Rizzoli & Isles - Books vs Television

From the Liverpool Daily Post:

Do the names Rizzoli and Isles mean anything to you? If you're a fan of Tess Gerritsen's crime books, they should do. The international best-seller author created the detective (Rizzoli) and coroner (Isles) series a decade ago and they are, arguably, the best crime books out there.

Which, as a fan of the books, makes watching Rizzoli and Isles (Alibi, Fridays, 9pm) a dangerous pastime. If films can ruin a good book, what damage can a TV series do? Answer: Not much if it essentially disregards everything about the books other than the scenario.

In the books, Rizolli and Isles are both quite prickly characters. In the TV series, Rizolli is still a spiky Boston detective but also has a strong comedy element, helped in no small part by the regular presence of her mum. Isles is a cold character in the books, in the TV series she is something of a friendly know-it-all.

It's more Cagney and Lacey than Rosemary and Thyme in terms of famous female crime-fighting duos, and has more in common with Scott and Bailey than Silent Witness. But the plots are good and cleverly worked through.

Whereas CSI normally involves a piece of forensic evidence coming to light around 10 minutes from the end, Rizzoli and Isles relies on one of the duo pulling random bits of evidence together.

That's how they convicted the district attorney for shooting a key witness in a trial she was leading against a gang boss.

Isles pieced it together when the tyre track at the scene had a distinct nail outline in it – very similar to the nail she'd found in the DA's tyre when she'd changed it for her at the scene of the crime.

Now, you wouldn't get the old men in New Tricks changing tyres.

Its crime? Only fun. It’s nothing like the book. And all the better for it.

I started reading the books after watching season one of the television series. I would have to agree on the fact that making the characters different in the series makes it easy to love both. They're different entities entirely. Janet Tamaro borrowed the concept from Tess Gerritsen then made the characters her own. Although I will admit, having watched the series first, no matter how Jane and Maura are described in the books, I see Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Sorry, Tess! :)

What are your thoughts? Comment below. :)

Rizzles.Xenite.Net One Year Anniversary

It's Rizzles.Xenite.Net's Anniversary! One year ago I started a simple Rizzoli & Isles site to show my love for the show and it's stars. One year later this site has grown with blogs, picture galleries, spoilers, reviews and more. It now receives thousands of views a month. My thanks to all of you for following this site. It's your responses/tweets/emails along with my continued love of this fandom that keeps me motivated to continue to make this site the best that it can be.

My goal for the next year is to give a lot more in the way of scoops, reviews, pictures, screen caps, videos and more! I want to make this site what all fans would like a Rizzoli & Isles website to be. Please keep writing and commenting! You're feedback is greatly appreciated.

You're all awesome! Thank you! :)

Kelly/Taiko
@kellyeneal

Rizzoli & Isles SPOILERS Episode 3x01

TV Guide had some SPOILERS for the first episode in season 3.

SPOILER ALERT

Scene from episode 3x01

 Jane goes under cover as a hooker in a flashback scene that shows the first time she met Maura. That will be fun, I'm sure. Fans have been asking for a flashback to that time. Janet Tamaro said, "We go back to Jane's undercover drug-investigation roots and the day she first meets Maura." In the present Maura feels Jane betrayed her by shooting Doyle. They'll work things out eventually, no worries there.

Janet Tamaro on stories for Season 3

Question from Taylor Clancy:
What are you going to be focusing on this coming season? More of Jane & Maura's relationships or personal lives? Any new drama?

Photo: Doug Hyun

Janet's response:
Yes – and so much new drama, I'm worried we won't be able to tell all the stories I've got planned. Jane will have some heartbreak. Maura's family life will get more complicated. Frank Sr. will be back to throw a few big rocks into the middle of the lake, as will youngest kid, Tommy. That's just a little taste of this upcoming season.

Photo: Danny Feld

Source: Creator's Corner

Rizzoli & Isles Season 3 Returning Guest Stars

SPOILER ALERT
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According to TvGuide.com not only will Chazz Palminteri be returning in S3, so will Ed Begley Jr., Chris Vance, Jacqueline Bisset, and John Doman.

Jacqueline Bisset

After hearing about Eddie Cibrian coming on board as Maura's love interest for a 3 episode arc, I wondered who Jane's love interest would be this season, and I guess I have my answer. Casey (Vance) will be back. Interesting that Begley Jr.'s Dr. Pike will return to give Maura a hand. Could that mean more Doyle (Doman) encounters? By all reports he winds up on the run. I'm hoping for some interaction between him and both Constance (Bisset) and Hope (Sharon Lawrence) this season. What's Constance's connection to him, I wonder?

Tv Guide also reports that Frank Sr. (Palminteri) will have upsetting news for the Rizzoli's. He's remarrying? That would be my guess. ;)

Season three begins June 5th!

Alexander and Doman

Ed Begley Jr.

Screen caps by Kelly/Taiko

Papa Rizzoli returns! Chazz Palminteri

According to his tweet, Chazz Palminteri will be returning for at least one episode of Rizzoli & Isles.

"Getting up to shoot Rizzoli & Isles this morning. Just a great show."

Angie Tweeted: Chazz Palminteri rendered me speechless today during a scene... #1st time God, I love being an actor

Angie: I got to hang w/ my family today!! It was AWESOME!! 

Rizzoli & Isles SPOILER S3 - Eddie Cibrian

Eddie Cibrian  will play Dennis Rockmond, a motivational speaker who meets Dr. Isles, and may become her love interest. According to TvLine it's supposed to be a multi-episode arc in season 3. They report that Rockmond will "coax [Maura] out of her blazer-clad shell."

I wonder who will be in Jane's life, if anyone, when this happens. I'm hoping it's not Dean.

There's been lots of talk lately about story arcs and how R&I has not proven they can do them. With the rift supposed to unfold in multiple episodes and now a romance, here's hoping they can pull it off. I like story arcs when done well.

This being a rizzles site I guess I should comment also that I don't mind love interests for Jane & Maura. I know they're straight both on the show and in the books, and that will never change. Honestly, I'm fine with that. The friendship between them is the important thing, in my opinion.


Source: tvline.com