Strong Women Return On TNT: The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles

Ready to see some strong women kicking butt and taking names? TNT has you covered with tonight’s return of The Closer and the premiere of Rizzoli & Isles.

Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander star in Rizzoli & Isles on TNT

The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, is back for a sixth season of getting answers out of reluctant perps and witnesses. Far be it from this show to stick to the status quo, however. This season kicks off with a shiny new headquarters for Major Crimes, which Brenda does not care for at all, and the retirement of current police chief Thompson. Pope assumes he’s next in line for the job, but wouldn’t you know, Brenda’s arch-nemesis Capt. Sharon Raydor (played by Mary McConnell) decides to go for it, too.  McConnell and Sedgwick are such excellent adversaries, I really hope Raydor gets the job. No offense to Pope. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as the squad deals with career ambitions, past loves, and new criminals.

Rizzoli & Isles premieres right after Brenda Leigh & Co. (presumably) wrap up another case. Based on the book series by Tess Gerritsen, the show stars Angie Harmon as Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Dr. Maura Isles. I’m not familiar with Alexander, but the fact that her promo photos show a character who prefers designer clothes under her lab coat is a point in her favor. I know Harmon from Law & Order and Women’s Murder Club and from a dynamic guest appearance on Chuck last season.

Rizzoli is from a blue collar background and chafes at the “boys club” vibe she encounters in the homicide unit. She’s very good at her job, though, catching monsters to keep the streets of Boston safe. Her philosophy? Make every case personal, and always, always wear flats to a scene. “You’ll never catch anyone if you’re wearing high heels.”

Isles is a medical examiner that Boston PD calls “Queen of the Dead”. Devoted to science, logic, and reason, she views death as organic and always explainable. An honor student and accomplished pianist, she’s always known she was different than other kids. In medical school she realized that she didn’t have the emotional skills to work with living patients, so she turned to forensic pathology. Her secret addiction? Shoes. The higher the heel, the better.

Watch The Closer season premiere at 9/8c followed by the series premiere of Rizzoli & Isles at 10/9c tonight on TNT