“RIZZOLI & ISLES: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON”
DVD widescreen, 2013-2014, not rated, contains violence
Best extra: “When Truth Meets Fiction”
TNT’S POPULAR crime procedural ended with more drama going on backstage than onscreen at the close of Season 4. Series regular Lee Thompson Young committed suicide during the filming of the second to last episode. Showrunner Janet Tamaro, a former television correspondent and author, and prominently featured in bonus feature, “When Truth Meets Fiction,” subsequently stepped down.
Based on Tess Gerritsen’s medical thrillers, the show is about 20% mystery and 80% personal/family drama. It’s not easy for newcomers to get into unless invested in the character’s complicated lives. Think homicide-lite such as the procedurals of the ‘80s – “Hardcastle & McCormick,” “Hart to Hart” – with grittier cases. Shows open with a homicide: An assassination, gang war victim, the death of a conspiracy theorist. Solutions are found while Detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and forensics specialist Dr. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) resolve romantic entanglements (Should I marry the military guy or not? Should I date my friend’s brother or not?), and long standing family issues (alcoholic, abandoning dad; business-centered, abandoning mother).
You might scoff, but there is an audience who genuinely enjoys the personal conflict over the procedural. And with grim fare such as “Hannibal,” “The Blacklist” and the unstoppable “Law & Order: SVU” permeating the dial, “Rizzoli & Isles” is a relief. (We used to be able to turn to U.S.A. Network, but even they’re promising to turn to the dark side. [Please, don’t. I’m begging you.]) Some of us – maybe secretly – would rather smile or laugh than keep a night light burning when bedtime rolls around.
The Season 4 presentation comes with two good bonus features. Dr. Annette Ermshar, clinical, forensic and neuropsychology consultant, executive producer Tamaro and co-executive producer Ken Hanes delve into how stories are developed in “When Truth Meets Fiction.” Example: In a writers’ meeting, we see Tamaro in full story-development: “Here’s what I want to do. I want to do a female serial killer and I want to do Hoyt. How do we bring Hoyt back?” She credits her background as a reporter in helping piece together a good story. “It gave me permission to dig and to find experts in their fields, to get a person who knew the most about a particular subject.”
The second feature, “Building Boston,” is all about how the show does it best to keep elements of “The City on the Hill” in focus, although filming takes place in L.A.
Season 5 is just starting. Look for it Tuesdays on TNT.
— Kay Reynolds