One aspect of Rizzoli & Isles that separates itself from other crime procedural dramas is the humor. While still handling dark tones and themes throughout the series, Jane, Maura, and other characters often keep their conversations light and humorous.

Often the show will balance out the dark nature of a gruesome crime scene with Jane and Maura discussing a date that didn't go well for one of them or even them making quick quips about the deceased. Rizzoli & Isles series creator and executive producer, Janet Tamaro, describes this use of humor in the series as a way for the characters to cope with the darker elements of their jobs.

“You talk about your life and you say things that in context are funny but you couldn’t say anywhere else. So it was important to me to mash together the dark and the light and have those moments of relief because that’s what real cops are like,” said series creator Janet Tamaro on the humor of Rizzoli & Isles.

Tamaro's inspiration for this type of interaction comes from her previous experience as a TV journalist. During that time she spoke often with police officers for news stories who had experienced a lot of dark elements in their career. She noted that these officers would use humor in conversations in between going over details of horrific events and applied that experience on her show.