Carbon Copy

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, if that's true that ABC's summer drama, "Rookie Blue," certainly has an affinity for another of the network's hits, "Grey's Anatomy."

One of the biggest trends among the networks is importing Canadian dramas for limited summer runs. CBS was the first to experience success in this with the drama "Flashpoint," but now others are following suit. Since the television options that aren't reality shows are limited in the summer, I decided to give "Rookie Blue," ABC's Canadian import, a try. Something about it felt a little familiar.

It's not a great show, but it has been kind of entertaining. But not for the reasons you'd think. I guess it is partly a statement on how low the entertainment bar is being set, but not only did "Rookie Blue" follow the pattern in terms of characters, it is following the basic story line pattern of "Grey's Anatomy" as well.

The show features five rookie cops, three ladies and two gentlemen. "Grey's Anatomy" was built around five surgical interns, three ladies and two gentlemen. And the similarity doesn't end there. The personalities given to the five rookies is nearly identical — though "Rookie Blue" decided to swap genders for two of the personality types. But it wasn't hard for me to figure out the role each would fall into and, predictably, where that would lead the show.

I guess it shouldn't be surprising. One of the reasons that movies have been so flat in 2010 is that almost everything has been a sequel or a re-make. There is a dearth of originality in mainstream media right now, and it's starting to catch up to the studios in terms of Box Office receipts and ratings.

Unfortunately, the new crop of shows coming this fall doesn't look much better...