

 Now TV has finally “got” Leonard.

  “Justified,” now on the FX channel, showcases Leonard in a way that no other TV show has. While I liked “Maximum Bob” and “Karen Sisco”, neither seemed to really capture that Leonard spirit as the first two episodes of “Justified” have. (“Justified” airs at 10 p.m. EST Tuesdays.)

  “Justified” is the story of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant, “Deadwood”). With his Stetson and Kentucky drawl, it’s easy to dismiss Raylan.

That would be wrong.

He’s a complicated character who is a crack shot.

   Raylan has been reassigned to Kentucky, where he grew up, after a shooting incident in Miami. He expected the Marshal service to save him from his coal-mining hometown of Harlan, Ky. Instead, Harlan is now his punishment.

We’re sure to hear more about Raylan’s past, especially when his career criminal father Arlo (Raymond Barry, “Cold Case,” “Training Day”) comes on board. Raylan also has an old friend and former coal miner who’s now a bank robber, a ex-wife and assorted other friends and relations from his old days.

  “Justified” is based on Leonard’s 2001 novella “Fire in the Hole.”

    While “Justified” has a strong Western element – conjuring visions of “Gunsmoke” and the “Wild West” – it also works as a look at the angst of small towns, at policing a community where you know everyone and coming to terms with who you are.

    The plots are also darned involving and the acting first-class. As someone who grew up near Paducah, KY., the accents are dead-on. 

  “Justified” does justice to Elmore Leonard. I, for one, am hoping for a long run with Raylan and crew.

   Justified airs at 10 p.m. EST Tuesdays on the FX Channel.

 I’ll be the first to admit that my initial response to ABC’s Castle was wrong. I didn’t like the first few episodes I saw.

Oh sure, Nathan Fillion was just as cute as could be, but the show just didn’t grab me. But about Castle‘s  fourth episode, I had a sea change and began to like this light drama about a mystery writer who helps the NYPD. (And how cool was Michael Connelly’s guest appearance in the season opener?)

Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis. HBO photo

  I doubt I’ll change my mind about the new HBO series Bored to Death, even if Michael Connelly would make an appearance. (No, he’s not.) It airs at 9:30 p.m. Sundays on HBO with frequent encores.

  Bored to Death has been …well….boring.

This comedy about  Jonathan Ames, a Brooklyn writer who can’t write his second novel. His girlfriend just left him; he drinks too much and runs around too much with his magazine editor who smokes too much pot.

It’s all too much

Because he can’t face reality, Jonathan moonlights as an unlicensed private detective so he pretend to be one of the heroes he loves from classic detective novels.

 Couldn’t he have just wrote to DorothyL about the character he’d like to be for a day and be done with it?

  Jason Schwartzman is charming as the lost Jonathan. Ted Danson is wonderfully smarmy as the insecure pot-smoking editor who seems to think that because Jonathan works for him the writer also is being paid to be his friend. And the HBO execs must be cheering that they landed Zach Galifianakis as Jonathan’s friend Ray Hueston, a comic book illustrator. Galifianakis showed his comedy chops in last summer’s The Hangover and he is quite funny in Bored to Death.

  Despite the good cast, Bored to Death doesn’t rise above a mediocre comedy. It doesn’t capture the heart of private detective novels and it just isn’t funny. HBO has a much better track record than this for original series that grab viewers. Think The Wire, Entourage and a dozen other HBO series.

   Bored to Death is on opposite Dexter, which begins at 9 p.m. Sundays on Showtime. Even with Dexter’s frequent encores, there’s no contest.

Life

It’s almost met the ax twice – once because of the writers’ strike and once because of low ratings. It was to have been reprieved again for this new season, but in August finally met its end.

The third time wasn’t the charm to resuscitate Life.

  Life starred Damian Lewis as Charlie Crews, a cop who was sentenced to prison for a murder he didn’t commit. With an unfathomable settlement of millions of dollars, Crews was released and returns to the force.

While he continued to try to find out why he was framed for murder, the real pleasure of this show was watching as Lewis pulled Crews into a Zenlike approach to solving crimes.

Crews’ calmness hide a rage that he constantly battled.

While other cop shows used technology, crime scene investigation and the friction between the police and lawyers, Life took a cerebral approach.

  The solid cast included Lewis, a Golden Globe nominee for Band of Brothers;  Sarah Shahi (Rush Hour 3) as Dani Reese, Charlie’s partner; and Adam Arkin (Chicago Hope) as Crew’s former cellmate Ted Earley.

Life will be missed.