Couch Potato: Likeable leads
By Casey Gillis on Jun. 30, 2010
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The title characters in TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles” couldn’t be more different.
Detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon, “Law & Order”) is a tomboy who dresses casually, often in sensible shoes, drives a nondescript sedan and likes roughhousing with her younger brother.
Chief Medical Examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander, “NCIS”) is always dressed to the nines, usually in some form of high heel, tools around town in a sleek Mustang and probably doesn’t know what roughhousing is.
Despite their differences, they are best friends and coworkers who solve crimes in Boston.
If you’re a fan of shows like TNT’s “The Closer” or Fox’s “Bones,” I think you’ll like “Rizzoli & Isles,” which premieres at 10 p.m. Monday.
It’s the same type of procedural drama, with two likeable leading ladies and an impressive supporting cast.
Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”) plays Rizzoli’s pushy mother, Angela, who cracked me up with this line (one I think all daughters can probably relate to): “That lipstick doesn’t flatter you. Too pink, babe.”
Jordan Bridges (the son of Beau, nephew of Jeff) plays her younger brother Frankie, a patrol cop who wants to be a detective; Lee Thompson Young (“FlashForward”) is her new, and very squeamish, partner, Det. Barry Frost; Bruce McGill (a character actor whom you’ll definitely recognize) is her former partner, Det. Vince Korsak, the kind of seasoned veteran who munches on doughnuts during an autopsy; and, though he doesn’t appear in the pilot, film actor Chazz Palminteri (“The Usual Suspects,” “A Bronx Tale”) will turn up in later episodes as her father.
The pilot episode also boasted a guest turn by one of my favorite movie and TV boyfriends, Billy Burke, who has appeared in everything from the “Twilight” movies (as Bella’s dad) to TV shows like “My Boys,” “The Closer” and “24.”
As an FBI agent who catches the eyes of both ladies, he’s as handsome as ever, and I certainly hope he’ll be back somewhere down the line.
Harmon, who I’ve always liked but haven’t always thought was the best actress, does a decent job as Rizzoli, who deals with a haunting case from her past in the first episode. But she’s better in the show’s comedic scenes than she is in its dramatic ones.
Alexander’s Isles reminded me of Temperance Brennan, the too-smart-for-her-own-good forensic anthropologist at the center of “Bones.” Both women can seem detached at times and are slightly socially awkward, preferring to spout off encyclopedic knowledge instead of actually relating to people.
And while Bones has partner Seely Booth, Isles has Rizzoli.
The pair’s entertaining banter should be enough to keep this show around for a while.
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