Miami Vice

Miami Vice was a groundbreaking Crime Drama that aired on NBC from 1984-1990.

The show was one of the first in the “MTV Generation” to use current music which was incorporated into the show. An Iconic scene from the show featured “Crockett and Tubbs driving through Miami at night to the tune of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins.

Record companies viewed the show as a useful tool to showcase their artists in order to boost album sales.

Many popular musical artists of the period also appeared on the show as actors.

The show starred:

Don Johnson – Det. Sonny Crocket
Philip Michael Thomas – Det. Ricardo Tubbs
Edward James Olmos – Lt. Martin Castillo
Saundra Santiago – Det. Gina Calabrese
Olivia Brown – Det. Trudy Joplin
Michael Talbot – Det. Stanley Switek
John Diehl – Det. Larry Zito

Among the musical stars appearing on the show were Sheena Easton, Phil Collins, Glenn Frey, Ted Nugent, Gene Simmons, Willie Nelson, James Brown, and many others.

The show was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards during it’s run, winning 6 Awards.

The shows theme music, by Jan Hammer, won two Grammy Awards.

The show was produced by Michael Mann, who would later go on to direct the 2006 Theatrical film “Miami Vice” starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.

Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte were both considered for the role of Crockett. Denzel Washington was considered for the role of Tubbs.

When Don Johnson threatened to quit the show after a couple seasons on the air, he was almost replaced by Mark Harmon. By agreeing to stay on the show, Johnson became one of the highest paid stars in Television History.

Actor Martin Ferrero, who played comical con-man Izzy Moreno as a recurring character on the show, played a hit man that was killed in the pilot episode.

Don Johnson enjoyed a bit of success as a singer during the 80′s. See post on this blog listed in the music column.

To say that the series failed to catapult Philip Michael Thomas to stardom would be an understatement. He has only done a small handful of acting roles in the 20 years since Miami Vice ended.

The show made wearing white slacks “cool” and “Stylish”….or so I thought. When I met my wife in 1990, I still frequently wore a pair of white slacks that I referred to as my “Miami Vice Pants”. After we married, they were never seen again. I still have no idea how exactly she made them conveniently disappear. She always hated those pants……