TNT did its renewals backwards this season, with flagship drama Rizzoli & Isles the last to get a pickup. The crime procedural starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander has been renewed for a 18-episode sixth season to launch next summer. A renewal for Rizzoli & Isles, once again the most watched basic cable series of summer 2014 with 7.6 million viewers in Live + 7, was never in doubt though negotiations with series producer, TNT sibling Warner Horizon, proved difficult as the two sides reportedly went back-and-forth on license fee and size of the pickup. (I hear a two-season renewal had been discussed.)
Rizzoli & Isles joins fellow renewed TNT dramas Major Crimes, Falling Skies and rookies The Last Ship, Murder In the First and Legends, likely to be joined by another freshman, just launched The Librarians.
Rizzoli & Isles, which successfully weathered the departure of creator/showrunner Janet Tamaro, has ranked as a Top 5 basic cable series for five consecutive years. Including multiple platforms, Rizzoli & Isles reached a total of 13.6 million viewers per episode this past season.