"Miami Vice" (1984) TV series 1984-1989

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creator:

Anthony Yerkovich

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

28 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The adventures of the vice squad detectives of the Miami Police Department.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Police | Undercover | Drugs | Miami Florida

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Don Johnson	...	Detective James Crockett (111 episodes, 1984-1990)
Philip Michael Thomas	...	Detective Ricardo Tubbs (111 episodes, 1984-1990)
Saundra Santiago	...	Detective Gina Calabrese (111 episodes, 1984-1990)
Olivia Brown	...	Detective Trudy Joplin / ... (111 episodes, 1984-1990)
Michael Talbott	...	Detective Stan Switek (110 episodes, 1984-1990)
Edward James Olmos	...	Lieutenant Martin Castillo (106 episodes, 1984-1990)
John Diehl	...	Detective Larry Zito (56 episodes, 1984-1987)

Also Known As:

Gold Coast (USA) (working title)
Miami Unworthiness (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (including commercials) (111 episodes) | Argentina:60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 (some epiosodes) | Iceland:16 (some epiosodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:18 (one episode) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-18 (2007) (DVD) (self applied) | Finland:K-15 (DVD) (2005) (season 1) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:TV-14 | Norway:11 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Michael Mann Productions

Trivia:

Anthony Yerkovich left "Hill Street Blues" (1981) to write the pilot for this show. While he was on "Blues", he wrote a character that was a 300 pound racist biker played by actor Dennis Burkley. The character's name was Sonny Crockett, the same name he gave the lead to this show.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the beginning of the episode "Calderon's Return, Part 1", a hired assassin, supposedly one of the best in the world, is seen putting on surgical gloves to keep his fingerprints off the gun he is about to use. However, before he puts on the gloves, he moves the gun off of them by touching the gun butt with his fingertips.

Quotes:

Sonny Crockett: Nice to know there's still a little poetry left in the world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in City of Heroes (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

In The Air Tonight

One of the best showcases for what the 80s were all about

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.