Now see there is nothing wrong with a "Frame of Reference" if some one needs that : the problem is people getting stuck there. But it seems people don't have the ability to let go.
And other people get kind of cherry-picky...
All Fantasy has to be Tolkien, all Space Adventure must be Star Wars, all heist stories must be "oceans" and so on.
Conan, Star Trek, Inception...
Maybe not all fantasy is Tolkien, not all Space Adventure is Star Wars, and not all Heist stories are Oceans.
Plus everyone above that says "oh you have to add a new rookie cop and a old cop and" so on that is in EVERY other cop content.
Have you considered that form has purpose and utility?
Having that pairing makes exposition to the TV audience a lot easier. An experienced cop can spend time explaining things to the inexperiencd one, so the
audience understands. Between two experienced officers, that same discussion would be, "Joe, what, do you think I was born yesterday, that you need to explain it to me?"
Also, the mentor/apprentice dynamic a pretty natural one in human experience. And that pairing allows easier introduction of different generational points of view.
And so on. It is used a lot not just because it was done before - but because it also
works. That's a thing about cliches - they are what they are because there is actually something to them.