The identifying and catching of criminals continues to dominate the peak hours of primetime network television, but a change has taken place in the make-up and methods of the crime-stoppers.  Gone are the hard-nosed detectives who occupied the squad room in “NYPD Blue” and physically battled crime in the rougher parts of town.  The recent “Southland” had comparable detectives and a similar mission, but the show could not make it to a second season.  Instead, crime-stoppers of a more cerebral and less physical type reign.  Modern-day crime-stoppers include not only forensic scientists and brainy psychologists but also mathematicians, clairvoyants, and even mind-readers.

I watch and enjoy these shows more than the average person, but I also remind myself that they have almost nothing to say about actual crime.  In particular, the shows are oblivious to the relationship between crime and socioeconomic class.