I like stories, be they novels or TV or whatever in between. And I like Rizzloi & Isles. No big secret here, I just like it. But I finally twigged to what it was that I really hate about that show. And it’s men.
Look, I’m not a misanthropic, I like men. I don’t date them, but I love that there are men. I like hanging out with men, talking with them, etc. Men can be cool,just like women, and the only real ‘difference’ is that I don’t date them. Oooooh. This actually makes it a lot easier to be friends with men. None of that sex shit gets in the way. And it’s that sex shit that makes my head hurt with the Rizzoli & Isles stuff.
The show is supposed to be a buddy cop show, like, for example, Psych. At the end of the day, the most important thing are the two main characters. Sometimes there’s dating, but if it takes away from the relationship between the mains (i.e. the ‘buddy’ part), then it’s for a plot. And as far as that goes with most shows, including R&I, it works. The dates come and go, but at the end of the day, we care about Jane and Maura.
But how many times on those two-men shows do you make a fuss, in promos and in casting news, about the ‘new love interest’ when it’s not a special guest, related to the case, who will be gone next week? No one cares! No one makes a big deal that Gus is getting a date until seasons and seasons down the line, when his horrific luck with women has become a joke.
Buddy first, cop second, everyone else last.
So my problem isn’t that the two leads date men, it’s that they make a big deal about it.
Make the dating a ‘whatever’ unless we’re watching a relationship drama. Look at The West Wing. We knew people had relationships, but it was rarely a big deal unless it was a part of the plot. Focus on the primary topic of the show, and let the rest be whatever.