Image Credit: Eric Ogden/TNTMore than 7 million viewers tuned into the debut of TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles Monday – the most-watched premiere ever for an ad-supported cable show, the network announced. The drama that stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander bowed after the sixth season premiere of The Closer, which averaged 7.7 million viewers (up 7% over last year). Rizzoli & Isles – which is based on the crime novels by author Tess Garritsen – lured 7.55 million viewers. It also built on its lead-in from The Closer among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.
Harmon plays detective Jane Rizzoli and Alexander plays medical examiner Maura Isles – two friends who solve crimes together in Boston. The show also stars Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos).
I’m not surprised, I could drive past a bus in my city without seeing an ad for this show. Good marketing.
I love the books, and the show last night did a very good job of staying somewhat true to them! Way to go!!!
Watched it, loved it. It will be a regular must watch from now on.
Sasha makes a good Maura Isles, but Jane Rizzoli is supposed to be tomboy, not quite attractive woman, and although I like Angie Harmon, she’s no Jane Rizzoli.
I loved Sasha in NCIS and she was fantastic here too! Angie was very tough L&O and IMO WILL make believers out of us that she IS this tomboy Rizzoli. Besides, I think Sasha will be a big influence on her. Lest I forget!…Who was that FBI guy??? Great chemistry! Hope he comes back. I think the 7.5+ million will.
That was Billy Burke…. Scrumptious!!
Don’t think it’s a spoiler that FBI guy and Jane end up married IN THE BOOKS, though with complications to begin with. But will they go there in terms of Maura,s love interest conflict? I won’t give this spoiler for those who haven’t read the books.
Another source tells me it was Donnie Wahlberg (with a wig maybe?). Billy Burke isn’t even listed IMDb’s cast for R&I. Wahlberg’s been signed for “Blue Bloods”, so he won’t be a regular. Seems there are some conflicting news articles floating around. Regardless, you’re right….Scrumptious!!
Regardless, you’re right….Scrumptious!!
The FBI guy was Billy Burke, it was in the credits. Donnie Wahlberg was in the “scenes from upcoming episodes” he is guest starring on a future episode.
Oh yes, that was Billy Burke. He better be coming back for regular appearances. Mmmhmmm.
Definitely Billy Burke. Glad to hear he’s coming back. I loved him in “Fracture” with Anthony Hopkins. They downplay his looks in the “Twilight” movies for obvious reasons, but I was so very pleasantly surprised to see him in this show last night!
Thanks ladies! I’ll be able to sleep tonight….after Covert Affairs, of course!
I’ll be there! ENjoyed the episode and I can believe that Angie Harmon can pull off the “tomboy” part.
Books are books and TV is TV. The show is base on the books not an exact copy.
tomboys are the prettiest because they don’t see feminity as a definition and don’t make it a priority…just natural beauty like miss angie there!
As much as I like Angie, Sasha stole the show. She is truly the secret weapon. Great chemistry, too.
I agree! I tuned in for Angie, but stayed for Sasha!
I watched Sasha on NCIS and actually didn’t like her at all, but I thought I’d give Rizzoli & Isles anyway and was pleasantly suprised–it’s a fantastic show and had an unusually fabulous pilot. I can’t wait to see more of both Harmon and Alexander!
Love Sasha, but I hope this show gets better, because last night was generic, ZZZzzz city.
Totally agree. I’ve watched four new cop-related shows (The Glades, The Bridge, Memphis Beat and this one) and this was the best of the four but still not very good.
It was the first show for pete’s sake! Good premise, good writing, and lots of room for character development. I’m a crime drama fan and I loved it! Also liked The Glades. The lead character is different and exciting. Nixed the other two. Am now looking forward to Covert Affairs. High hopes!
If you have read the books you most likely loved last nights eppy. If you have no read the books then I can see why some of you think last night was a bit boring. I myself found a lot of scenes taken right from the books…can’t wait til next week!
I might be the exception because I haven’t read the books and still loved the premier. I’ll be back next Monday.
I have read the books and didn’t even care. I loved the show and thought Angie did an excellent job. Her brother though could do with more acting classes. Loved Sasha. Didn’t watch NCIS but knew Sasha looked familiar. She is an excellent actress. I have missed Angie since L & O and glad she is back! Tomboy? She is all that and more. Woohoo so excited once again for Monday night line up. Been mad since they cancelled my favorite Saving Grace but Rizzoli and Isles will do as a replacement just fine!
Exception number two, right here. I haven’t read the books (yet, just got ‘em in audio waiting for a listen) but I very much liked the premiere. Love, love, LOVE Maura already, and it has nothing to do with her stint on NCIS. Glad to have some quality summer shows to watch.
If you have not read the books then I can see why you would have thought it was boring. However there were scenes that were right from the book. Can not wait until next week!
First, kudos to The Closer for a great season premiere. This is my favorite summer show.
Second, Rizzoli & Isles was very good. I’m not a fan of Sasha’s, but I love Angie Harmon and Lorraine Bracco. I also like Jordan Bridges, who plays Rizzoli’s brother. I recommend this show.
I agree, Closer was in excellent form for the premiere. If they keep the Closer as the lead in, then this show might make it. That, and make Billy Burke a regular….
I’m on the “Billy Burke as a regular” train! I loved him and Jane!
Every time I saw Billy, I couldn’t help but think “No, Jane, stay away from him! He’s a rapist and murderer. Just ask Brenda Leigh Johnson from the LAPD.”
This sounds super ground breaking and original.
It’s not original at all, it’s Bones with two chicks.
Totally agree!!! I picked up on that from the first couple of previews.
not Bones but Cagney & Lacey but sexier and younger.
Cagney and Lacey was actually written well and had good plots, interesting conflicts, and diverse characters, so there is no comparison. That show was groundbreaking! I love seeing Gless and Daly in current shows, like Burn Notice, where they were reunited in one particular episode.
What police department would let its key lead (Rizzoli) walk around without police protection when they believe an escaped inmate AND a copycat are after her? And the stakeout where the former partner gets attacked…who didn’t see that coming? With predators like that on the lose, would you really walk that far away from the stakeout vehicle to relieve yourself? (How he is doing, BTW? I didn’t catch whether he lived or not. I don’t think they mention it. The next scene is the FBI guy at her apartment instead of her at the hospital with her former partner and then it is the next morning and she is at her desk discussing ringtones with Maura and then at the FBI office without a police escort. Where’s her current partner or someone to help protect her?) And wouldn’t you have had a few more police detectives staking out that park to catch two serial rapists/murderers? And the fake coroner’s van and Rizzoli’s gullibility! I was truly hoping that it was a plot twist and she was being tracked by her fellow police officers.
Unbelievable, illogical, and ridiculous!!
I like these actresses; I miss Angie Harmon and her no-nonsense Texas justice attitude on the original Law & Order and was shocked by the sniper shot that killed Alexander’s character on NCIS (didn’t see that coming). I had high hopes for this series, especially the pilot, which needs to grab viewers in order to have them tune in again.
Perhaps the problem was too much information packed into one show, but it seemed like this storyline — if written better — would have been more appropriate as a season finale, drawn out over a couple of episodes. I was hoping the first episode would be better written, like Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, The Closer, or Royal Pains.
Here’s hoping for a better written second episode.
Sarcasm, guys!
Love, love, love the books and couldn’t wait for show; but something was missing, not sure what. I was disappointed.
Probably seemed that way because they crammed two whole books worth of material into a one hour show. The story definately lost most of its impact because of that.
yeah, it seemed like they tried to cram all this backstory with jane and it made it feel like something was wrong, or missing. couldn’t put my finger on it and obviously i’m having a hard time explaining.
GOOD SHOW GOOD TO SEE SASHA BACK ON TV SHE WAS GREAT ON NCIS- AS KATE-
I thought this show was terrible! Where was the police work in it? The coroner did not help solve the crime, and lucky for everyone the bad guys turned up at the cop’s house, and then left her alone to escape (I really expected the main bad guy to start saying he wanted ‘sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!’). I could be a great cop if all the criminals turned up at my house!
I haven’t read the books, but I tuned to check out the show. Very disappointing. The female detectives, even with very good actresses portraying them, were too generic. And that one of them had to confront the criminal who attacked her is so overdone. Ugh, why must women characters in these types of shows always be victims? I had hopes for a “Cagney and Lacey”, but turned off less than halfway through.
I hate the “woman in peril of torture” scenarios and turned it off when it became obvious that’s where this was going. There’s too damn much of this on TV already.
I’m with you. I had high hopes for this and then saw just the same old woman in jeopardy cliches. I watched the first episode but will watch no more.
I’ve been a fan of Sasha Alexander’s work since her first NCIS episode. There’s something special about that gal. For her sake I hope the show does well and she makes a ton of money from it. For my sake I hope the show gets better.
The show will drop a lot next week. It was terrible. Angie Harmon was acting to hard it was odd.
Loraine Bracco would be great as Kay Scarpetta..IMO
Good call.
This was a very fun show. I’ve never read the books, so I appreciate the show for what it is. I prefer it to the Closer, and even Memphis Beat, which I enjoy. I felt it was a strong debut episode. Hopefully next week will be just as entertaining.