I am – Hercules!!
A procedural from writer-producer Janet Tamaro (“Bones,” “Trauma”) based on Tess Gerritsen’s serial-killer novels “The Surgeon” and “The Apprentice” (and maybe their six print sequels), “Rizzoli & Isles” is about a hot homicide detective who teams with a hot medical examiner to fight crime. It stars husky-voiced former model Angie Harmon (whose last series was the conceptually similar “Women’s Murder Club”), Sasha Alexander (“NCIS”), Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”), Chazz Palminteri (“The Usual Suspects”), Lee Thompson Young (“The Famous Jett Jackson”), Bruce McGill (“MacGyver,” “Wolf Lake”) and Donnie Wahlberg (who’s also a regular on CBS’ upcoming fall series “Blue Bloods”). The pilot is OK but comes off as such a basic-cable-friendly knock-off of “Silence of the Lambs.” It’s hard not to roll eyes when the soft-spoken, middle-aged, heavily-restrained imprisoned murderer/doctor starts remarking to the pretty cop about what he smells in the room. That to me kinda jumps over the line of homage into the land of theft. Roll those eyes again when the Lecter surrogate escapes maximum security 18 minutes into the pilot. In the not-as-good second episode, the girls do sitcommy things like bicker and drive away a dinner date with too much shop talk. So no Herc DVR space for “Rizzoli & Isles”! USA Today says:

Been there, bored by that. … Familiar, we'd be able to accept. But not this familiar, and surely not this dull on the outside and dead on the inside … it's the same attempt to blend Grey's Anatomychatter with CSI murder — just not nearly as well done. …

The New York Times says:

… In the absence of an arcing narrative, the series wants us to accept as its mission of suspense the mystery of this crypto drag-king-meets-shopaholic friendship. … This is a series, ultimately, that is out to scam us, trying to have us believe that the sexism Rizzoli experiences comes at the hands of lug-headed male colleagues who tell her to take some Midol when she is stressed out. The real perpetrator, of course, is a show whose creepy gender politics imply that women, no matter how tough, always need rescuing, and that beauty, in the end, only gets you the most dangerous kind of attention.

The Los Angeles Times says:

… One can only hope the pilot is more indicative of the show's future and the show's writers rely less on surface shtick and more on the appeal of the characters and the talent of the cast. Because it's all there, it just needs a little room to breathe.

The Washington Post says:

… Let the mutual rigor mortis work its magic, as Rizzoli, insulted by a colleague, retorts with lines you've heard a thousand times before, such as: "How is it that you're still single?" … isn't brilliant television, but everyone in it seems to be giving it their all -- even the corpses. …

The Boston Herald says:

“Rizzoli & Isles” is one-half of a compelling crime drama. The good part involves just about any scene focusing on Angie Harmon (“Law & Order”) as Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli. The flip side? Just about every scene that isn’t centered on her, especially those involving Jane’s best friend, medical examiner Maura Isles … TNT wouldn’t have to do much to improve this show. Simply shortening the title to “Rizzoli” would be a start.

The Boston Globe says:

… Harmon has developed a following that TNT is banking on. She plays Detective Jane Rizzoli, a bit of a tomboy who shoots basketball with her brother (and gets yelled at by her mother, an irritatingly shrill Lorraine Bracco) when she’s not in detective mode. She’s not the smartest cookie in the bag, as she walks into an obvious trap tonight involving a serial killer; but she has grit and ambition and great hair. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… it's hard to find a false note in the new TNT series. It jolts along with humor, suspense, insight and a fair amount of oozing blood. … a beat that's well-worth walking.

Variety says:

… even Harmon and Alexander's well-cut figures will be challenged not to look dated in such a well-worn pattern. … career-driven detective exhibits more bravado than brains, which doesn't bode terribly well for the show as a procedural. …

10 p.m. Monday. TNT. Follow Herc on Twitter!! Follow Evil Herc on Twitter!! “Mr. Show: The Complete Series,” $47.49 last week, is momentarily $20.99!! (58% Off!!)

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