Created by Anthony Yerkovich Executive Producer Michael
Mann
Universal Television
Cast
Don Johnson as Det. James "Sonny" Crockett Philip
Michael Thomas as Det. Ricardo Tubbs Edward James Olmos as Lt. Martin
Castillo Saundra Santiago as Det. Gina Calabrese Olivia Brown as Det.
Trudy Joplin Michael Talbott as Det. Stan Switek John Diehl as Det.
Larry Zito (1984-1987) Martin Ferrero as Izzy Moreno
Also: Sheena
Easton as Caitlin Davies (1987-1988) Charlie Barnett as Neville 'Noogie'
Lamont Belinda Montgomery as Caroline Crockett Gregory Sierra as Lou
Rodriguez
Miami Vice Theme Song
"Miami Vice" by Jan Hammer
Voted
#1 theme song of all time by TV Guide readers.
Don Johnson as James "Sonny"
Crockett aka Sonny Burnett
Philip Michael
Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs aka Rico Cooper
Much of what we take for granted in televison
today is a consequence of the ground breaking Miami Vice. Originally, Brandon
Tartikoff of NBC had an idea for "MTV cops" which he presented to Anthony
Yerkovich who had been a writer and producer on Hill Street Blues. Yerkovich
turned out the pilot and a few scripts and it was he who conceived of Sonny
Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas).
Yet
most of what you associate with Miami Vice, what attracted you to Miami Vice,
what dazzled you about Miami Vice is the visual stylings of Executive Producer
Michael Mann. (Collateral, Heat, Insider) What he brought to Vice was a high
production value more typical of movies than TV. Unlike any show before, Miami
Vice had a "look."
Mann saw the colors of Miami, the beautiful art deco
buildings, the ocean and waterways and made an edict. No earth tones. This
applied to the clothes the actors wore, the buildings which were repainted with
pastels, the cars. Mann's visual eye scanned everything in a scene looking for
the dreaded reds, beiges and browns.
He watered the streets for night
scenes so they would look slick and reflect the night lights and
moon.
Then there was the more obvious eye candy. The cars, the boats,
(See Miami Vice Hardware Page) the clothes, the
chicks.
Miami Vice was unique in the use of music. Using first tier
artists such as Phil Collins, Glen Frey, Peter Gabriel and U2, the music added
something dramatically beyond just background. The lyrics and tempo contributed
to the storyline of the scene and often spoke for the characters. The pounding
score by Jan Hammer was the first of many backgrounds he would do in a
distinctive style. When he left after the 4th Season and was replaced by Tim
Truman, many fans were disappointed.
Mann also saw the underbelly of
Miami, the flamboyant drug dealers, the murders, and the pervasively corrupting
influence of so much coke money. All of which Miami Vice took seriously. Vice
had bad guys who were really, really bad and more than a few good guys gone
bad.
Don Johnson. You cannot discuss Miami Vice without talking about
Don Johnson. (See Don Johnson pics just for
fans.)
The actors were little known before Miami Vice but soon became
megastars. Don Johnson blew across the American consciousness, changing
everything in his path. Men began sporting three day stubble, espadrilles and
loafers without socks, Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses, no belts, unconstructed
Italian blazers over tee shirts, linen pants... And hey, as it turns out,
pastels can be macho!
Although the rest of the cast was capable, the
only one who seemed to hold his own against the Johnson onslaught was Edward
James Olmos as Lt. Martin Castillo, the unsmiling by-the-book head of the Metro
Dade OCB. (Organized Crime Bureau)
Today when you see that C.S.I. uses
different visual styles for their shows (warms hues for Miami and bluish cool
ones for New York) or when rock music is a component of many shows, all that is
because Miami Vice came first. If we expect higher production values, it is
because Mann said we would notice the difference and was right about that.
Miami Vice is a landmark show no one can forget.
Miami Vice Pilot Intro (1984)
Miami Vice Movie
Michael Mann has grabbed the Miami Vice reins again, this
time for a feature film. Learn more about the
Miami Vice Movie!
Edward James Olmos as Lt. Martin
Castillo
Don Johnson, Philip Michael
Thomas Crockett and Tubbs
TV
