The Forgotten 80s Crime Drama Completely Changed The Way TV Shows Were Made
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
For the most part, I hate what YouTube has done to the current state of film and TV criticism. For all the diamonds in the rough like Red Letter Media, there are plenty of misfits like Cinema Sins (a plot hole that isn't a plot hole? Ding!) and Critical Drinker (the movie has a woman? Resurrected trash!). The Internet was designed to democratize information, but countless YouTube channels seem to exist to make stupid audiences stupider until the modern state of film talk has a collective IQ stuck at room temperature.
However, I am forever grateful to YouTube for helping me discover movies and TV shows ahead of my time. For example, I was only two years old Miami Vice (1984) came out, so I didn't watch it growing up. I probably wouldn't watch it because, to be honest, an '80s cop drama just didn't sound like my cup of TV. But YouTube clips of the series convinced me how cool this Michael Mann-produced show was, and watching it changed my life. It's now streaming on Tubi for free, making this a must-watch for anyone who loves a police procedural and wants something longer, better than another serving of NCIS slop.
The Ultimate Ridealong
The foundation of Miami Vice that two unusual police detectives must meet as undercover detectives in Miami Beach, Florida. The first investigator is James “Sonny” Crockett, a bitter divorcee and former football star with more than a few challenges, including an alligator. The second detective is Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, a New York street smart woman who comes to Miami as part of a case. There, he meets Sonny, who make for arguably the most amazing and charming cop buddy in television history.
It helps that the best actors are dripping with charisma. Don Johnson brought a laid-back swagger to the role of Crockett that epitomized the '80s: he was colorful and cool, but in his relationship with his ex-wife and children, you could tell there was a roaring river of underlying vulnerability. Meanwhile, Philip Michael Thomas portrayed Tubbs as the emotional rock of the pair, whose confidence was as clear as his appreciation for the ladies. Miami Vice has not always changed during its five-season run, but these two characters always they gave 110 percent to their careers and ended up defining the entire decade.
Sleek, Sexy, and Stylish
When Miami Vice came out, it was like no other police procedure before it. The origin of the show was a two-word note written by NBC Entertainment head honcho Brandon Tartikoff: “MTV Police.” Showrunner Michael Mann took this idea to heart, and did something that now seems unthinkable: he directed this cop show to a younger, MTV-loving audience. As such, the show is more about vibes and chilling law than boring detective work. Like from time to time Miami Vice director Lee H. Katzin once put it, “This show was written for an MTV audience, which is more interested in images, emotions, and energy than plot and character and words.”
A big part of the goal of the MTV generation was to have the coolest needle drops in television history. Episodes often featured long excerpts of '70s and '80s killer songs playing during extended scenes of atmospheric, visual storytelling, effectively turning large chunks of the show into a stylized music video. It's a method that works surprisingly well from the start. The first episode has our heroes driving to near certain death while Phil Collins' “In the Air Tonight” plays and the camera slows down on a shot of their beautiful black Ferrari as the detectives load their guns. It's just that the greatest of all scene, and one that instantly made me a fan of the entire series.
One Smoking Hot Show
Another reason to check Miami Vice that it is one of the most brilliant games ever made. Under the direction of Michael Mann (who later became one of Hollywood's most stylish directors), the show was filmed in Miami, dominating with beauty (or “frame mogs,” as the kids say) so many pictures that almost its actor. Speaking of characters, '80s fashion is on display surprisingly wild, bright colors against dark and dirty cases. Don Johnson deserves some credit for making combinations like a white jacket and light purple pants look like the coolest, most manly thing in the world.
In the end, it's worth watching Miami Vice to experience a great series that changed the way other great shows were made. For example, Dick Wolf was the writer and producer on the show, and he took the lessons he learned from Michael Mann to create it Law and Ordercreating the most successful procedural franchise on television. In terms of influence, Crockett and Tubbs' appearance was so iconic that many still consider it i the face of the '80s. This includes Rockstar Games, which has taken countless tours (in terms of music, fashion, and much more) from Miami Vice and its heroes to create their best-selling game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Are you in the mood to watch a police procedural that could turn into a music video at any moment? Are you excited for a show full of cool songs and hot people? Or maybe you just want to experience Florida in the safest way possible: from hundreds of miles away, in the comfort of your living room. Whatever your motivation, it's time to call your partner and grab the remote. Together, you can ride-along with the world's most ruthless detectives Miami Vicecurrently streaming for free on Tubi.
