Buddy Cop Fandom - Fanlore

Buddy Cop Fandom

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A buddy cop fandom is a fandom based on a buddy cop television show or film, usually starring two law enforcement agents, or one law enforcement agent and a civilian. The two "buddies" usually have a key difference in their background or personality, which is a source of conflict between them. Because these shows and movies are historically aimed at a male audience, the two main characters tend to be male.

In short, if the fandom fits into the "They fight crime!" [1] model, then it is probably a buddy cop fandom.

Contents

The Buddy Relationship

Sometimes interpersonal conflict in the buddy relationship is caused when a law enforcement character is forced to work with a civilian character, such as a scientist, academic, or even a reformed criminal. If the two characters are both in law enforcement, they may be of different nationalities (as in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. or due South) or of different ethnic backgrounds (as in Rush Hour or Lethal Weapon) or they may just be different personality types, such as an uptight, by-the-book cop being paired with an unorthodox, street-smart cop.

Once the two characters have been established, the general thrust of a buddy cop show or movie is they are forced to overcome their personal differences and bond with each other in order to achieve their goal. This genre is, therefore, extremely popular with slashers. Hot Fuzz both parodied and embraced the genre's tendency to treat buddy cop relationships as if they were romantic courtships.

Buddyslash has become a catch-all term in fandom for any pairing between two characters that, canonically, are close friends in this manner.

Common Aspects

The buddy cop fandom usually features several important episodes devoted ostensibly to solving crimes or catching bad guys, but are really about the relationship between the two buddy cops. An example would be The Sentinel's "Flight," in which Blair must decide whether to stay with Jim in Cascade, or take a career-enhancing job elsewhere.

Again, because these shows are traditionally aimed at a male audience, the characters are usually single or divorced (thus allowing them to romance a series of gorgeous women.) However, shows that produce buddy cop fandoms are generally so focused on the main buddy pair's relationship that female romantic interests are usually BOTWs who die or leave forever at the end of the episode.

Buddy cop shows often feature many other aspects meant to appeal to a male demographic, such as frequent explosions, fight scenes and car chases. Buddy cop shows (and related shows) also tend to feature really cool vehicles, such as Jim and Artie's private train, Starsky & Hutch's 1976 Ford Torino, Ray Kowalski's black GTO, or the Winchesters' black Impala. (This cliche can also be inverted for humor value, such as Bobby Hobbes' trashy gold van on Invisible Man or Burton Guster's tiny, fuel-efficient Toyota Yaris on Psych.)

Examples from Television

Two Law Enforcement Agents

Law Enforcement Agent / Civilian

Examples from Movies

Buddy cop films were a popular subgenre of action movies that peaked in the '80s. [2] Examples of popular American buddy cop films include 48 Hrs., Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Tango & Cash, and the Rush Hour trilogy. Hot Fuzz, while a parody of the genre, still manages to hit every trope on the list with affectionate enthusiasm.

Related

In some circles, "buddy cop" has become shorthand for a particular kind of (usually male/male) relationship, regardless of the professions of the characters involved or the presence of a strong supporting ensemble. For instance, in the season 4 episode of Angel the Series, Spin the Bottle, Cordelia Chase says of her friends Wesley and Gunn:

"Hey. Hey, you two want to stop the homoerotic buddy cop session long enough to explain this?"

Therefore, there are many shows which are not technically buddy cop shows, but do focus on a strong, mostly platonic but charged relationship between two main characters who fight crime or supernatural threats. Some of these fandoms are extremely popular with buddy cop fans and many feature examples of buddyslash or unconventional het pairings.

References

  1. ↑ They Fight Crime! Last accessed October 10, 2008
  2. ↑ Wikipedia, Buddy cop films Last accessed October 10, 2008
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