Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999) (1 Viewer)

[Ruz-El]

I'd be up to the discussion as well, participating as I could.

 

[LisaDoris]

I'd be up for a discussion as well. This would provide an excellent excuse to finally buy S7 once everyone gets around to it.

 

[Doug Wallen]

Discussion sounds good to me also. Homicide is one of my favorite series.

My son and I watched the above mentioned Ron Eldard episode last night. I had forgotten the ending, still took me by surprise.

We are now approaching the final episode and then the movie. He is very eager to see how the show concludes. It ahs been very interesting watching him enjoy each season as it arrived. He has now started expressing interest in other "old" police shows.

 

[Mike Graham]

Count me in too.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I only bought Season 1 and 7 new (s1 because it was relatively cheap, and s7 because I was impatient). All the others I got in graet shape used for more than 50% off.

I have a big peave with A&E in that their prices are so out of line with other TV shows on DVD.

If you wind up getting the complete set, also buy the movie which is an excellent, but sad, epilog to the series.

 

[Eric Carl]

Alright, I just ordered a set a couple of days ago and I will likely receive it in a couple of days (errrr......hopefully).

Since I have a busy week coming up would people mind if we waited until August 28 to start?

Also, if they are any students that start school again in September we could take a relaxed pace (1 Episode a week) until October.

So, are there any students that are planning to take this trip through Homicide?

 

[MarkHarrison]

I can easily fit in one a week. The question is, can you limit yourself to one a week?

 

[Doug_B]

Watched the shows when run on NBC, and I finished all the episodes on DVD so won't be watching them again any time soon. However, I'll follow along with the episode discussions, as it was a great show.

Doug

 

[Mike Graham]

Just watched the pilot, and it struck me how even on the first episode the actors seemed to have "found" their characters right off the bat (unlike other cases where actors aren't sure which direction the character is going).

Plus, the camera work that seemed dizzying 10 years ago seems almost tame nowadays compared to some of the series out there now (24).

 

[Eric Carl]

Sorry I have not started watching the show yet...

If you guys want to you can start now and I'll join in next week as it now seems I have the flu.

I will take it easy until the weekend and hopefully (unless I get worse or I die) I'll be better at that time.

 

[Eric Carl]

I received the whole set today and watched the first episode as well.

I will write more about that episode and the probably the next one next week.

Here, though, are some insights on beginning shows on DVD.

You know that excitement you feel when you watch a movie for the first time?

It does NOT exist when you watch a television show for one main reason: Time.

Think about it. A movie no matter how bad it is is over in less than 2.5 hours (more or less). But a television show can last anywhere from 4 episodes to 120+ episodes (or more). With most drama shows running at least 40-48 minutes an episode this can clearly add up.

With a show like Homicide that ran 122 episodes + a movie it is obvious that one must invest many hours just to watch the show once. This means another lot to watch and look for details that you may have missed. This is especially important in a show that builds on stories like Homicide does.

When we turn on the television to watch something that is still running we have expectations of the show before we watch a single minute of it. We usually hear about it from friends, family, and, yes, even co-workers. But, is that fair? Can one truly understand the meaning of a book before they actually read it? No, but we still do it. When a show isn't how somebody described it we are disappinted.....and yet we shouldn't be because the show was wrongly interpreted to us.

Sadly, this confusion may be brought upon by the fact that we didn't know what happened last week or what's been happening this season or since the beginning. This is probably the main reason why Networks prefer self contained shows like Law & Order, CSI, and, for the most part, Star Trek: The Next Generation. The viewer does not need to know what happened last week and can usually catch on to what is currently happening in the episode they are watching. And, if they can't catch next weeks episode there is nothing to worry about as they can catch the one after.

My experience with TV shows is very limited and, I admit, I have never seriously kept track of when another episode of my favourite show "franchise" is on (Law & Order) or made sure I could watch or tape the episode. This is probably the reason why I first asked if this show has continuing stories because maybe, I can finally be serious about a show.

Tune in next week for my opinions on:
Gone for Goode
and possibly
Ghost of a Chance.

If people have opinions on what I posted above (self-contained vs. continuation) than we could talk about that tonight.

 

[PatWahlquist]

Continuing series are alive and doing quite well, just ask HBO. Would you really want self contained episodes of the Sopranos, or worse, The Wire?

As for Homicide, I was with it as soon as it debuted. Once it was over, the best description I could give it is it is "novelistic": if you invest the time, you should be satisfied with it as you would a novel. There is a beginning, middle and end to Bayliss's story. Tom Fontana has said (and as was noted in a previous post)Bayliss is our guide. IMO, Homicide is the best cop show ever produced.

I can no longer watch other cop shows with the exception of The Wire, which is done by David Simon, Homicide's co-creator. Again, IMO, it is an equal to Homicide and I encourage anyone to watch it. I had to give up on NYPD Blue for the simple fact every case was closed. Every. Single. Case. As for the multitude of CSI's, Law and Order's, or what have you, they are procedurals of a different nature that fall under the same trap. I work for a law enforcement agency, and trust me, CSI ain't even close. But hey, some find it entertaining. It was interesting to watch Munch migrate over to L&O, but he wasn't enough to keep me watching, just as Caruso was not enough to make me watch CSI: Miami.

 

[Eric Carl]

I don't know if you'll read this Pat.

But in real life aren't actual CSI'ers (or whatever they are actually called) just deal with the scene and not the actual crime.

In other words, like an M.E.?

Scratch that.....not an M.E. but somebody who looks for fingerprints and the such?

 

[PatWahlquist]

Eric, yeah, pretty much. A friend of mine is one of the Vegas CSI's (and that's not the actual name, but they now use it). As soon as the CSI's started interviewing on the show, and worse, interrogating suspects, they lost me. It would never happen.

 

[Mike Graham]

I'm sure its very unrealistic, but for those not in the "know" it would add to the dramatic weight of the show to concentrate on less characters so we can see an entire case through Grissom and his team's point of view.

And yes after Homicide, other cop shows pale in comparison; what stands out from the series is the fact that the cases aren't entirely solved by the end, but the viewer doesn't feel dissatisfied with it - the show was about the characters and their journey, not the destination.

 

[Katherine_K]

So I never really watched this show when it was in it's run... but because I like Law & Order Special Victims Unit I picked this one up, or started to, only have Season 1/2 right now. The price that it's at, it went on my list of sets to pick up when I see them cheap used.

I can certainly grant that this is the most realistic cop show I know of, and the acting is wonderful... but I honestly don't find it compelling. At least not as compelling as I've always been told it was.

It's a bit like having always heard how wonderful something is and finding out that it was "simply" good. It is not an insult to the show, just not my cup of tea.

Conversely I find CSI utterly rediculous, and the stretches of reality to fit the series break suspension of disbelief for me. NYPD Blue I've always found to be melodramatic... and the Shield lacks characters I can even feel sympathy for.

So I guess what I'm getting at in a round about way is that you can have realism and make good television, but it wont appeal to everyone. Just like you can make good television and not worry about realism, but it wont appeal to everyone.

I'll pick up seasons 3-7... but I wont be doing it with any particular speed.

 

[ThomasC]

I was watching an episode of Lois and Clark yesterday, and Richard Belzer appeared as a detective! It took me out of the episode for a bit, since I've ONLY seen him as Munch on Homicide and L&0:SVI.

 

[Katherine_K]

As a bit of trivia he also appears as Munch in the L&O mother show and a season five episode of the X-Files.

 

[Eric Carl]

Pat,
one last thing what are they actually called? For some reason my mind thinks of Crime Scene Technicians but that may be two things my mind formed into one....

Katherine,
as you pointed out, not everything will appeal to every viewer. Some people want realism and some just want to be entertained. Some people enjoy watching "dramatic" shows others enjoy "funny" ones.

For those that want to know what I feel about CSI the truth is I feel it is (occasionally) entertaining but seems unrealistic and sometimes the conclusion feel convulted. Meaning it feels like they threw a curveball at EVERY ending.

I know it happens in Law & Order and such but it just seems like the episode isn't over until something comes out of nowhere.

 

[The Drifter]

Bumping this old thread to post my thoughts on the superb TV crime drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. I never saw this show when it was originally on TV, but saw the entire series on the older A&E DVD sets in 2010. In 2018, I re-watched the show on the Shout Factory re-released DVD sets (re: the picture quality, etc. there doesn't seem to be any difference between these newer sets and the older ones). Seeing this a second time makes me appreciate the show much more & I'm noticing elements that I missed the first time around, etc.

I was & still am completely blown away by this series. Superb characterization, great acting and plots, and I loved the documentary-style filming. i.e. the hand-held camera - very innovative & edgy for the time period. I know a lot of TV crime drama fans may disagree with me about this, but after seeing this a second time around - I find this series the best TV crime drama of all time, hands down. So, yes - I find this superior to The Wire, NYPD Blue, etc.

I grew up in the Baltimore, MD area back in the '80's & stayed there to go to college through the mid '90's. I left the area after college & haven't lived there since. So, watching the show was very nostalgic - since I remember that time period & setting extremely well. I literally feel like I'm back in the area & in that era when watching the show to a great extent....amazing that a show can really transport you back to a specific time & place, but this series does that extremely well - at least for me.

Here's the first part of my review of the entire series.

Homicide- LOTS: The Series Seasons 1-7, 1993-1999:

-It's worth noting that the first & second seasons (that aired in early 1993 & early 1994, respectively) were not full seasons; they only ran a handful of episodes each (though S01 was longer than S02, for some reason). It was only from S03-on (1994-1995) that the show ran an entire regular season, i.e. 18-21 episodes each.

- This is one of those rare shows that starts off strong and kept up the momentum throughout the series. Though the first season was short (I think it was first broadcast in January of '93 and there weren't many episodes in this season), it was still amazing. The interrogation scene with Pembleton and Bayliss re: the guy they suspected for the Adena Watson crime was extremely powerful & disturbing.

- The characters on this show were some of the most fully realized characters I've ever seen in a TV drama. The dialogue/philosophical discussions the characters would have with each other had a lot to do with this, i.e. Munch with other detectives, Pembleton & Bayliss, etc.

Spoiler: SPOILER

- I was shocked when Crosetti and later Felton passed away - I did not see either one coming.

Spoiler: SPOILER

-The episode with the funeral procession for Crosetti was very moving. When I saw that for the first time, I could understand Frank Pembleton's reluctance to go to the funeral because he had personal/religious issue against suicide (since Crosetti had almost certainly killed himself) - despite the fact that not attending was going against the solidarity in the department, and was considered disrespectful by all the other detectives. However, when the procession eventually passed the police station, there was Pembleton in his dress blues standing alone - and saluting as the funeral went by. Wow - powerful stuff here. Pembleton had obviously decided to honor Crosetti's memory in his own way, and you also got the impression that this was what he had intended to do all along. Brilliant writing!

- The episode where Munch & Kellerman investigated the death of a woman that Munch had a crush on years before (in high school) was very moving - the flash-backs were especially impressive, and gave some insight into the Munch character.

Spoiler: SPOILER

- The last episode (or next to the last episode) of Season 5 when Kellerman shot Luther Mahoney in cold blood was shocking and unexpected. This had repercussions that lasted throughout Season 6, and was one of the better & more suspenseful plot points in the series.

- The scene when Pembeleton had the stroke while questioning a suspect was truly shocking to me - even though I saw the show years after it came out, I intentionally stayed away from reading about plot points of the show since I wanted my viewing experience to be completely fresh.

- The episode when the young detective (Falsone) had to partner with the older, retired detective to solve the 55-60 year old m. case was great, and quite funny at times.

- Though Gharty was portrayed as a somewhat unsympathetic character early in the series, the episode in Season 7 where he and Much were arguing about the Vietnam war....and the final scene when you found out what happened to Gharty in Vietnam was very powerful. This was also one of the best episodes in the series, IMHO.

- The series is a great time-capsule of the '90's; there are topical references made to '90's events, and the soundtrack includes a lot of amazing rock/pop music from that era, including artists like Counting Crows, Joan Osbourne, Matthew Sweet, Belly, Goo Goo Dolls, and Garbage (to name a few).

-The original opening theme to the series was simplistic, but also very powerful & iconic. Amazing black & white montage showing a smoking cigarette in an ashtray & styrofoam coffee cup on a desk; a vicious dog near a back alley; Baltimore row houses, a sign advertising crab cakes (Baltimore is known for it's seafood) etc. The music/sound effects here were also stellar. This really encapsulated the show, time period, and Baltimore area to a great extent & to me was one of the best opening themes for a TV series....and quite possibly the best opening theme for a TV crime drama, period.