Deux flics à Miami

I remember back in 1985, when I was in Grade 9 that the teacher wanted to have the students talk about themselves. We were given a personal questionnaire, then we would divulge our answers. When it came to our favorite T.V. show, 18 out 30 students said "Miami Vice". And that's how I was introduced to this show.

Running during the years when NBC was dominant in prime-time and daytime (1984-1991), when the other networks were struggling as opposed to the pathetic NBC we have now, Miami Vice was probably the second most popular show in the U.S. after The Cosby Show.

Miami Vice is a crime-drama about two detectives, Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and a transplant from New York, Ricardo Tubbs (Phillip Michael Thomas) who fight crime in Miami. Unlike other by-the-book cop shows, this one brought back the cool trend brought in years back with Starsky & Hutch. The men are dressed in cool pastel clothes (Johnson became quite a fashion plate during these years), have a sleek white Ferrari and certainly have 80's panache in dealing with criminal element.

Like many programs during the "Flashdance" era, there is music in the background at all times but Miami Vice played the current hits as well. It was a big honour for artists to have their music played on the show.

Of course, today the show is a bit dated and a lot of people think that Don Johnson dominates too many episodes but he was THE MAN and PMT didn't mind playing second fiddle (who was hotter than Don?). Still, as a lover of the 80's this show is a must-watch for me. Too bad it's on the more pathetic TNN (WE GOT POP!!) but I tolerate it. Also, Don Johnson's current hit "Nash Bridges" is good, too. He may be a little heftier but that voice and his fashion sense haven't changed.

What can I say about Miami Vice that hasn't already been said, except that it is the greatest TV show ever made in the history of television. It quite obvious the best season of Miami Vice is the first season. Season one was the season where Vice really focused all it's episodes in real life situations. Situations which really happen in real life. Vice started with a bang with the excellent pilot episode, and it never looked backed for the next 22 episodes. Season one was everything that made Mimai Vice what it is now. Action, drama, intensity, thrills , music, style, and relationships. One episode that features all this, is Calderone's Return- Part 1 and 2. Two really fantastic episodes. Other great episodes of season 1 are The Great McCarthy, Little Prince, Milk Run, I can go on and on. One truly classic season.

As good as Season 2 was and it was good, it doesn't compare to Season 1. The problem with season 2, is the show focusing on bizarre situations such as voodoo, satanism, and other weird stuff. Season 2 featured three episodes that I consider awful. Whatever Works, Tale of the Goat, and Bushido. Three episodes that season 1 would of never of thought of making. Even though I don't like these episodes, I still consider season 2 a very good season. It just doesn't even come close to the flawless season 1. I do think though that season 2 features the greatest Miami Vice episode of all time which is The Prodigal Son. A well directed, very entertaining Vice episode that features lots of action, drug busts, romance, and totally awesome 80's music. Your not a real Vice fan if you don't like The Prodigal Son.

It's sad to say, out of all five seasons of Vice, only the first two seasons defy what Miami Vice was and are the only two seasons that really kick Miami Vice ass!! Season 3 became more of a darker Vice that took away everything that made the first two seasons such a highly entertaining show. Gone was the pastel background colors, snappy pop tunes, and Crocketts famous look that made him an icon among men and his fast wheeling car. Dark broody colors were replaced in the background, the music was replaced with unknown artists, and Crockett looked more like a banker/rock star, and his beloved Spider Ferrari was replaced with a Testarossa. Which was blown up in the season premiere of season 3 When Irish Eyes are Crying.

Season 3 took out all the fun and excitement of the first two seasons and replaced it with a more darker depressing Miami Vice. The outcome, ratings dropped, and the show was not Miami Vice that everyone fell in love with. I think the problem lies with the shows producer John Nicolla, who left and was replaced by Dick Wolf who probably was never in favor of the pastel energetic Mimai Vice of the first two seasons. So if anyone is to blame of Vice's downfall, it's Dick Wolf. Creator also of the lame Law and Order series.

I have nothing to say about seasons 4 or 5 except that was this really Miami Vice the show that was unlike any other in the history of television. I have nothing good to say about seasons 4 or 5, except horrifically awful, especially season 4. Can't get any worse than that.

There is great news though as of this writing Miami Vice is finally being released on DVD. Season 1 that is. The complete season of all 22 episodes and it's original music intact. Wow what a collection that will be, I can't wait. Presume to come out later this year, around Christmas time. What a Christams present that will make! Miami VICE LIVES ON!!! THE GREATEST DAMN SHOW EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION!!!

I won't bore you with what I think are the best episodes, but season 2 was where I started watching it originally as a kid and I've revisited the show again on DVD just recently some 25 years later

The things that strike me now are that Don Johnson is a damn fine actor, Jan Hammers music was and is awesome, and the show had a noticeable upturn in production values from around about 'Yankee Dollar' onward - from that moment we have real on-set undubbed dialogue, proper location ambiences, camera shots onboard speed boats. It really does get awesome from here. I just watched the episode and loved it

You can tell that Mann is primed and ready to get into film work at this point and really had honed his skills as a Producer

All I can tell you is if you've never seen it, watch the show. It has Edward James Olmos who went on to star in my other favourite TV show of all-time 'Battlestar Galactica'. Don Johnson who really should be recognized for his acting talents imho and some of the coolest music you will ever hear in a TV show in Season 2. I'm definitely not talking about the pop music btw, but the Jan Hammer tracks - if you like vintage retro synths you will absolutely love it

While some of the fashion styles might seem silly now, interestingly Miami Vice had a huge influence on popular culture and fashion during the 80's rather than vice versa. I still think Sonny and Crocket look slick most of the time, but some of the extras do look like aliens from outer space, and the shorts are Bjorn Borg short!!! The 80's were a pretty crazy decade

Great show. Brings back a lot of memories seeing it again, and very satisfying that Michael Mann went on to become one of the best movie Directors of all time with films like 'Manhunter' and 'Heat'

At the time of writing, the anti-80s sentiment that was so strong particularly in the 90s has more or less disappeared. Finally, we can again appreciate this strange decade's fashion. Miami Vice was cutting-edge, the coolest of the coolest, and a must-see for those fascinated by 80s aesthetics. Some of the episodes are actually slow and contemplative, focusing much more on building a cool atmosphere rather than on endless action scenes. Somehow, it captures much of the optimistic "no problem" attitude of the decade that has recently been dismissed as "kitsch". At least, this is the case for the first couple of seasons. The speculative elements that at the time raised some criticism look innocent and almost charming compared to what's being shown today. You can see cool design, cool clothes, cool architecture, cool attitudes, cool cars, cool boats, listen to cool music. Though one may like or dislike the style, everyone will see that there has been put quite an enormous effort into all this. As for the stories, they fit the spirit of the series quite well - they're interesting enough to catch your interest - never complex, but not devoid of intriguing and well-developed characters. This is simply one of the best showcases for what the 80s were all about.

Although made for television this show portrayed a real street presence not often found in the public domain. Having lived through this period and witnessed, first hand, the "drug culture," and its effect on the population, the program stands as a warning to those who want to experiment, the nightmare to the general population, and the ever-present danger and bravery of the police who try to cope with this never-ending misery. The daily antics of Crocket and Tubbs, the characters they meet, the villains and the heroes of their streets,make the reality palatable while at the same time shrouding their discomfort with humor, e.g., Izzy, material breaking down, glitzy surroundings. Well worth watching many times over.