(be it a book series or novella series or singular novels that you think still hit the vibe I’m looking for)
I’m open for any setting too, contemporary, historical, sci fi, fantasy
I am absolutely obsessed with this form of tv show, you know the 20 to 24 episode seasons with mostly episodic story telling, every episode being a new case or monster hunt and a couple episodes connecting into the over arching plot that’s really only relevant in the season finale. There’s something about the formulaic nature of this tv show structure that is so incredibly soothing to my brain and I am intrigued if there’s anything comparable in book form out there. I know there’s a lot of detective literature that follows the same protagonist solving crimes but a lot of them don’t quite evoke the same feeling for me? I have trouble pinpointing exactly why though, maybe because they sometimes feel a bit too disconnected in installments compared to the tv shows which while episodic still have some overarching plot lines.
I also think another contributing aspect to my favorites of that type of show is that there tends to be banter between the group of investigating characters or monster hunters (I have trouble with this in books because I feel like trying to achieve banter-like dialogue very quickly reads as cringe in my head without having actors sort of even it out if that makes sense) and quite a bit of humor even though the overarching themes are welcome to be very serious or get dark.
I enjoy there being a focus on the character dynamics and some drama in addition to the individual cases.
Some of the tv shows I have watched over the years:
Hawaii five o – loved the group dynamic and specifically the banter between Steve and Danno
Criminal minds – I know I watched at least 5 or 6 seasons of this one so I was definitely obsessed for a while but it’s too long ago to say exactly why
The Mentalist – this one might be my favorite in terms of overall tone and Jane is the best
White Collar – once again character dynamics were a lot of fun in this one
Supernatural – specifically the first couple seasons vibes wise (minus all the casual misogyny & homophobia etc) because they were a bit more lighthearted and more monster of the week than later seasons, though Cas is a favorite character too
Castle – also too long ago to remember why exactly I watched so much of it but I added it anyway because it feels like it hits the vibe
It’s just this combination of mystery/crime solving, character drama and dynamics as well as the mix of sometimes serious tone but also lighthearted and humorous moments that I find so incredibly addictive and desperately want more of.
I would very much appreciate any and all suggestions!
by Kvothes-shadow