Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The show became noted for its heavy integration of music and visual effects to tell a story. The series starred Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989. The USA Network later broadcast an unaired episode during its syndication run of the series on January 25, 1990.
Unlike standard police procedurals, the show drew heavily upon 1980s New Wave culture and music. It is recognized as one of the most influential television series of all time. People magazine stated that Miami Vice "was the first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented." The series aired on the Sleuth network in United States until 2008, and now airs on the Centric network , MBC Action in the Arab World, Iris in Italy, Viasat 4 in Norway, Viasat TV6 in Sweden, Viasat 3+ in Denmark, TV7 in Bulgaria and TV3 in Estonia.
Michael Mann directed a film adaptation of the television series, which was released on July 28, 2006.
Conception
It is rumored that head of NBC's Entertainment Division, Brandon Tartikoff, wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read "MTV cops", and later presented the memo to series creator Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer and producer for Hill Street Blues . Yerkovich, however, indicates that he devised the concept after learning about asset forfeiture statutes that allow law enforcement agencies to confiscate the property of drug dealers for official use. The initial idea was for a movie about a pair of vice cops in Miami. Yerkovich then turned out a script for a two-hour pilot, titled " Gold Coast ", but later renamed, Miami Vice . Yerkovich was immediately drawn to South Florida as a setting for his new-style police show. Miami Vice was one of the first American network television programs to be broadcast in stereophonic sound.
Production
In keeping with the show's namesake, most episodes focus on combating drug trafficking and prostitution. Episodes more often than not end in a large gun battle, claiming the lives of several criminals before they can be apprehended. An undercurrent of cynicism and futility underlies the entire series; the detectives repeatedly reference the "whack-a-mole" nature of drug interdiction, with its parade of drug cartels to replace those that are brought to justice. Co-Executive producer Anthony Yerkovich explained:
Even when I was on Hill Street Blues , I was collecting information on Miami, I thought of it as a sort of a modern-day American Casablanca. It seemed to be an interesting socioeconomic tide pool: the incredible number of refugees from Central America and Cuba, the already extensive Cuban-American community, and on top of all that the drug trade. There is a fascinating amount of service industries that revolve around the drug trade — money laundering, bail bondsmen, attorneys who service drug smugglers. Miami has become a sort of Barbary Coast of free enterprise gone berserk.
The choice of music and cinematography borrowed heavily from the emerging New Wave culture of the 1980s. As such, segments of each episode of Miami Vice resemble a protracted music video. As Lee H. Katzin, one of the show's directors, remarked, "The show is written for an MTV audience, which is more interested in images, emotions and energy than plot and character and words." These elements made the series into an instant hit, and in its first season saw an unprecedented 15 Emmy Award nominations. While the first few episodes contain elements of a standard police procedural, the producers soon abandoned them in favor of a more distinctive style. Of the many different production aspects of the show, "no earth tones" were allowed to be used. A director of Miami Vice , Bobby Roth, recalled:
There are certain colors you are not allowed to shoot, such as red and brown. If the script says 'A Mercedes pulls up here,' the car people will show you three or four different Mercedes. One will be white, one will be black, one will be silver. You will not get a red or brown one. Michael knows how things are going to look on camera.
Casting
Nick Nolte was considered for the role of Sonny Crockett, but since it was not lucrative for film stars to venture into television at the time, other candidates were looked at. Larry Wilcox, of CHiPs , was also a candidate for the role of Crockett, but the producers felt that going from one police officer role to another was not going to be a good fit. After dozens of candidates and twice delayed pilot shooting, Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were chosen as the vice cops. For Johnson, 35, NBC had particular doubts about his several earlier unsuccessful pilots he starred in. After two seasons, Johnson threatened to walk from the series. The network was ready to replace him with Mark Harmon who had recently departed St. Elsewhere but Johnson relented and continued with the series until its end.
Locations
Many episodes of Miami Vice were filmed in the South Beach section of Miami Beach, an area which, at the time, was blighted by poverty and crime. Some street corners of South Beach were so run down that the production crew actually decided to repaint the exterior walls of some buildings before filming. The crew went to great lengths to find the correct settings and props. Bobby Roth recalled, "I found this house that was really perfect, but the color was sort of beige. The art department instantly painted the house gray for me. Even on feature films people try to deliver what is necessary but no more. At Miami Vice they start with what's necessary and go beyond it."
Miami Vice is to some degree credited with causing a wave of support for the preservation of Miami's famous Art Deco architecture in the mid 1980s-to-early 1990s; quite a few of those buildings (among them many beachfront hotels) have been renovated since filming, making that part of South Beach one of South Florida's most popular places for tourists and celebrities.
Other places commonly filmed in the series included scenes around Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Music
See also: List of Miami Vice soundtracksMiami Vice is noted for its innovative use of music, particularly countless pop and rock hits of the 1980s and the distinctive, synthesized instrumental music of Jan Hammer. While other television shows used made-for-TV music, Miami Vice would spend $10,000 or more per episode to buy the rights to original recordings. Getting a song played on Miami Vice was a boost to record labels and artists. In fact, some newspapers, such as USA Today, would let readers know the songs that would be featured that week. Among the many well-known bands and artists who contributed their music to the show were Roger Daltrey, El Debarge, Devo, Jackson Browne, Meat Loaf, Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, ZZ Top, The Tubes, Dire Straits, Depeche Mode, The Hooters, Iron Maiden, The Alan Parsons Project, Godley & Creme, Corey Hart, Glenn Frey, U2, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Foreigner, The Police, Red 7, Laura Branigan, Ted Nugent, Suicidal Tendencies, The Damned, and Billy Idol. Several artists even guest-starred in episodes, including Phil Collins, Miles Davis, The Power Station, Glenn Frey, Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, Frank Zappa, The Fat Boys, and Sheena Easton. An iconic scene from Miami Vice involves Crockett and Tubbs driving through Miami at night to Phil Collins' hit song "In the Air Tonight".
Jan Hammer credits executive producer Michael Mann for allowing him great creative freedom in underscoring Miami Vice . The collaboration resulted in memorable instrumental pieces, including the show's title theme, which climbed to the top of the U.S. Billboard charts in November 1985, the first television show theme to do so since Peter Gunn ; No television theme nor instrumental track have ascended to the top of the Billboard singles chart since. The Miami Vice original soundtrack, featuring Jan Hammer's #1 hit theme song and Glenn Frey's "You Belong to the City" (a #2 hit), stayed on the top of the U. S. album chart for 11 weeks in 1985, making it the most successful TV soundtrack at the time. The Miami Vice Theme was so popular that is also garnered two Grammy awards in 1986. "Crockett's Theme", another recurring tune from the show, became a #1 hit in several European countries in 1987.
During the show's run, three official soundtrack albums with original music from the episodes were released. Hammer has released several albums with music from the series; among them are Escape from Television (1987), Snapshots (1989) and, after countless requests from loyal fans, Miami Vice: The Complete Collection (2002).
Fashion
The clothes worn on Miami Vice had a significant influence on men's fashion. They popularized, if not invented, the "T-shirt under Armani jacket"-style, and popularized Italian men's fashion in the United States. Don Johnson's typical lineup of Italian sport coat, T-shirt, white linen pants, and slip-on so
Boats For Sale Boat Classifieds Buy Sell New Used Boat Sales Trader
New & Used boats for sale, local boat classifieds Buy & Sell new boats, used boats, motor yachts, trawlers, sail boats ... Watercraft / Used Jet Boats for sale Ocala, Florida (Ocala ...
Sailboats - for sale by owners, dealers, and brokers
1985 - Sea Ray Boats State: Florida City: Cape Coral Price: $5,500: 1985 Tiara Pursuit 2600 ... iboats Home | Boats for Sale | Boats for Sale by Manufacturer | New ...
Yachts and Boats for Sale New and Used - YachtAuthority.com
All types of new and used yachts and boats for sale by professional yacht brokers available including sailboats, power boats ... Sail Lofts; Trailers; Boat Transport; Miscellaneous; Boat ...
Boats For Sale | Fishing Boats | Sailboats | Used Boats | Yachts
Used Boats | Used Sailboats for sale | Used Fishing Boats | Yachts ... Fort Lauderdale, Florida San Diego, California ... St. Petersburg Boat Show & Strictly Sail
New and Used Yachts for Sale - YachtWorld.com
Florida, California, New York, Maryland, Michigan, ... com contains the largest photo and video database of new and used power and sail boats for sale and ...
Florida Yacht Group & used sail and power boats for sale in florida
Florida Yacht Charters & used sail and power boats for sale in florida.Charter or buy a sail or power boat from Miami Beach, Key West, Amelia Island, St. Petersburg, or the Abacos ...
Sail Boats For Sale - Listings at Planet Yacht
Fort Lauderdale Florida United States PY# 249: Export Yacht Sales: 98 Feet: 1988 ... If you are looking to purchase a new or Sail Boats for sale, planetyacht.com makes it even easier ...
Sail Boats For Sale Florida - Buy Sell New & Used BoatBoss.com
Sail Boats For Sale Florida - Buy Sell New & Used BoatBoss.com
Pleasure Sail Boats for Sale - Pacific Boat Brokers Inc.
Pleasure Boats for Sale: At French Creek Marina, Parksville, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we offer a full Marketing service in the boating industry.
American Used Sail Boats for Sale, Buy, Sell @ Adpost.com Classifieds ...
Sail Boats: SUN BIRD: 230WA: 9200: 1995: Owner: orlando: Florida >Orange: sergio barbosa: FOR SALE: 24ft SUN BIRD 230wa "Exellent Condition" O.B.O. + TRAILER: 6