It's a crime

Is it just me or is every crime drama on television the same?

I am a television enthusiast and have seen episodes of virtually every scripted television show there is. I am a huge fan of a number of these shows and some I would prefer never to see again. This is the case with anyone. With all these viewings, I have come to the realization that all crime dramas are essentially the same.

Each tends to feature a male and female lead. These two leads usually seem to have a strong friendship, but also appear to have obvious feelings for one another. Rarely do the two discuss these feelings however. They will spend hundreds upon hundreds of episodes bickering, bantering, and gazing longingly at one another, but chances are they won't end up together until the series finale. Hey writers, either put them together, or don't. But don't hint at a relationship for eight years. Personally, I would have given up after a few months. Then again, I'm not interesting enough to have a television character based off of me.

Not every crime show contains an annoying "will they, won't they?" romance. But each show does contain...crime. As it well should. My problem here is the way these crimes are handled. The first part of each episode introduces you to the murder or crime committed. This makes sense. But from there, it's all the same. The detectives or police officers go on a wild goose chase. They will normally interview a bunch of people that are less than enthusiastic about taking a few seconds out of their day to solve a murder. Call me crazy, but if an FBI agent were interviewing me about a murder, I would be more than accommodating and answer all of their questions in a quick and respectful manner. The people in these shows usually respond with a snide response about how they dislike the victim. Doesn't that look a little suspicious?

I suppose it doesn't matter, because none of the people interviewed usually end up having anything to do with the crime. At the end, it's almost always revealed that the victim's teacher's girlfriend's mother's dog committed the crime. If the show starts at 8:00, the case is normally solved by 8:58. This leaves just enough time for the male and female lead to flirt over coffee and make a few quips about how their lives aren't what they expected. Then the show ends and the preview for next week airs. But wait, doesn't the preview for next week look an awful lot like this week's episode?

I understand these shows tend to attract a lot of viewers because you don't need to see the other episodes in the series to follow along with what's happening. But I'm waiting for a crime drama that switches it up. They are all far too predictable.