TV Characters We’d Love To See Star in a PI Novel

Posted by Jamie Canaves

[source: Pushing Daisies, ABC]

It is the age of the reboot. Or at least it seriously feels like it! While we’re currently excited for the Charmed reboot, we can see why so many viewers feel overwhelmed by the amount of that-thing-that-ended-is-getting-resurrected on TV. Which is why we’re here to offer a new kind of reboot we very much want to see: TV characters we’d love to see star in PI novels.

 

[source: Living Single, Fox]

After binging Living Single on Hulu we realized that the world needs a PI novel series starring Maxine Shaw. She’s a smart, tough, feminist and a great lawyer. Add in her observation skills and quick mouth to put people in their place and we have a lead worthy of a series we want to gobble up. Not to mention she's super funny. We’re thinking a case gets to her where justice isn’t served which leads her to hire a PI to keep looking into the case. That’s the first book. After that Shaw continues working with the PI on the side for cases with her law firm and cases the PI has trouble with. And did we mention Synclaire has found herself as Shaw’s secretary? Let the hilarity ensue.

 

[source: Golden Girls, NBC]

Another show we’re binging is The Golden Girls, and Sophia Petrillo is just perfect for an amateur PI novel reboot. Imagine this: the other women are busy with their love lives and family drama, so Sophia goes nosing around the neighborhood and gets herself into trouble while solving crimes. She solves cases from who stole a neighbor’s bike to who is hopping outside their marital bed. Blanche wants nothing to do with Sophia’s nosy ways except when hot men are involved—of course. Dorothy is always ready with a “MA!” because she’s worried Sophia is going to get hurt. And Rose keeps helping with cases by telling “back in St. Olaf” stories.

 

[source: Smallville, CW]

Lois, Chloe, and Mama Kent from Smallville start their own PI firm! This is the novel reboot we all deserve. These three characters are each amazing women on their own. Joined together to solve crimes every day, they’re triple amazing. Wait! What about Lex and Superman? Well, Superman is off superman-ing so he only flies in once in a while. But Lex is still Lex and has gotten himself mixed up with the mafia, his only client, as he’s started his own rival PI firm on the other side of town. His constant attempt to sabotage the MLC Agency never fully works but is annoying enough to make him Lois, Chloe, and Martha’s nemesis numero uno. Let the Wall of Weird keep growing!

[source: The Secret World of Alex Mack, Nickelodeon]

Remember The Secret World of Alex Mack?! Teenager Alex Mack was doused with a secret chemical during an accident and ended up developing powers — powers that we believe would make her an amazing PI. She’s already investigating what happened to her with her best friend Ray, so why not let her also take on some cases from her fellow high school classmates? Think Veronica Mars but with the secret powers of telekinesis AND the ability to melt into a puddle when she’s in danger and needs to get away.

 

[source: Pushing Daisies, ABC]

And last but so far from least, we’d love a TV reboot—or really just continue where it left off, please!—of Pushing Daisies. The opening can just be Ned touching the title and now the show is back to life. But if we can’t get that, we’d love this quirky, romantic, already-a-mystery-show-with-a-PI to continue in book format. We’re actually thinking in this case a pop-up book like Emerson Cod made for his daughter. We can already see the beautifully illustrated pages with spinning pies and pop-up flower fields—even a pop-up knife!

 

Tell us which TV characters you’d love to see star in a PI novel!