Inside TV and Pop Culture with Liane Bonin Starr

Quick Look: So are 'Rizzoli & Isles' gay or what?

The real question may be why we even care

By Liane Bonin Starr Friday, Jul 8, 2011 5:12 PM

Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon of "Rizzilo & Isles"

Credit: TNT

I’ll be honest – I’d been faintly interested in watching “Rizzoli & Isles,” but I wasn’t completely sold on adding yet another police procedural to my DVR, even one led by two strong actresses (Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander). Apparently, I was one of the few who hesitated. The show (which kicks off its second season July 11) averaged 8.7 million viewers throughout its first season, a number that many a big four network would covet this time of year (for example, ABC's “The Bachelorette” has been averaging just over 8.2 million).

But ultimately, that wasn’t what inspired me to finally sit down and watch. “Rizzoli & Isles” has become the focus of one of those “are they or aren’t they” debates. Are they or aren't they gay, that is. The blogosphere (especially the lesbian blogosphere) and the mainstream media have buzzed about it, created a drinking game about it and mostly concluded that, despite the protestations of the show’s creator, Harmon’s Rizzoli and Alexander’s Isles were, well, you know.

Before I watched the show, I figured I was going to pontificate about the debate even happening at all. It’s all a flashback to the days of “Cagney & Lacey,” an Emmy-winning police procedural starring Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless back in the 80s. Gless was actually hired as a replacement after another actress in the role (Meg Foster) was deemed too aggressive (read: lesbian), and network brass actively pushed for her character to be more conventionally feminine (read: straight).

So, sure, it’s a step in the right direction that, while “R&I” series creator Janet Tamaro swears the characters are straight, the show isn’t above winking at the audience with plenty of clues that they aren’t. In an upcoming episode I watched, Rizzoli tries to steer Alexander away from a blue collar love interest with an argument that ends, “And you don’t want to sleep with me… do you?” and ends with Rizzoli and Isles pretending to be gay to send said love interest on his forlorn way. Yeah, not exactly steering clear of the topic there.

But I wondered if we weren’t past these kinds of debates whenever two attractive single female TV characters appear on screen. No one ever wondered if Briscoe and Green were doing it in the back of the cop car on “Law & Order” or if Alex O’Laughlin and Scott Caan’s beach-bound cops on “Hawaii Five-O” ever sock back a few too many mai-tais and have to make the walk of shame into the squad room the next morning. Why do women always have to be sexualized, whether they’re straight or gay? Why can’t they just go to work and, you know, work? Maybe they're just friends! Nothing wrong with that!

I was going to pontificate on all these lovely points, but then I watched the show. And I’ve got to say, if the second season is any indication, maybe everyone's just stating the obvious. Rizzoli doesn’t seem all that interested in guys. She keeps asking Isles if they’re really best friends in a kind of desperate, slightly annoying way that suggests she’s looking for more of a connection than she’s admitting. She is completely put out when Isles decides she wants to get frisky with a guy Rizzoli deems a poor choice. If I were playing the drinking game created by the CherryGrrl website mentioned in the Los Angeles Times, I’d probably be blotto before the second commercial break.

There are a whole lotta questions I have now that I know will never be answered (were the girls gay in an early draft? Is Rizzoli wearing comfortable shoes for a reason other than increased perp-catching speed?). But those questions are really not the point. Because “Rizzoli & Isles,” while being pretty puffy on the police work, does a nice job of portraying a female friendship, whether or not there’s something bubbling beneath the surface. It’s nice to see two female leads who aren’t mother and child doing something other than shoe shopping or working as horribly self-involved doctors (sorry, “Grey’s”) and aren’t Kardashians. They’re smart, they work hard and they’re sometimes funny. “R&I” isn’t the best thing on TV, but it’s not bad. And maybe that, and not hopes for a kiss or love scene that will never come, is why people are talking about the show at the end of the day.

Inside Analysis

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Liane Bonin Starr
Sr. Editor

Liane Bonin Starr is an author, screenwriter and former writer for EW.com. Her byline has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety and a lot of other places. Her last book was called "a scandalously catty, guilty pleasure" by Jane magazine. Expect the same from Starr Raving.

Related Searches: Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Rizzoli & Isles

AJ

"No one ever wondered if (...) Alex Oâ€™Laughlin and Scott Caanâ€™s beach-bound cops on â€œHawaii Five-Oâ€ ever sock back a few too many mai-tais and have to make the walk of shame into the squad room the next morning"

LOL, I beg to differ. There's entire subsections of fans happy to operate under the assumption that the duo are secretly partners in more ways than one.
July 8, 2011 at 6:13PM EST Reply to Comment
- No kidding? I love it! Well, I stand corrected. Will have to find another example!
  July 8, 2011 at 6:25PM EST
- Woozie Seriously - that show has more believable flirting between its two main characters than the average Katherine Heigl rom-com.
  July 8, 2011 at 8:13PM EST
Ricardo

"(...) And maybe that, and not hopes for a kiss or love scene that will never come, is why people are talking about the show at the end of the day."

Not even you can believe that.
July 8, 2011 at 6:39PM EST Reply to Comment
- I do, actually -- people want romance between these two characters because they LIKE these two characters. If they didn't, they wouldn't give a crap. If people just wanted girl-on-girl sex, there are plenty of other places to find it.
  July 8, 2011 at 7:31PM EST
- Ricardo That's not what I said.
  
  I don't dispute the fact they like the characters. Frankly, I don't watch the show and don't know how good it is, but YOU said that, at the end of the day, people are talking about it because it "does a nice job of portraying a female friendship". What I said is: not even you can believe that.
  
  They're talking about it (and you're included in the "they", just look at the title of your article) because these are two woman who may or may not get romantically involved. Would there be talk if people didn't like the characters? Maybe not. But would there be this much talk if there wasn't a chance they could be gay? Definitely not.
  July 9, 2011 at 3:54PM EST
SC

Havent seen the show, but I've read the books that the series is based upon. They're not gay in the books and Rizzoli is in a relationship with a male FBI agent and Isles wasn't gay either. I believe they had a steamy sex scene or two in the books as well. But who knows how they're going to adapt it for television.
July 8, 2011 at 8:10PM EST Reply to Comment
George

Only thing I's concerned about is why is TNT claiming "they know drama" when most there line up with exception of Southland and The Closer. Is waterdown drivel you can already find on the broadcast networks.
July 8, 2011 at 8:13PM EST Reply to Comment
I bet there is now slash fiction somewhere on the net for every pairing in popular culture these days.
July 8, 2011 at 8:17PM EST Reply to Comment
ZacharyTF

This reminds me of when there was speculation that Chandler and Joey were gay. How the writers handled that was funny as hell.
July 9, 2011 at 1:30AM EST Reply to Comment
Barb

Add to that the fact that TNT is doing a stellar job promoting this show. Unlike what ABC did with Women's Murder Club, another example of wonderful portrayal of female friendship and maybe more. And Angie Harmon as the cop.

July 9, 2011 at 10:21AM EST Reply to Comment
Sareeta

I haven't seen this show, just the promos. The last promo I saw had the ladies in lying in bed together. I'm pretty sure I wondered if they were lesbians for a second there, but then remembered this is TNT and so even if they are, they probably won't even admit it.
July 10, 2011 at 8:50PM EST Reply to Comment
steve hansen

a great show for those into lesbian teasing steve hansen regards
July 12, 2011 at 5:47PM EST Reply to Comment
Iceman

If the two of them took the plunge and committed to each other it'd make me *that much more* interested in the outcome and how they develop. I know you mentioned that if people wanted girl-on-girl there were other places to look for it but finding that kind of representation on television that isn't out-right smut or badly tacked on/horribly inconclusive and rushed [the cheerleaders from Glee come to mind as strong examples] I think would be an awesome path to explore.
July 24, 2011 at 8:05PM EST Reply to Comment
- Cee To be fair to glee, every relationship on that show is "inconclusive and rushed," not just the queer ones.
  
  In some ways I think subtext is nice. I think that subtext was a lot of the reason (straight) people watch shows like "Bones," although they did get together eventually on the show, didn't they?
  
  Sexual tension is always fun, and I feel like it's missing in a lot of shows that are on today, which often go straight for the steamy sex scene as soon as they can. I like it on this show, though it would be nice if it would actually go somewhere eventually (wishful thinking, I know).
  August 15, 2011 at 12:08AM EST
Kellyfm

Rizzoli and Isles reminds me of "Los Hombres de Paco" not only were the main characters a detective and medical examiner but also had similar physical features the only difference was that they already had sexual tension when they started working together. I mean if that does not sound like deja vu or what?! Then only down fall is that then medical examiner dies in this sitcom/soap. What is more interesting is that this particular show was in spanish. I wonder if this show was based on the book and also if Rizzoli and Isles were based on this spanish show or the book as well.....so many questions unanswered?? Please someone reply!
April 11, 2012 at 4:22PM EST Reply to Comment
Kendra

has there ever been an fbi show with gay leads? not that it matters, but really like rizzles. it would be awesome if they are together, and it's still a normal fbi show that isnt a 'cult thing'. just two very smart and good looking women, doing their job, and being in love with one another.
April 24, 2012 at 4:30AM EST Reply to Comment
Jenny

I really don't understand why people have got to do this. I don't believe for a second that Jane or Maura is gay. However, the sexual tension between them is insane and they would make the perfect couple. But I could never, ever see them with another woman. So I wouldn't call them gay. They're just two women who happens to be attracted to each other (even though they don't know it yet) and should (HAVE TO!!!) get together some day.
August 20, 2012 at 5:30AM EST Reply to Comment

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Inside TV and Pop Culture with Liane Bonin Starr