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The First 48 debunks common TV crime drama stereotypes because it has a less procedural focus than most true crime series. Sergeant Dave Walker and Lieutenant Brandon Watkins demonstrate different leadership styles that have each contributed to the success and growth of Tulsa Homicide. Walker and Watkins prove that their corresponding crime drama archetypes are outdated.

There are dozens of popular TV procedurals -- and then there's The First 48. Being a true crime series, the A&e show is obviously very different from the countless fictional versions of homicide detectives. Yet that difference is not just that one is scripted and the other one isn't. The First 48 has been able to highlight some of crime dramas' common tropes simply by raising awareness about how homicide really works. One of the most noticeable is the one that Tulsa Homicide supervisors Sergeant Dave Walker and Lieutenant Brandon Watkins regularly put to shame.

Tulsa is...

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One of the most familiar aspects of Friends was Ross and Rachel's will-they-won't-they relationship, which happens throughout the entire series. Their romance included unrequited love, jealousy, cheating, pregnancy, and the famous "we were on a break" dilemma. The two had an on-and-off relationship throughout the sitcom's ten seasons, with the audience constantly wondering whether they would eventually make it work. A Friends fan theory might suggest why the two characters are just so...

Every comic book hero has an origin story. The First 48 utilizes a similar idea through the long relationships it's forged with certain police departments, particularly Tulsa Police Homicide. In their appearances on the A&e true crime series, both Chase Calhoun and Max Ryden have given TV viewers insight into how someone gets to be a homicide detective -- and made the general public more aware of what happens once someone gets there.

Most TV audiences understand that homicide is considered the pinnacle of detective work. However, far fewer grasp what it takes for a police officer to advance to the homicide unit. Even less understand the growth process that continues past that point. Thanks to having been in Tulsa for so long and having detectives within Tulsa Homicide who are willing to open up to camera, The First 48 better contextualizes the meaning of being a homicide detective by showing how...