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Miami Vice

Miami Vice is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC.[1] The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. The series ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The USA Network began airing reruns in 1988 and broadcast a previously unaired episode during its syndication run of the series on January 25, 1990.

For other uses, see Miami Vice (disambiguation).

Miami Vice

Anthony Yerkovich

Jan Hammer

"Miami Vice Theme"

"Miami Vice Theme"

United States

English

5

114 (list of episodes)

  • John Nicolella (S1–2)
  • Richard Brams (Co-prod: S1–2)
  • Dick Wolf (Co-prod: S3)

46–49 minutes, plus three 96-minute episodes (excluding commercials)

NBC

September 16, 1984 (1984-09-16) –
January 25, 1990 (1990-01-25)

Unlike standard police procedurals, the show drew heavily upon 1980s New Wave culture and is noted for its integration of contemporary pop and rock music and stylish or stylized visuals. People magazine states that Miami Vice was the "first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented".[2]


Michael Mann directed a film adaptation of the series, which was released July 28, 2006.

Conception[edit]

The conception of the show is unclear. One version of events states that the head of NBC's Entertainment Division, Brandon Tartikoff, wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read "MTV cops",[2][3][4][5] and later presented it to series creator Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer and producer for Hill Street Blues.[4] Yerkovich, however, has indicated he devised the concept after learning about asset forfeiture statutes allowing law enforcement agencies to confiscate the property of drug dealers for official use.[6] The initial idea was for a movie about a pair of vice cops in Miami.[4] Yerkovich then wrote a script for a two-hour pilot, titled Gold Coast, but later renamed it Miami Vice.[2][4] Yerkovich was immediately drawn to South Florida as a setting for his new-style police show.[4]

as Detective James "Sonny" Crockett: An undercover detective of the Metro-Dade Police Department. A former University of Florida Gators star wide receiver,[87] he sustained a knee injury which put an end to his sports career. He served two tours in Vietnam – or as he calls it, the "Southeast Asia Conference". He joined Metro-Dade as a uniformed patrol officer and later an undercover detective of the vice unit. Crockett's alias is Sonny Burnett, a drug runner and middleman. His vehicles include a Ferrari Daytona Spyder[50] (later a Ferrari Testarossa),[49] a "Scarab" offshore power-boat,[58] and a sailboat[56] on which he lives with his pet alligator Elvis. The name "Sonny Crockett" had previously been used for a criminal played by actor Dennis Burkley on Hill Street Blues in 1983, where creator Anthony Yerkovich was a writer. Coincidentally, Gregory Sierra who later plays Crockett's boss on Vice appears in the same episodes.

Don Johnson

as Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs: A former New York police detective[87] who traveled to Miami as part of a personal vendetta against Calderone, the man who murdered his brother Rafael.[87] After temporarily teaming up with Crockett, Tubbs follows his friend's advice and transfers to "a career in Southern law enforcement", fearing that after his serious violations of NYPD codes of conduct in the pilot episode, he would not be able to resume his job in New York. He joins the Miami department and becomes Crockett's permanent partner. He often poses as Rico Cooper, a wealthy buyer from out of town.

Philip Michael Thomas

as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo: He replaces the slain Rodriguez as head of the OCB. A very taciturn man,[88] Castillo lives a reclusive life outside of work. He was formerly a DEA agent in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia during the late 1970s. During his time with the DEA he opposed the CIA in endorsing the trafficking of heroin to finance their overseas operations.

Edward James Olmos

as Detective Regina "Gina" Navarro Calabrese: A fearless female detective, who after Crockett's divorce, had a brief romance with him. Even though their relationship did not progress they still had a strong friendship.

Saundra Santiago

as Detective Trudy Joplin: Gina's patrol partner. Though tough, she sometimes struggles to cope with the consequences of her job, such as when she shoots and kills a man. Later in the series she has an encounter with a UFO and an alien portrayed by James Brown.

Olivia Brown

as Detective Stanley "Stan" Switek: A fellow police detective and Larry Zito's best friend. Although a good policeman, later on in the series he falls prey to a gambling addiction. He is also a big fan of Elvis Presley.

Michael Talbott

(1984–1987) as Detective Lawrence "Larry" Zito:[89] A detective and Switek's surveillance partner and best friend. He is killed in the line of duty when a drug dealer gives him a fatal overdose.[89]

John Diehl

(1984) as Lieutenant Louis "Lou" Rodriguez: A police lieutenant who serves as commander of the Vice Unit. He is killed in the fourth episode by an assassin hired to kill Crockett.

Gregory Sierra

at IMDb

Miami Vice

at Rotten Tomatoes

Miami Vice

on Hulu.com

Miami Vice

on NBC.com

Miami Vice

Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine at the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Miami Vice