By Gary Strauss
USA TODAY
HOLLYWOOD — There’s no basic-cable channel exclusively devoted to law enforcement just yet. But judging by the new wave of cop- and caper-centric shows in an already large pool, the Crime Fighting Channel may just be a matter of time.
Tonight, TNT rolls out Rizzoli & Isles (10 ET/PT), starring Angie Harmon as a homicide detective and Sasha Alexander as her medical examiner sidekick. Tuesday, viewers get their first look at Covert Affairs (10 ET/PT), USA Network’s action drama about a rookie CIA operative (Piper Perabo).
They follow A&E’s Sunday premiere of murder-mystery drama The Glades (10 ET/PT), featuring a Chicago detective (Matt Passmore) who is relocated to the Everglades, and recent launches of ABC’s Rookie Blue, Fox’s The Good Guys and CBS’ The Bridge, among others.
“There’s a comfort-food quality to the genre that’s reflective of the uncertain times we live in,” says USA Network scripted programming chief Bill McGoldrick. USA’s original series Burn Notice and its NCIS reruns are among cable’s highest-rated shows. USA is also home to buddy cop shows White Collar, which returns for a second season Tuesday (9 ET/PT), and Psych, back for a fifth season Wednesday (10 ET/PT).
The success of CSI and Law & Order franchises and their assorted spinoffs -- both in original runs and in syndication -- led TNT to develop The Closer, Saving Grace and newer launches such as Leverage and undercover cop drama Dark Blue, returning Aug. 4. “Cops, like doctors and lawyers, are engaged in high-stakes work” viewers are drawn to, says Michael Wright, programming chief at TNT, where The Closer returns for a sixth season tonight (9 ET/PT), followed by Memphis Beat (10 ET/PT), which has become one of cable’s most-watched dramas since its June rollout.
Both, like other popular procedurals, feature time-tested formats, compelling core characters and cases usually solved in an hour. “It’s a genre that gives you entertainment value with a closed end,” Wright says. “The truth is, lots of viewers can’t make a commitment to serialized dramas.”
Scripted series aren’t reality-centric A&E’s forte. But it hopes core fans navigate The Glades. Viewers “are looking for heroes, and we believe they’ll connect the dots” to Glade’s crime-solvers and who-done-it themes, says Tana Jamieson, head of A&E’s scripted programming.
Still, with the concept spreading to unlikely networks such as Syfy -- where Secret Service agents deal with the supernatural on Warehouse 13 and the FBI investigates oddballs on the just-launched Haven -- is the genre reaching oversaturation?
“There is a fear of one too many, but I don’t think you’re ever going to see a point where there’s too much,” McGoldrick says. “Standing up and solving crimes for someone who’s been wronged is always relevant.”
Copyright 2010 Gannett Company, Inc.