TNT orders sixth season of 'Rizzoli & Isles'

Series topped summer charts as basic cable's No. 1 show, with top 5 rankings among key adult demos

TNT has ordered a sixth season of the blockbuster hit "Rizzoli & Isles," which finished this past summer as basic cable's No. 1 series. Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander star in the drama, which has ranked as one of basic cable's top five series for five consecutive years, including 2014-to-date.

Season five of "Rizzoli & Isles" is set to return with new episodes in early 2015. TNT has ordered 18 episodes for season six, which is slated to launch in summer 2015. "Rizzoli & Isles" is produced for TNT by Warner Horizon Television and Bill Haber's Ostar Productions, with Haber and showrunner Jan Nash serving as executive producers.

Based on characters created by best-selling crime novelist Tess Gerritsen and developed for television by Janet Tamaro, "Rizzoli & Isles" stars Harmon as Jane Rizzoli, a tough-as-nails Boston police detective, and Alexander as Maura Isles, a smart, impeccably dressed medical examiner from a privileged background. Despite being complete opposites, the two women share an offbeat chemistry, an authentic and deep friendship, and a unique working relationship that, together, helps them to solve the most complex murder mysteries in Boston.

"Rizzoli & Isles" also stars Jordan Bridges as Jane's brother, Det. Frankie Rizzoli Jr.; Bruce McGill as Sgt. Det. Vince Korsak, Jane's steady, old-school homicide squad teammate; Idara Victor as crime-scene analyst Nina Holiday; and Lorraine Bracco as Angela, Jane's meddling mother.

"Rizzoli & Isles" launched in 2010, finishing its first year as basic cable's No. 1 new series. Each year since, it has ranked as one of basic cable's top five series with total viewers, as well as one of basic cable's top 10 series with adults 25-54. The show topped the charts as the No. 1 series on basic cable this past summer, with 7.6 million viewers in Live + 7 delivery. "Rizzoli & Isles" was the No. 2 series (behind TNT's "The Last Ship") among adults 25-54 and within the top five among adults 18-49 for the summer. When incorporating TNT's multiple platforms, including live viewing, DVR playback, set-top VOD and digital on-demand, the summer run of "Rizzoli & Isles" reached a total of 13.6 million viewers per episode.