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Tag: Janet Tamaro

  • Janet Tamaro to Step Down as ‘Rizzoli and Isles’ Showrunner

    Janet Tamaro has announced she will step down as showrunner for crime procedural series Rizzoli and Isles. She will continue on in a consulting role for Season Five.

    Tamaro developed the one-hour TNT drama based on a series of novels by Tess Gerritsen. She said she is “incredibly proud” of the work she’s done in the first four seasons of the show and is leaving it in great shape. She told Variety that she is at the top of her game creatively and wants to keep that momentum going as she branches into other projects.

    News of Tamaro’s departure comes just on the heels of the production wrap of Season Four. The final four episodes of that season will air in January, 2014.

    Rumors of changes have circulated in recent weeks. Production was halted following the August 19, 2013 suicide of 29 year-old cast member Lee Thompson Young.

    Tamaro reveals that while Young’s death was not the reason for her departure from Rizzoli and Isles, it played a role in the decision to move on: “It was a catalyst for me to examine what I want to be doing next.”

    Tamaro said she hopes to continue collaborating with Warner Horizon Television and TNT for future projects. She says they have “been a dream to work with.”

    No showrunner has been chosen to replace Tamaro.

    Rizzoli and Isles was recently renewed for a 15-episode fifth season. The summer finale aired September 10, and the show’s Twitter account is already talking up its January return.

    The series’ titular roles are filled by Angie Harmon as homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as forensic expert and Massachusetts state Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Miles. Other cast members include Jordan Bridges, Bruce McGill, and Lorraine Bracco.

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  • Janet Tamaro Leaves TNT Hit ‘Rizzoli & Isles’

    Janet Tamaro Leaves TNT Hit ‘Rizzoli & Isles’

    Janet Tamaro, of TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, exclusively announced to Variety that she will be leaving the series after the fourth season ends early next year. Tamaro is a producer, writer and showrunner for the television drama, and she created the series for the network in 2010 from characters in novels by Tess Gerritsen. She is rumored, however, to be staying on as a consulting producer for the series’ fifth season.

    Tamaro told Variety, “I did four seasons that I’m incredibly proud of, and the show is in great shape.”

    Many viewers thought Tamaro’s departure may be the result of the untimely suicide of show favorite, Lee Thompson Young, who died last month; Tamaro admitted that her friend and coworker’s death was a sort of “catalyst” for her decision, as it made her reexamine her career and the endless possibilities she still has available. It was not, however, the ultimate reason for her leaving; in the Variety interview Tamaro also said:

    “It’s been phenomenal, but I’m at the top of my game creatively and really want to use the juice I have to produce other projects…I do so love writing female characters, and I want to do more!”

    The writer recently Tweeted about her decision:

    Tamaro is also reportedly in talks with Rizzoli & Isles producers to create more shows for TNT, as well as having signed on to a deal with New Regency for a suspenseful thriller.

    A replacement for Tamaro on Rizzoli & Isles has not yet been named.

    Image courtesy @RizzoliIslesTNT via Twitter.