Miami Vice

"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!

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.

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!

I know that I never got to see Miami Vice when it was out but I know it did end a year after I was born. I got to see the show on DVD and I thought it was just classic and cool! From the way the show is made it looks more like a movie than a TV-series. The show revolves around two cops, Detective James "Sonny" Crockett (Don Johnson) and Detective Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) and their adventures solving crimes around Miami! Stubble-faced detective Crockett lived in a sailboat guarded by his alligator Elvis. His partner Tubbs was a black New York cop looking for his brother's killer. Together they took on the Florida drug world. The show influenced men's fashions toward Italo-casual and interior decor toward the Memphis look. This show aired on NBC from 1984-1989 and lasted 5 seasons and I was amazed my this real neat series when I first watched it especially on the way it was made and such, plus I think Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas are one cool and memorable TV team to remember. I remember that 5 years later after Miami Vice ended, Don Johnson did another detective series called "Nash Bridges" which lasted 6 seasons on CBS! If you like this series then you would also like Nash Bridges!

User Rating: 10/10

BOTTOM LINE: A FANTASTIC SERIES!

This classic ground breaking series followed two very different Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami.

It holds up, the characters are still as endearing as they were back then. The first season has its faults mainly the abrupt cutting between scenes (due to planned adverts) but also at times the writers or directors don't seem to know how to finish a scene before the next as with many of the shows of the time. New comers may find this a little jarring and frustrating as this has been finely tuned in modern quality TV shows.

The first season has some rough episodes but of the 22 they are the few and far between. The characters are great and the acting is decent for the most part. The meeting of the both leads is great, Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas), a New York street cop collides with James "Sonny" Crockett (Don Johnson) Former football star and 'Nam vet' now undercover detective. It's good to watch their friendship grow through good and bad times. The supporting cast are on fine form, notably Det. Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago) and Lt. Castillo (Edward James Olmos) who becomes their new boss a few episodes in.

Its fitting that the exposition isn't forced and you need to take note to what the characters are saying. Many of the cast are while not major stars are veteran bit part actors who have familiar faces. In addition, as well as the many guest stars including Bruce Willis it's surprising how many of the supporting cast are stars now, for example Ving Rhames.

Even after being viewed through 80's rose tinted glasses and overlooking some cheese - it encapsulates a fanciful nostalgia, the clothes, the cars, the boats, soundtrack and even Miami itself. The style and panache of Crockett and Tubbs sums it up, but that's not to say the locations, story lines and character are not without a dark side, prostitution, kidnapping, murder and drugs (mainly heroin) to name a few. These maybe sanitized slightly due to censorship of the time but there's enough to give it an edge especially for the time.

Restrictions and the unkindness of time aside, like the Equalizer, from its motion picture shooting style and production/wardrobe design, to the landmark music Miami Vice is as entertaining today as it was back then.