Grumpy Old Mentors

A variation on Grumpy Old Guys is the Grumpy Old Mentor.

Two great examples:

Provenza on The Closer and Major Crimes

Unlike the other members of the Priority Murder Squad, Provenza--albeit reluctantly and grumpily--works with Brenda from the beginning. He is also quite good at his job, so much so that Brenda complains to Pope: "I was promised a crew of elite detectives, and what Capt. Taylor here has given me is a bunch of junior varsity wannabees...and Provenza."

Later, Provenza becomes a mentor to Sharon Raydor. He is initially reluctant since he expected to take over the squad/Major Crimes unit. But he agrees to stay on and ultimately defends her against bureaucratic tangles and Rusty's teenage behavior.

Even Provenza's (and Flynn's) occasional bungles don't negate Provenza's mentor status. While he is definitely grumpy, he would argue that his grumpiness stems from a lifetime of experience: "It's always the husband. It's always the husband. It's always the husband."

Jack Halford on New Tricks

Jack Halford was Sandra Pullman's guv'nor. Now she is his. He defers to her since he is now her deputy, but he remains her conscience and her bridge to the "old world" thinking of Brian and Gerry. He also operates as a stabilizing force to Brian. He gives advice and remains loyal. He can also be quite cunning when he needs to be.

He is grumpy in a dry way. "Do you have a bad feeling about this?" Sandra says to him about one of Gerry's stunts. "I don't have a particularly good feeling about this," Jack replies.

Occasionally, when pushed to the wall, he operates in a downright gruff way. When faced with a corrupt cop, he tells the man off in no uncertain terms.

Interestingly, both Halford and Provenza are closet romantics. Provenza gets married for the fifth time in Major Crimes to the down-to-earth Patrice. Jack spends many episodes talking to the love of his life, his deceased Mary.

Great characters!