From the theme tune to the Gucci suits and Ray-Bans, Miami Vice was everything an iconic show should be: fast, fun, and fabulous.
Juxtaposing the glamorous streets of Miami with the steamy haunts of the drug underworld, Miami Vice was a new kind of cop show. Neither gritty, nor hard-hitting, the focus was very much on style over substance—and the formula worked so well that the series ran for five seasons, and made Don Johnson the highest paid actor on TV.
Starring Johnson as Crocket and Philip Michael Thomas as the stubble-faced southerner, Tubbs, the show was famous for its pastel colour scheme, sun-soaked locations (which stood in stark contrast to the gritty cop shows of the era), and its use of popular music. In fact Miami Vice is often credited as the first show to match a scene to a piece of popular music, rather than something made-for-TV. At the show’s peak, USA Today would publish a song list of the music that were due to be featured in the week’s episode—and inclusion meant huge sales for any artist lucky enough to be deemed worthy.
Similarly, fashion designers competed to dress the each of leads, knowing that by the following week, the streets would be full of wanna-bes with the sleeves of their $1000 suits rolled up and worn over pastel t-shirts. Miami Vice wasn’t so much a cop show as a fashion-show with shootouts!
Guest stars included a host of ‘80s big names such as Bruce Willis, Gene Simmons, Frank Zappa, Bianca Jagger, Ted Nugent, Frankie Valli, Eartha Kitt, Emo Philips, Leonard Cohen, Little Richard, Helena Bonham Carter, Melanie Griffith, Liam Neeson, Willie Nelson, Benicio Del Toro, Annette Bening, George Takei, Viggo Mortensen, Laurence Fishburne, Steve Buscemi, Wesley Snipes, James Brown, Sheena Easton, Xander Berkeley, and Julia Roberts.
Now fully restored and in high definition on DVD, Fabulous Films’ new released includes all 111 episodes.
Extras include:
The Vibe Of Vice.
Building The Perfect Vice.
The Style Of Vice.
The Music Of Vice.
Miami After Vice.