Crime Dynamic Duos: The Blacklist (Reddington / Liz) vs. Wynonna Earp (Wynonna / Nicole)

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 2 is open until Sunday, August 19 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time; round 3 will kick off the following day. The image at the top of the article should explain everything.

Today, we are featuring a new round 2 showdown with Reddington and Liz of The Blacklist facing off against Wynonna and Nicole of Wynonna Earp — even if neither of these duos are exactly your traditional crime-fighting duo, they both manage to routinely get the job done (at least with the task at hand).

Reddington and Liz, The Blacklist (#1 seed) – Given that Reddington and Liz were a top seed entering the tournament, we anticipated that they were going to be able to get off to a strong start. They did just that in taking the battle versus Strike / Robin in round 1 without much trouble. Now, they have a larger challenge ahead as Wynonna Earp fans have been known to be a passionate fan base. Hopefully, this tournament gives fans of The Blacklist something to be excited about with the long wait until the series premieres in 2019.

Wynonna and Nicole, Wynonna Earp (#5 seed) – They had a pretty steep challenge in the first round facing off against Jamie and Eddie of Blue Bloods, but with 57% of the vote, they clearly did enough to make it into this showdown. What we do find fun about having these two in the tournament this year is how they expand outward the definition of what we expect from TV crime-fighters. In some ways, what the two of them do is similar to any other crime show — every week they overcome hardships to take out the bad guys. The major thing that’s different is the supernatural nature of many of their opponents and the history / mythology guiding them. Wynonna and Nicole aren’t even formal partners, but their interests align more often than not.

Photo: NBC