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Abstract
Advances in modern forensic science have rendered the procedures on police procedurals repetitive across the globe, yet television writers continue to transmit their cultures transnationally via the way these popular television detectives interact with their on screen parents. Case studies will include Inspector Morse (UK, 1987–2000), Il Commissario Montalbano/Inspector Montalbano (Italy, 1999–2015), and Murdoch Mysteries (Canada, 2008–present) with some attention paid to female police officers in US dramas Cagney & Lacey (1981–1988) and Southland (2009–2013). A close reading of the relationship between parents and adult children in these programmes shows parent characters serve many purposes. They expand our knowledge of the main character by helping us understand their moulding, their mentality and their motivations; they provide universal themes; they also offer a chance for stunt casting – a combination that helps transmit the culture of the country of origin to international viewers.
Notes
1. It would be interesting to imagine that this penchant for prequels has to do with an intellectual desire to explore a beloved character’s youth; most likely, though, it is fuelled by the networks’ interest in exploring their beloved bottom line by taking successful franchises and rewinding them as a way to further profit.
2. It is worth noting that the creator-producers of this programme, Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, wrote and produced several seasons of The Sopranos (1999–2007), a programme centred around the epitome of a clichéd Sicilian-American family of mafia members.
3. Though one could argue that their boss, Charlie, (voiced by John Forsythe), acted as a surrogate father to the three female investigators. Forsythe would later portray the patriarch on Dynasty (1981–1989).