Love Detective shows - Hate Cop shows

[marlboro]

Some of my very favorite shows are detective shows. I've rewatched Magnum, Columbo, and the Rockford Files countless times. It would seem natural that I would like mystery shows involving the police but it just isn't so. I think it's because, all too often, police shows feature protagonists who are a-holes. Gruff, invincible, and always talking down to people. I wouldn't want to spend time with McGarrett or Longmire in real life, so why would I want to "visit" them on a weekly tv program?

I much prefer the everyman qualities of characters like Magnum and Rockford.

Anybody else feel this way?

[308GUY]

I much prefer the everyman qualities of characters like Magnum and Rockford.

Anybody else feel this way?

Got my vote.

There are some "cop" shows I enjoy on occasion, but as a rule, I'm with you.

I also have and watch MPI, Columbo, and I plan to get Rockford whenever Amazon runs it as the "daily" or "weekly" special at the right price.

I think it's what you said about the protagonists being too stringent, adhering strictly to the "rules" going by the book above all else. Not all of them are that way, but as a "rule", it does seem to be the case more often than not.

Columbo might be the exception to the rule, as remember, he IS an "official", but sometimes he doesn't play strictly by the book, but more by intuition and taking human nature into account to solve a case and/or to understand how to proceed.

Going back a little further, gotta throw Perry Mason into the mix. Great show, good characters, always an interesting watch, in my opinion.

I think what we like/dislike has different elements to it, but one of the main criteria is likability of the main character. Without that, a very strong story can sometimes carry the show or keep your interest, but not near as well as that attraction to the main man. If we like him, we are probably going to like the show overall, though as has been pointed out here on this forum, there are some stories that just don't work all that well.

JMHO, but you did ask! LOL

[marlboro]

I think the bumptiousness of these types of characters is what makes me dislike them. The are supremely confident and are usually fairly condescending to everyone they meet. Especially to subordinates and suspects. All of whom have to take it because the protagonist is in a position of authority.

Maybe it's a sign of immaturity or unsophistication on my part, but I really do have a hard time watching shows with unlikeable protagonists. What's strange about it is that I can watch a movie like Silence of the Lambs and "like" Hannibal Lector more than the main character on House. Sure, he's a cannibal - but he's a polite cannibal.

It's funny, the little things that can ruin a show or movie. I had a neighbor growing up that hated movies with snow or that were too darkly lit. My father hated movies with flashbacks; they just irritated him for some reason. Compared to them, I suppose my little quirk isn't so odd.

[Little Garwood]

It wasn't until I reacquainted myself with the first two "Dirty Harry" movies that I realized that the rogue cop and the private eye were apart from their times and existed on the fringes of society, serving as wry and cynical observers of the world’s madness. They’re about as far removed from the everyday world as a character can be--and that includes the police. Detectives are transitory figures in every respect: Their home lives are nonexistent; their relationships are limited to brief interactions with weaselly snitches and frequently-tipped civil servants who provide them with leads. These guys, to quote Anthony Vincenzo in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, “don’t have a rapport with society.” Private Eyes move freely within society while at the same time never belonging to any aspect of it. In fact, the cops hate the private eyes and the private eyes—who were often once cops themselves—resent the bureaucrats and thugs who inhabit the force; it’s a mutual disdain that’s fueled many a movie. Cops and detectives are working towards the same goal, only they have what might be termed "conservative" and "liberal" ways of going about it.

Yes, there are "rogue" cops and that does muddy the waters a bit but by and large, detectives--or "private investigators"--are an entirely different breed than the "Men (and Women) in Blue."

In defense of (the original) Hawaii Five-0--I despise the remake; it's more like The Mod Squad than Five-0--I like it because it was a "cop show" with an international intrigue twist. From its very beginnings (the pilot movie, Cocoon), McGarrett dealt with spies and international plots before he dealt with armed robbers and thieves.

[rubber chicken]

Adam-12 is a cop show you might like, if you're going to like any cop show. In a way it's an advertisement for the LAPD, but essentially it shows two likable everyday patrol officers trying to do their job as well as any police officers can.

The entire series is available on Netflix streaming and DVD.

[ConchRepublican]

It wasn't until I reacquainted myself with the first two "Dirty Harry" movies that I realized that the rogue cop and the private eye were apart from their times and existed on the fringes of society, serving as wry and cynical observers of the world’s madness. They’re about as far removed from the everyday world as a character can be--and that includes the police. Detectives are transitory figures in every respect: Their home lives are nonexistent; their relationships are limited to brief interactions with weaselly snitches and frequently-tipped civil servants who provide them with leads. These guys, to quote Anthony Vincenzo in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, “don’t have a rapport with society.” Private Eyes move freely within society while at the same time never belonging to any aspect of it. In fact, the cops hate the private eyes and the private eyes—who were often once cops themselves—resent the bureaucrats and thugs who inhabit the force; it’s a mutual disdain that’s fueled many a movie. Cops and detectives are working towards the same goal, only they have what might be termed "conservative" and "liberal" ways of going about it.

Yes, there are "rogue" cops and that does muddy the waters a bit but by and large, detectives--or "private investigators"--are an entirely different breed than the "Men (and Women) in Blue."

In defense of (the original) Hawaii Five-0--I despise the remake; it's more like The Mod Squad than Five-0--I like it because it was a "cop show" with an international intrigue twist. From its very beginnings (the pilot movie, Cocoon), McGarrett dealt with spies and international plots before he dealt with armed robbers and thieves.

+++ Excellently thought out analysis! (I had to bust out my teacher's red pen for that!!)

I too think the draw of these characters is that they work outside the establishment. I mean really, a real "police show" would be all about paperwork and politics! Granted, I do like Blue Bloods, but I think having a few different perspectives helps tell a fuller story.

Back to Magnum, Columbo, Dirty Harry et al . . . we all like that guy who walks his own path. He has no rule book to guide him and protect him (It's not my fault, I followed page 48 sec. 7 paragraph 5!) and follows his morality which in society tends to get watered down and muted to satisfy everyone and avoid lawsuits.

I think there's that dreamer segment of society that is prone to that "I wonder what if . . ." fantasy from time to time. Not everyone has the ability to forge their own path that severely. Most have to work in some organized system where a certain playing by the rules must be adhered to even if they have a bit of flexibility. They have families they wouldn't trade for the uncertain (and ultimately unfulfilling) excitement of the one night stand or that whirlwind affair. But it's an exciting thought nonetheless to be independent yet with something to live for.

Jimmy Buffett has a great song "The Last Mango in Paris" written mostly about the life of Capt. Tony Tarracino. It's a great life he must have led and everyone wanted to meet him when he held court as his bar in Key West, but who really wants to chance that life . . . running afoul the mob in Jersey, going on the run, doing odd fishing jobs along the coasts, running guns to Cuba before settling into a bar at the end of the road? How many make it? It's romantic as hell and a great (very embellished I'm sure) story, but not for everyone.

http://youtu.be/shZIJL2TL1s

That said . . . there's still so much to be done is a good mindset to have . . .

[Steve]

I do like Tom's new series Blue Bloods. It is so well written and as much about a family dealing with the day to day stresses involved in a life of protecting and serving and not just about solving the weekly crime. Plus (you should like this Peter) the night time aerial shots of Manahattan are stunning and make the city look lake a shimmering jewel..............

[ConchRepublican]

I do like Tom's new series Blue Bloods. It is so well written and as much about a family dealing with the day to day stresses involved in a life of protecting and serving and not just about solving the weekly crime. Plus (you should like this Peter) the night time aerial shots of Manahattan are stunning and make the city look lake a shimmering jewel..............

I agree . . . And that's the best way to view NYC, from a distance.