What can you say about Miami Vice? It was groundbreaking, pioneering and set a new standard in television police drama. The first few episodes quickly shook off any attempts at humour (eg. Elvis' antics) and established itself as a serious, premium and quality police drama set in a location not known for a seedy underground.
It cost $1.3 million per episode and a large portion of that went on the fashionable costumes that the stars were demanded to wear. Ferrari experienced a surge in car sales and even donated two Testarossas to stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas and they "became" the characters they portayed, right down to their choice of after hours casual wear.
Coupled with only the best top 40 songs from the time, shot in a film-style method and having music tell part of the story allowed the creator to let writers tell the story of these two cops who used the impounded goods seized from crimes to do their job as undercover buyers.
The show featured an annoying, stressed out department captain before he was replaced by the brooding Edward James Olomos, who was perfect in this role and shocked everyone when he turned out to be ace at martial arts. A two-part episode reveals a lot about his background.
Two female characters made recurring appearances as well as a couple of idiot cops who provided comic relief, one episode being focused solely around one of their own cases. The females also had episodes centered around them.
The first season saw a range of guest stars who were young and fresh, including Bruce Willis, Michael Madsen and others.
The pacey electronic music by Jan Hammer was excellent and he was allowed to experiment and take it any direction he wanted.
Don Johnson must have lost a lot of his lungs during this series, as he hardly ever seemed to not be smoking.
Overall, a top show that I missed when I was too young to appreciate it and I look forward to seeing more seasons in the future. It has dated a little, but once you become part of their world, you ride along with it and love every moment.
OOOOO.
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