Miami Vice

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.

I don't care what the Don Johnson detractors think, this show is still distinct to this day! I'm glad it won Emmys without pretending to be Masterpiece Theater. This how had a distinct visual style and distinct lingo, which I still use today (esp. "Jou got it, meng!"). And the year is 2011! LOL Don Johnson plays Detective Sony Crockett, a troubled cop who one day meets up with Rico Tubbs, a New York police detective who comes to Miami to avenge the death of his brother. Thus, a legend was born, along with a working relationship and a friendship.

I got a bit fed up with so many people bitching that MV was no good in the 3rd season just because it got darker and more depressing. No, it wasn't QUITE the same, but that was the idea of MV. It's good to see IMDB users such as yarborough sticking up for Season 3, though I think his assessment of the series overall was pretty harsh. There were many episodes I really liked besides those he mentioned and those I've mentioned, granted his opinion is somewhat agreeabl whjen it comes to Season 2.

Critics whined that the music video format would be old hat, but who cares? It's still around, just online instead of on MTV or VH1 much anymore, for gosh sake!!! Miami Vice, despite its detractors, brings back memories of when I was in college too. It reminds us what a fun, memorable decade the '80s were. Thank God for DVD box sets. And as for the casting, it's like a who's who of guest stars, many of whom would take Hollywood by storm: Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, David Strathairn -- along with other famous entertainers such as Miles Davis and Phil Collins.

Kinda annoyed me when the 2006 movie came out. A friend of mine liked it because "It's not a Don Johnson thing. It had a storyline." This series had HALF A DECADE of story lines. I still can't forget "Evan" to this day, or "Return of Calderone!" Two of the best TV eps ever! Don't get me wrong: the movie isn't bad for what it is. I just got a bit tired of people hating on this show just because they didn't like Johnson. At least he was colorful. Long live Miami Vice, pal!

"MIAMI VICE"-A Crime Drama Series Produced by Universal Television. Produced by Michael Mann. Number of Episodes Produced: 114 for NBC-TV. First Telecast of the Series: September 16,1984. Last Telecast of the Series: July 26, 1989.

NOTE: Michael Mann was also the show's creator as well as executive producer and sometimes head writer for several episodes,which he also directed. The series was filmed on location in Miami,Florida.

This show was one of NBC's Biggest Hits of the mid-1980's and it continued to remained so until the end of the decade. This show was a Friday Night Institution for five years of its run(1984-1989)and it went up against some tough competition including several shows that consisted of "Dallas","Falcon Crest",and others not to mention the newsmagazine "20/20",which was the prime-time lineup for Friday nights. The pulse and rhythm of a glamorous resort city of Miami,Florida was the juxtaposed against the seamy haunts of the drug underworld in this gritty action series,which made heavy use of rock music backgrounds and music video effects,not to mention some of the most violent content ever conceived for television happened on this show since it was shown later on Friday nights at the 10:00 hour. Sonny Crockett(Don Johnson)was a rough-edged Miami vice detective who lived on a sailboat called "St. Vitus' Dance",that was guarded by his dyspeptic pet alligator,Elvis,named after the singer Elvis Presley. Ricardo Tubbs(Philip Micheal-Thomas)was a black ex-New York street cop who had to come South to find the drug dealer who murdered his brother. They were an unlikely but effective team,working undercover on the flashy Gold Coast and down the seedy alleyways that made the city of Miami such a city of contrasts. Often they sped around town in Sonny's black Ferrari-Spider sports car(which was later upgraded to a state-of-the-art Ferrari Testarossa,custom-made just for the show). Lt. Castillo(Edward James-Olmos)was their moody superior,and Gina(Saundra Santiago)and her partner detective Trudy(Olivia Brown)were a hip female undercover team,while the other team consisted of Stan(Michael Talbott)and Larry(John Diehl)became the conventional backup.

The stylish,MTV-influenced series(music by rock composer Jan Hammer)was a smash hit that the show itself was one of the top-ten shows in the Nielsens for the first three seasons of its five year run,and was Emmy nominated twice,and transformed struggling actor Don Johnson into a major sex symbol,and made Philip Micheal-Thomas,who was an unknown actor at the time with several movies to his credit,became the heartthrob of fans.especially the women during the mid-1980's. It was also around the time the show was on the air,the soundtrack to the television series,Miami Vice,composed by Jan Hammer became a huge hit,and it was from the album that the show's theme song went on to win both the AMA(American Music Awards),and the Grammy for best instrumental score.

Getting to the character of Sonny Crockett,played by Don Johnson was an rough looking but cool as a cucumber with his expensive pastel sports jacket worn over a T-shirt,with stubbly beard,no socks,and an angry scowl started a fashion trend for those who were into the macho/grubbly look. Female characters on the show fawned over him-and usually got blown up or shot for their trouble. His partner,Ricardo Tubbs was the opposite,a clean cut individual who was always armed with weapons for any situation that came up and usually sometimes to bail Crockett outta a tight problem with some vicious murderer or ruthless drug lord. As for Crockett himself,he was a divorce widow who estranged wife and son were rarely seen,and later a quickie bride player by singer Sheena Easton appeared in several infrequently segments,occasionally as Caitlin Davies(for that one season during the 1987-1988 season)in the show's third season.

This hip-series attracted many famous celebrities,who were normally seen in TV acting roles to do cameos roles. This show had singers from the 1950's(Little Richard,Chuck Berry),the 1960's(James Brown,Eric Clapton),the 1970's(Patti LaBelle),the 1980's-a lot of music from that decade(Phil Collins,Tina Turner,Journey,Ted Nugent,Neil Young,Peter Gabriel,Gloria Esteban to rap groups like The Fat Boys and others)that really influenced this show. Other special guest stars included Watergate felon G. Gordon Liddy,who made quite an impression in the role of a sneaky Real Estate broker;also seen fleetingly were such special guest stars as boxing promoter Don King,boxing champ Roberto Duran,comedian Tommy Chong,the chairmen of Chrysler corporation,Lee Iacocca,and the President of NBC-TV,Brandon Tarkioff,as a bartender!

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.

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!!!