Crime Dynamic Duos: NCIS: Los Angeles (Deeks / Kensi) vs. Instinct (Dylan / Lizzie)

Welcome to CarterMatt’s Crime Dynamic Duos 2018! This is the third year in which we’re doing this tournament, which is a way to honor some of the best crime-solvers in all of TV. This tournament runs throughout the month of August, and over the course of it we describe what makes certain pairs the perfect crime-fighting duo while also allowing you to share some of your thoughts on the competition! Each article is accompanied with a description and a poll; the winning duo will advance to the next round leading up to the winner being announced on September 1!

What are the rules of the tournament? Basically, all eligible shows have to still be in the midst of their run on TV as of August 1, and at least one character involved needs to be involved in solving crimes in some capacity. They can be a cop, a private investigator, a federal agent, a lawyer or a high-ranking officer. What matters is that they put plenty of bad people away.

Voting Rules – Vote however often you like! Voting for Round 1 is open until Friday, August 10 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. Round 2 will begin the following day; the image at the top of the article should explain everything.

In this article, we’ve got a really established pairing in Deeks / Kensi from NCIS: Los Angeles facing off against one that has just still found its sea legs: Dylan / Lizzie from Instinct. Let’s see who comes out on top.

Deeks and Kensi, NCIS: Los Angeles (#1 seed) – Densi is one of the most popular couples in all crime TV, and for good reason. When things are going well between the two of them, they are one of the most memorable couples out there. They love each other, but in the midst of the romantic moments there is a lot of humor here — they mess around with each other in a lighthearted way very few other characters do. Beyond just that, they also of course are great at their job. They have went undercover and taken out more bad people than we could possibly count over the course of the past several years. Hopefully, they’ll continue to do just that and we don’t end up seeing anyone die at the start of season 9.

Dylan and Lizzie, Instinct (#8 seed) – Now, we move to one of the best new partnerships on TV these days. A big part of what makes these characters so special is how different it is from some other ones on TV. They aren’t a will-they-or-won’t-they couple, and instead rely mostly on their friendship and their skill set to get the job done. They have a good bit of playful banter, and we think that the two of them are rather exceptional at pulling something out of each other that wasn’t quite there when the other person wasn’t around. This is the sort of push-and-pull that we love to see with partnerships on TV … and, of course, they’re also great at their job, with Dylan working as a valuable NYPD consultant.

Your take

Let us know which duo you want to see advance in the comments below! Meanwhile, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook for more news when it comes NCIS: Los Angeles, Instinct, and a whole lot more.

I can’t see the poll; what do I do? – If you are on mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page and click to view the non-AMP version. If that does not work, give the poll a moment to load! On some mobile browsers, it may take a moment.

How can I vote more than once? – If you are having trouble casting multiple votes, try switching your browser, your device, or visiting the page under private browsing or incognito mode. There should be many handy guides online explaining how to do so if interested.