Miami Vice is an iconic and very innovative cop show from the 80s. It features stylishly-dressed men, music video segments, and high-end cars & boats
Popular 80s cop show set in Miami. Crockett & Tubbs are two undercover vice detectives, who pose as dealers to try and catch the big suppliers. The show combines elements of hit films, Scarface & 48 Hours, as well as the style of a famous Duran Duran video. Men are dressed elegantly in whites, pastels, and light-weight designer suits. They own Porsches, speed launches, and yachts, and live in modern, white buildings with great views of the marina. Although the show is supposed to be about catching criminals, it also paints a very attractive picture of the wiseguy good life.
Among other innovative features, there are long action and music segments with no dialogue, emulating the newly-popular pop videos of the 80s. The music mix combines an informed and intelligent variety of top recording artists and ethnic sounds, reflecting an exciting decade in popular musical development.
In contrast to, say, Lady in Cement, Miami is shown as a very cosmopolitan city, containing little Jamaica as well as little Havana, as well as a sprinkling of criminals from all over the Caribbean and South America. Of course, there are also heavy domestic bad guys, based in Chicago & NY.
The police team is also multicultural and includes junior female officers. However, modern viewers may find some of the footage of young women to be in dated taste.
The pilot episode demonstrates the full stylistic ambition of the show. As it became more popular, the bigger budget in Season 2 allowed this to be fully realised in more episodes.
More of a producer and director's tv show than an acting showcase, Miami Vice is one the iconic tv shows from the 80s. Very influential, and well worth watching 8/10.
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