Rizzoli & Isles is a crime procedural drama television series based on the Rizzoli/Isles series of novels by author Tess Gerritsen. Written and developed by Janet Tamaro, and produced by Hurdler Productions and Ostar Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Televison, the show premiered on July 12, 2010 on TNT.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the show revolves around police detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) and the cases they work for the Boston Police Department. The show also follows detectives Korsak and Frost, and the lives and issues of Rizzoli & Isles' families.
| Rizzoli & Isles | |
 | |
| Genre | Crime drama, police procedural |
| Developed by | Janet Tamaro |
| Starring | Angie Harmon Sasha Alexander Jordan Bridges Lee Thompson Young Bruce McGill Lorraine Bracco Brian Goodman Idara Victor Adam Sinclair |
| Executive producer(s) | Bill Haber Janet Tamaro Michael M. Robin Joel Fields Michael Zinberg Jan Nash Ken Hanes Antoinette Stella Michael Sardo Charles Grant Craig Julie Hebert Jeff Hayes |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 105 |
| Production company(s) | Hurdler Productions Ostar Entertainment Warner Horizon Television |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original network | TNT |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Original run | July 12, 2010 |
| Finale | September 5, 2016 |
| List of episodes | List of Episodes |
| IMDB profile | Rizzoli & Isles at IMDB.com |
Premise[]
The series' backstory is inspired by the Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli series of novels by Tess Gerritsen. Rizzoli appears in the series' first novel, The Surgeon, and Isles is introduced in the second, The Apprentice, which serves as the basis for the television series. Boston detective Jane Rizzoli has been investigating a serial killer named Charles Hoyt. Hoyt, who was banned from medical school for fondling a corpse, used his vast medical knowledge to systematically torture and kill people, usually choosing couples so that he could induce the most fear in his victims. Jane ascertains Hoyt's location, but as she is searching for him, she is hit in the back of the head and knocked unconscious. She is pinned to the floor by scalpels and awakes as Hoyt prepares to cut her throat, but Vince Korsak, Jane's partner, locates her and shoots Hoyt, saving her life. Jane, reasoning that Korsak would never trust her as his partner after seeing her so vulnerable, applies for a new partner.
The series pilot, "See One. Do One. Teach One", is largely based on the novel The Apprentice. Jane and medical examiner Maura Isles investigate a killer with Hoyt's modus operandi plus an interest in necrophilia. Jane and Maura discover that the copycat was John Stark (Brendan McCarthy), a soldier who met Hoyt in medical school, had his identity erased for CIA black operations, and mimicked Hoyt's MO in a killing spree during said operations. Meanwhile, Hoyt escapes from prison and rejoins his apprentice to continue in his killing. Later, Jane's home is broken into, and she is told by someone posing as part of BPD that her neighbor had been killed; she rushes into the van to see the body but finds Hoyt instead. Hoyt and his apprentice knock her out and kidnap her. When she wakes up they attempt to kill her, but she manages to disarm them by Tasing them and burning Hoyt's eye with a flare. In self-defense, she shoots the apprentice to death, and, when Hoyt reaches for her gun, she shoots him through the hands, giving him injuries similar to the ones he gave her.
New twists are introduced when Jane and Maura discover that a recent murder victim is actually Maura's previously unknown half-brother, resulting in her discovery that her father is notorious criminal Patrick Doyle.
Hoyt returns 18 months later through another apprentice, Lola, in "I'm Your Boogie Man". Having murdered Lola's abusive husband two years earlier, Hoyt uses her Stockholm syndrome to his advantage and uses her to stalk Jane. Lola seduces and captures Frankie Rizzoli before tying Jane up. She plans to kidnap Jane until Hoyt can escape from prison, but Jane manages to distract Lola long enough for Frankie to kill Lola with her own revolver.
Hoyt returns again when he arranges for another inmate to be stabbed while he is dying of cancer, luring Jane into the prison so that he can taunt her about another unsolved murder he committed. While speaking to Jane in the prison infirmary, Hoyt tells her to look at what he is reading—Tess Gerritsen's novel The Silent Girl. Although she manages to find the bodies of his victims—the family of an old college professor of Hoyt's who was unaware of his expulsion—Hoyt, aided by a third apprentice, manages to capture Jane and Maura, only to have Jane beat Hoyt and then stab him when he and his apprentice try to kill Maura.
Plot[]
Season 1[]
The first season premiered on July 12, 2010, airing on Monday nights at 10 PM ET/PT.
The series' backstory is inspired by Gerritsen's first and second Rizzoli & Isles books, The Surgeon and The Apprentice. Most of the first season revolved around how the infamous serial killer, Charles Hoyt, affected the lives of Boston detective Jane Rizzoli and her friends and colleagues at work, Vince Korsak (Bruce McGill), Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young), and Maura Isles. Near the end of the season, a new twist arises when Dr. Maura Isles discovers the identity of her biological father.
Season 2[]
The series was quickly renewed for a second season on July 30, 2010, after airing only three episodes of the first season. It began airing on July 11, 2011.
In this season, Jane and company must deal with relationship problems, family issues, conflicts with friends, and even more murders in the city. Things are made more complicated when Maura's father, Paddy Doyle, becomes more involved in Maura's life, just when she and her adoptive mother, Constance, are becoming close; and when Frank Rizzoli decides to leave the family, and the youngest Rizzoli, Tommy return from jail.
Season 3[]
On August 5, 2011, TNT ordered a 15-episode third season of the series. For this season, the show was moved to a different time slot, now leading into TNT's Franklin & Bash on Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT beginning on June 5, 2012.
Season 4[]
On June 29, 2012, just 4 weeks after the premiere of the 3rd season, it was announced that the show was renewed for a fourth season that will consist of 15 episodes.
Season 5[]
On August 15, 2013, the show was renewed for Season 5. The season consisted of 18 episodes which premiered on June 17, 2014 and reached a hiatus with the broadcast of the 12th episode on 2 September, 2014. The remaining 6 episodes were broadcast in February 2015.
Season 6[]
Season 6 premiered on June 16, 2015.
Season 7[]
On July 23, 2015, TNT renewed the show for a 13-episode seventh season. On January 7, 2016, it was announced that the seventh season will be the series' last. The season premiered on June 6, 2016. For this season, the show was moved to a different time slot, i.e., on Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT.
Cast and Characters[]
Main Characters[]
- Angie Harmon as Jane Clementine Rizzoli
- Sasha Alexander as Dr. Maura Dorthea Isles
- Bruce McGill as Vincent Walter Korsak
- Lee Thompson Young as Barold "Barry" Frost (Season 1-4)
- Jordan Bridges as Francesco "Frankie" Rizzoli, Jr.
- Lorraine Bracco as Angela Rizzoli
- Brian Goodman as Sean Cavanaugh (Season 3-4, regular; 1-2, 5, recurring)
- Idara Victor as Nina Holiday (Season 6-7, regular; 5, recurring)
- Adam Sinclair as Kent Drake (Season 7, regular; 6, recurring)
Recurring Cast and Characters[]
- Tina Huang as Susie Chang
- John Doman as Patrick "Paddy" Doyle
- Jacqueline Bisset as Constance Isles
- Chris Vance as Charles "Casey" Jones
- Billy Burke as Gabriel Dean
- Chazz Palminteri as Francesco "Frank" Rizzoli, Sr.
- Sharon Lawrence as Hope Martin
- Emilee Wallace as Cailin Martin
- Alexandra Holden as Lydia Spark
- Jaz Sinclair as Tasha Williams
Reception[]
The series started strong in the ratings, as 7.55 million viewers tuned in for the premiere episode. Rizzoli & Isles was the second most-watched cable program on the evening of July 12, 2010, behind its lead-in, The Closer, which had 110,000 more viewers. The show finished the week in third behind The Closer and the final episode of Deadliest Catch.
The premiere set a record as the highest-rated debut for a commercial-supported cable series, and it was the second-highest debut ever for a basic cable TV series. Rizzoli & Isles is second only to the 2008 premiere of Raising the Bar, which attracted 7.7 million viewers during its commercial-free debut. Live + 7 day ratings for the premiere updated the show's status as the all-time most-watched cable series launch, with DVR viewers increasing the show's rating to just over 9 million viewers.
The show has ranked in the top five cable programs all five seasons and was the number one basic cable program in its fifth season.
The show has been described as having lesbian undertones, and the purported sexual attraction between Rizzoli and Isles has been the subject of critical and fan attention, with sites such as The Advocate connecting the show's lesbian subtext to its popularity. Harmon said that she was not surprised by the attention and that, while it was "'super fun' to play a role that has some same-sex romantic vibes", the characters are "straight" and "just best friends". Alexander said that she was not initially aware of the subtext but believed it reflected the characters' chemistry. She also expressed skepticism that Rizzoli and Isles' friendship was out of the ordinary.
DVD Released[]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 10 | June 28, 2011 |
| The Complete Second Season | 15 | May 22, 2012 |
| The Complete Third Season | 15 | June 11, 2013 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 16 | June 10, 2014 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 18 | June 2, 2015 |
| The Complete Six Season | 18 | June 7, 2016 |
| The Complete Seven and Final Season | 13 | January 17, 2017 |