I have proposed teaching a class at my local library. In fact I want to teach a bunch of them and I am preparing some CANVA presentations. Lisa has been doing lectures for months and a bunch of people say I should do the same. I am working on one about the history of the potato. That's gonna be lit. The first one is going to be called "Watching the Detectives" and is split between official Police Detectives and Private Eyes.
The first one on the list is Harry Bosch. It is a relatively new series based on the great books but Michael Connelly. He hits all the notes for your typical TV detective. He's a loner. No relationship in his life. Likes Jazz. Lives his life to the tune of a lonely trombone. Has a daughter. They never have a son. Always a daughter. Has to do it his way and is always in trouble because he can't deal with authority. Can't follow the rules. He always knows best. The embodiment of every trope. Still a great series as the books have so much detail and plot to plunder.
They have had three spin-offs so far. Bosch Legacy, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Ballard. The new one about Rene Ballard is really good and worth a watch.
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My final choice is Detective Pepper Anderson of "Police Woman." I mean it's Angie Dickenson. What more do I need to say?
"Who loves you, baby?" Kojak is the seventies. He is the prototype of the cool boss who fights against the bosses to get to the truth. With Crocker, Stavros, and the rest of his crew, he fights to solve crimes and bring the guilty to justice. Of course, many of the episodes are infected with the beginning of the woke sensibility that bled over from that asshole Paddy Chayefsky's writing, but there is still enough seventies grit to make it highly enjoyable.
Raylan Givens of Justified was born of the novels of the great Elmore Leonard and was consistently among the best of all TV cop shows. They got a little shaky in the last season when they depended on the writers to come up with new shit. Then, several years later, after the show was cancelled, they had the bright idea to adapt another of Leonard's novels and to change the protagonist to Raylan and put him in the middle of the storyline of "City Primeval." What a great idea! You know, there are literally thousands of novels published these days, and many of them have great plots but not really great characters. Why not buy those plots and put in the characters like Raylan or Spenser or Travis McGee or Sam Spade or Mike Hammer, or Tony Soprano or whoever the fuck? Just a thought.
Colombo is the best fully original scripted cop show that I have ever seen. Most of the good ones are based on novels or other source material and are not the product of the writers' room. Light on action and car chases, it is still a great cerebral treat as you try to figure out the crime. Copied over and over again these days. I mean, what is "Vera" but Colombo with a vagina? Still, the gold standard for cerebral crime detection. He's Sherlock Holmes without the cocaine. OK, that doesn't sound like much fun, but you should really give it a chance.
Oh, one more thing?
I have the same raincoat.
My final choice is Detective Pepper Anderson of "Police Woman." I mean it's Angie Dickenson. What more do I need to say?
5 comments:
Not going to give her props for being a great detective, but Stana Katic deserves a shout out for being absolutely hot.
You omitted "Longmire", which was excellent.
However, like "Bosch", he had a red headed daughter who was as big around as your little finger acting like a police. The BS of a 112 pound woman taking down a thug gets tedious.
The new mystery meat chick replacement for Bosch is another one - twig thin yet an MMA fighter.
The Bosch series had excellent writing with involved and convoluted cases that required a full season to resolve. The writing made all the difference. But for whatever reason they canceled the final season and replaced it with Ballard. She is unwatchable.
I'm with you on the BS of model thin miracle women presented as capable of taking down huge men, sometimes two at a time. Kenzie's feats on NCIS LA were so unbelievable it was hard to suspend disbelief long enough to enter into or be somewhat entertained by the rest of the story. While I like the way the story unfolds on Castle (to turn out in the end to be someone other than the likely suspect who is guilty) there too is a female cop capable of hanging onto ledges with 3 fingers and taking on multiple bad guys with miraculous agility and strength.
Sort of like the way hot women know how to play killer pool without putting in the hours it takes to be that good.
Sometimes no practice is required:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=585624037390663
Joe Friday. Just the facts, ma'am. Don't even know if he has a life. Cokmplete professional.
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