Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Third Season

The third season of this female-centered TNT-aired police procedural based on the bestselling novels by Tess Gerritsen continues to follow the intertwined personal and professional lives of blue-collar Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and her best friend, Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), a brainy but socially awkward medical examiner. Some of the weekly homicide cases here are pretty bizarre—one killer dresses his victims as dolls, while another encases his in statues—and the investigations periodically wind up putting one of the leading ladies in jeopardy. But the crime-work is secondary to the duo's off-duty lives, which are full of incident, thanks to their colorful families. After patching up the differences stemming from last season's cliffhanger—when Rizzoli shot Isles' biological father (an Irish mobster, no less)—Maura encounters her real mother (Sharon Lawrence) and a half-sister (Emilee Wallace) who needs a kidney transplant. Meanwhile Chazz Palminteri returns as Rizzoli's dad, whose request for an annulment of his marriage to Jane's high-strung mom (Lorraine Bracco)—so he can remarry “in the church”—has tumultuous ramifications, even for Jane's new-to-the-force brother (Colin Egglesfield). Squad-room colleagues and romantic partners add to this fairly crowded ensemble, but the writers juggle the plot strands satisfactorily and close with a collapsing-building event that paves the way for the next season. Compiling all 15 episodes from the 2012 third season, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Recommended. (F. Swietek)