We don't watch TV shows; we watch DVDs of TV shows on TV. As a result, we are working our way belatedly through a mess/mass of mystery/crime shows with detectives that are...that seem either dazed or crazed.

Last night it was "The Bridge," a girl detective in the El Paso police department is definitely dazed and obsessive (aspergers?). Finished with "Homeland" (season 3) where our heroine is crazed (bi-polar). Before that, puzzled over "True Detective's" "hero," an alcoholic with intuitions; more dazed than crazed.

Since our chronology is not "real-time" watching, are the dazed and crazed copy-cat portrayals? Or is this a trend?

UPDATE: Alessandra Stanley has something to say on this subject. See Comment @10:21, 1/22

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Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

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