Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) User Reviews (100)

From Book by former Baltimore Sun Crime Reporter, David Simon . Character Driven Series without becoming Soap Opera. Bold, Innovative, Unique and Very Memorable.

[redryan64 · 10/10 · 30 September 2007]

Ever since first encountering this Series, its title has held a certain fascination for this writer. First of all we have HOMICIDE, now that makes perfect sense. We've all heard that term used in countless Feature Films, Radio Dramas, TV Series, Pulp Magazines, Detective Novels, etc.

Then we have the second part of the Title, "Life on the Streets", the Sub-Title if you will. This is also a very descriptive, loaded phrase. The discussion of being "on the Street" is certainly an authentic phrase, used by the "Real Police" as much as by any authors.

But try putting the two together, as has been done here in this series and in the book that proceeded it, and what do you get? "HOMICIDE:Life On The Streets", is our answer but of course. But this is one Title that appears to be an instant oxymoron, for the juxtaposition of the two elements just doesn't blend. It would be much like blending Fire and Water, this Homicide & Life.

And yet, we do see what the Series creator Paul Attinsano is driving at. Either term by itself would not be adequate. It's just another case of the sum of the parts equaling more than the total.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let's start off by saying that there has never been a dramatic series that has started out to have such a high quality of story line and writing, and maintained the same as did Producer Barry Levinson's Baltimore Cop Show.

Starting off with the Cast, there was a certain vigilance observed to insure that there would be no 2 dimensional, stereotype cops and robbers situations. he actors charged with this task would all have to be first rate and selfless, as the series wasn't afraid to portray characters with "warts". You know, we see the thorns, as well as the roses.

Starting at the top, we have Unit Commander, Al Giardello(Yaphett Kotto), the product of a bi-racial marriage, having had an Italian Father and a Black Mother; Al navigates through the lexicons and cultural pools of either. Detective Steve Crosetti(John Polito) a truly grizzled veteran Cop/Detective. He would not move 2 feet if 1 1/2 feet would suffice. Very and obviously an Italian Ethnic, he is sometimes taken to be Lt. Giardello, as in the 1st episode. Det. John Munch(Richard Belzer), a guy who has wanted to be a Detective ever since he was a kid, though this would seemingly fly in the face of his Jewish heritage and upbringing. Being that he is well educated, extremely intelligent and street smart, he is doing this Detective business because he wants it, not because he failed at something else.* Others of the original Duty Roster are: Det. Frank Pembleton(Andre Braugher), a Black Guy who both grew up in the inner-city, but also can boast of being very well educated, by the Jesuits, yet. A manic when it comes to work, which is to a point to which he almost destroys his own health. Det. Tim Bayliss(Kyle Secor), new to the Detective Division. Smart, eager to learn he gets teamed with Pembleton. Formerly had some (Empty Holster)job in the Commissioner's Office. Melissa Leo as Det., a status seeker, works, slaves and studies hard to become a Detective/Sgt. of Police. Captain Megan Russert(Isabella Hoffman-Woo, woo, woo, woo!)now get this, she is a fictional cousin of NBC Newsman & Moderator of "MEET THE PRESS", Tim Russert(honest, that's what the series says!)

Rounding out the original "work sheets" are:Det. Stan Bolander(Ned Beatty)seemingly a sort of "dull blade', the blue collar guy found a great interest in classical music, even learning to play the Cello!Det. Meldrick Lewis(Clark Johnson)grew up in the Public Housing Project, Street Smart, Easy Going, Get's along with anybody and can work with anyone. My personal favourite Characterization.**ASA Ed Danvers(Zeliko Ivanek)excellent portrayal of Prosecutor and their relationship with "The Fuzz!" (Remember, in some States and the Federal Court System it's ADA(Assistant District Attorney), whereas such States as Maryland & my own Illinois use Assistant States' Attorney( ASA ).

Like so many series that last for any length of time, there were many, many changes in the line-up, more than most. Look it up! No more space will be allotted here! "HOMICIDE" truly dared to be different, and remained so through the course of its run. It made use of some multi-shot repeating fade-ins, all seen from slightly different angles,donned with accompanying sound of a short, blunt musical queue. (It has to be seen & heard).

Also, each and every "HOMICIDE" episode is much like a feature film. That is, each is able to stand on its own. And yes, there are a lot of continued story lines and ideas that carry from week to week, and it is better to follow the series week to week, but it's not necessary.

And it has the quality of sets, cinematography and really great, haunting music, both in theme and incidental music by Douglas J. Cuomo and Jeff Rona.

The whole story was neatly wrapped up with the 2 hour Made for TV HOMICIDE: The Movie(2000), which maintained the flavor of the series, yet still dared to be different.

NOTE: * Richard Belzer re-prised Det.Munch for "LAW & ORDER: Special Victims Unit. Munch has many 'crossover' appearances on the various other "LAW & ORDER" 'offspring'.

NOTE: ** In this author's 35 years on the Chicago Police Dept.,I met and worked with a lot of guys like 'Meldrick', but this was in my own "series"(my life on the streets!).

The way cop shows should be made

[safenoe · 10/10 · 10 July 2020]

HLOTS was way ahead of its time and it's timeless. The writing (by James Yoshimura and others) was superb and kept you absorbed, wanting more as you waited the next week for the latest episode. The story arcs kept you on the edge of your seat, with a sense of satisfaction when names were scrubbed off the whiteboard after a crime was solved.

True crime.

[jarius · 9/10 · 11 June 2002]

I have never been a big fan of police serials, but this is my all time favourite. I have nothing to add to the earlier comments, other than that in a time with complicated racial conflicts, poverty induced crime and the problems stemming from social inequality, this show tried to comment on the real problems facing the modern society.

And it was exciting too.

"Homicide": the greatest show on television

[evso · 30 July 1999]

It was a gloomy day when NBC cancelled this amazing show, but unfortunately, not enough viewers were watching. It can now be viewed in syndication - as of January 1999 it is shown on Court-TV weeknights. "Homicide" was an Emmy and Peabody-award-winning show. Because of its unique shooting style, magnificent writers, and terrific actors, it is the best show I ever watched. Other cop shows are no comparison. In fact, no other drama on network television had such a racially diverse cast. This is the only drama I have seen with African-American actors in leading roles. It is a sad fact that there aren't other shows like it out now.

This show truly did duck the "system" of other dramas, staying true to the source and portraying realistic characters. Anguish, joy, anger, humiliation, and respect are evident in the faces of the characters in assorted episodes. The first few seasons were the best, in my opinion, but the other seasons were still better than anything else on the networks. I shudder to think that "Nash Bridges" beat this amazing show in the ratings. If you are at all interested, try to find this show on television in your area. There is no middle ground with this show; you will either hate it or love it. All that I know have become addicted to it.

One of the finest TV series ever aired

[AlsExGal · 10/10 · 13 March 2010]

"Homicide" was an original crime drama that aired on NBC between January 1993 and May 1999. It was based on David Simon's book, "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets", which was based upon Simon's experiences in 1988 when he spent a year as a civilian assistant to the Baltimore Police Homicide Unit so that he could document what life was like in a big city homicide squad. His extensive notes, interviews, and observations were eventually published as the book.

Much of the cases chronicled in the first two seasons of the show are adapted from actual events in the book. The first two seasons focus on rookie Tim Bayliss's first case - the murder of 11 year-old Adina Watson whose murder is never solved and haunts him for the duration of the series. The original cast was truly brilliant, but to get a third full season the show's producers had to delete veteran actor Jon Polito (Crosetti) from the cast and pretty up the cast by adding Isabella Hoffman as shift supervisor Megan Russert.

There was an entire episode, perhaps the best of the series, dedicated to detective Crosetti's suicide at the beginning of season three. Crosetti left no note, and apparently had no huge looming problems in his life. He just chose to fill himself with alcohol, tranquilizers, and antidepressants and then throw himself into the Chesapeake rather than return to his job after his vacation, in spite of his deeply held religious beliefs that would make you think this is a choice he would never have made. This is one thing you'll see on Homicide time and time again - the writers are not afraid to leave the tough questions unanswered...forever.

Season four is also great, although two more original cast members depart - Beau Felton and Stan Bolander. The two additions to the cast include Mike Kellerman, whose boyish, fun-loving exterior hides a cagey and complex detective with a penchant for self destruction. He is transferred from arson to homicide as a result of the help he renders on closing the case of an arson-related homicide when a dead body is found in a burned warehouse. Also, J. H. Brodie, a news cameraman who is fired because he gives a tape showing the attacker of an elderly woman to the police rather than to the station for which he works, is also added to the cast. He is apparently meant to be an analog of David Simon. The only problem is, Simon took great pains to keep himself out of the story while Brodie is constantly included in the plot, making him a somewhat awkward although likable addition.

By season five, the "NYPD-Blueing" of Homicide is becoming a bit more pronounced. Never having stellar ratings, the series was forced by the network to show less detective work and gritty realism and more of the personal lives of the cast members. Still, the episodes are excellent. In this season, Michelle Forbes, the new M.E. with a "Queen of the Dead" vibe, speeds into town and becomes involved with Mike Kellerman. Frank Pembleton is shown recovering from the stroke he had at the end of season four and struggling to return to full duty. Elijah Wood stars as a the spoiled sociopath son of a Baltimore judge who believes he can get away with anything, including plotting the murder of his own judge mother. Finally, there is the apparent suicide of a long-since departed detective that turns out to be a murder.

Season six is where things begin to go downhill in the show. At the conclusion of season five it was determined that detectives would rotate between departments. This was used as a vehicle to introduce three largely uninteresting and even unlikeable cast members - Det. Ballard who actually comes from a Seattle homicide unit, Det. Paul Falsone and Det. Stu Gharty. Falsone always came across as a sneak and Stu Gharty had already been shown up as a coward in an episode from a previous season. Melissa Leo's character, Kay Howard, is now completely evicted from the series. Still, there are some interesting developments. In "Subway" Pembleton gets an opportunity to speak with the dead for a change rather than for them. Bayliss, at the ripe old age of 37, decides to explore other facets of his sexuality, much to the surprise of Pembleton. Kellerman's execution/shooting of arch-criminal Luther Mahoney in the previous season leads to all out war between the police and Mahoney's family that ends up in a shootout in the squad room and also with Bayliss taking a bullet for Pembleton. Both Pembleton and Kellerman resign from the force.

Season seven is largely forgettable. Bayliss has converted to Buddhism following his brush with death and becomes "The Zen Detective". Giardello's son joins the cast as liaison between Baltimore PD and the FBI, although the two look more like brothers than father and son - the age separation is just not there, and neither is any semblance of a believable family connection. Michael Michele joins the cast as ex beauty queen/detective Rene Sheppard and does as good a job of helping this show jump the shark as Ted McGinley could have ever hoped to do.

The main episodes from season seven worth watching include those that wrap up Mike Kellerman's story after his exile at the end of season six - the two parter "Kellerman P.I". There are also the episodes that further Tim Bayliss' character development where he is forced to shoot the killer of a Buddhist monk in self defense - "Zen and the Art of Murder". The other storyline worth watching involve episodes on the Internet killer, who is released on a technicality but vows to Bayliss that he will kill again. These two story lines - the Internet killer being freed and Tim discovering that he can kill if he has to - collide in the excellent series finale "Forgive Us Our Trespasses".

The greatest one hour in television history

[marcmiller10 · 10/10 · 28 April 2006]

Simply, the greatest one hour in television history. Imagine what a hit the show would be now, considering it influenced so many cop shows today? The story lines are incredible, that arc for multiple seasons. ITs like one great book, and lots of secondary stories and characters in between. The greatest show on television from years 1-6.

Some people say that show lost some steam when half of its original characters left from the first 4 season, but the story arc from season four to six, involving Luther mahoney, was brilliant. It tied every character together, and no one, and i mean no one, came away clean or unscathed.

Brilliant, powerful, emotional, heartbreaking, funny, Witty, classy, real, authentic, and just plain good. Television was spoiled to have it. Andrew braugher created the single great character of the cop drama. It did what some shows can not do back in the day; it held a single story line through out each season, instead of making one out of the last four episodes.

Thinking cops

[petra_ste · 9/10 · 23 May 2007]

Set in Baltimore, Homicide: Life on the Street paved the way to The Wire. No car chases, shootouts or clichés: this cop show focused on character development and on the psychological duels between detectives and criminals in scenes full of suspense and depth.

Writing and performances are superb. Braugher is phenomenal as clever, smug ace investigator Pembleton. The underrated Secor makes Bayliss a multi-faceted individual, a sensitive man capable of appalling bursts of violence. Johnson is likable as Meldrick, Belzer hilarious as Munch; Diamond has one of the best character arcs, as he portrays Kellerman's downfall; Kotto imbues the potentially clichéd role of the grumpy officer with humanity, humour and a volatile sense of threat. And Melissa Leo is still the best female detective seen on TV. Among guest stars, Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Elijah Wood and David Morse.

Homicide was not afraid of providing existentially disquieting closures: many cases were never solved, sometimes because they were "stone-cold whodunits" from the start, sometimes because the detectives messed up. In what is possibly the best episode (Three Men and Adena), there is a scene where you sense Pembleton and Bayliss are THIS close to getting the suspect confess, but they are so angry and exhausted they let the occasion slip... and you suddenly realize along with them that the moment is gone, beyond recall. It's terrific stuff.

Homicide had a seven seasons run. The first two feature some of the strongest episodes, like Black and Blue and Three Men and Adena. Seasons three, four and five found were also excellent: best episodes are Crosetti, Colors, Hate Crimes, Stakeout, The Hat, Prison Riot, Have a Conscience, Double Blind, Partners and Other Strangers.

In the last two seasons the series suffered from weak writing and new characters who were not on par with the original cast, like Falsone (Jon Seda), Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Sheppard (Michael Michelle). Character assassinations or departures of fan favorites like Pembleton, Lewis, Bayliss and Kellerman did not help.

Overall, Homicide was a brilliant show, something quite out of the ordinary. It's a pity it did not maintain the same level of quality to the very end, but the first five seasons (and a handful of episodes from the last two) were remarkable.

9/10

2022 - Look past the AV quality

[codymurphy27 · 9/10 · 31 May 2022]

I found it amusing seeing a review from 22 years ago stating how the show was better "than the crap on TV nowadays". The "reality" tv plague was only in its infancy back then.

Authenticity is the calling card of this show, a very valuable trait in any contemporary set series. I'm a big HD snob and want to view things in the best possible quality, but no such luck with this show that was shot in such a way I believe to add to that authenticity, like you were following the detectives around "B-more" as they hunt the various miscreants shown throughout the 7 seasons of the show. But you just have to live with it, and its so worth it.

Believable and fleshed out characters are another necessity for a quality show, and you get one of the best in Andre Braugher's Frank Pembleton. The show being before my time, I was drawn to it from his classic performance of Holt on Brooklyn 99. Homicide is no comedy- Richard Belzer aside- but you get an amazing performance from Braugher here that you will remember for a long time. The show is at its best when its offering up poignant social commentary through the lens of his character. This is not to discredit the memorable performances of virtually all other regulars as well, none of which faltering along the way.

There are indeed laughs along the way, and other episodes that will set dread in you like few other shows can (see: A Doll's Eyes, S4). This show isn't a paint by numbers, predictable mindless drama like so many we see today.

The final season slips and stutters a bit, but this is still a must watch series, start to finish for anyone who enjoys quality crime drama. The Wire (also born of the work of David Simon) holds a special place in the pantheon of prestige television, but I enjoyed Homicide more.

One of the Best Police Dramas Ever!

[ShelbyTMItchell · 10/10 · 15 November 2013]

Yes even better than Law and Order and CSI. As it portrays really gritty and really violent. As also really in your face. With a one camera angle that would really open the door to several other shows like "The Office and Brooklyn Nine Nine that stars one of the actors on the show, the great Andre Braugher.

It was shot on location in Baltimore MD. As the ensemble cast had witty Richard Belzer who would have his John Munch go on ten shows besides this and Law and Order SVU. Future Oscar winner Melissa Leo, Ned Beatty, Yaphett Kotto as the worried boss LT G.

One gritty show and really well written and produced by the great director Barry Levinson! You don't see shows like this now a days!

The Best

[muller-tom · 9/10 · 6 November 2011]

No doubt, the most realistic police show ever made.

Mean we all saw a lot of cop-shows in our life, most unrealistic, but this one is entirely different. Great characters, great acting, its more intellectual then all the rest.

no car chases, no gun-firing all the time

and, no high-tech computers.

cause that doesn't exist in real life.

and yet the show is still entertaining.

the difference is this show is not really about the murders. well it also is, but most of the characters are psycho-log. very deep. all with their own personal problems. the writing is fantastic, cause the dialogs, they just talk ass we all do - day by day.

required viewing

[zhaa82 · 10/10 · 13 November 2007]

While I think the series taken as a whole would certainly rank among the best ever put on television, a few things make it the absolute best. One is the cast. From Braugher to Kotto to Beatty to Johnson to Belzer to... the actors were (are) just phenomenal. Another is the writing. No smart-alec CSI hot shot zingers. True conversation from sophisticated adults. The last but not the least are the story lines, the greatest of all being the Mahoney story. Wow...! I dare say Shakespearean. The angst, elation, tragedy, morality (and lack thereof), vengeance, pain, and desperation throughout that saga has to be seen to be believed. What a great great risk they took by not taking the easy way out. The contrast in the scene at the park from the vengeful glee felt one minute to the totally unexpected tragedy the next was one of the great moments in the history of television and will never be equaled.

Can't find on any streaming service

[susanjonesnc · 10/10 · 26 October 2022]

I love this series. I agree with other reviewers that it one if not the best police dramas of all times. Why can't I find it on any streaming service? I contacted NBC and Peacock and encouraged them to run the series. Both representatives said there were no plans to put in their line up. Does David Simon not want it to run? It is only up on YouTube in a very crude, bootleg version. Some episodes are unwatchable due to technical issues. I can buy the series but I enjoy the streaming format more.

I see The Wire is available on HBO Max. I will try that. In the meantime I'm reading the books Homicide:Life on the Street.

Not worth watching after the second season.

[sergemurr · 6/10 · 25 March 2019]

Starting from the third season, the show begins to rapidly deteriorate, and by the fifth season it turns into a second-rate Mexican TV series. Characters become hysterical, their actions no longer correspond to logic and common sense.

The Pits

[Aristides-2 · 3/10 · 1 July 2014]

At the time of "The Wire", master-minded by David Simon with the essential co-writing help of former Baltimore cop Ed Burns, I started hearing about "Homicide" and gave it a try. What a surprise I had because the sections of 'Wire' having to do with the local cops were light years better than the banal and unbelievable 'Homicide' shows I watched. It takes a certain lack of talent to write scene after scene that has virtually no believability to them. I bailed after a half dozen of. But over the years I kept reading about Simon & Wire & Homicide, so when my local library introduced the third season of Homicide, I decided to give it another try. My god, what a miserable show it is! Virtually all of the regulars seem to be beginning their PMS cycle and the 'cool' ones ultimately are shown to be ready for episodes of near-psychotic rage. Now I understand that Homicide is fiction, not documentary but the overall deciding style of the shows are going after super-realism and once that's chosen what ever becomes of the need for real life police personnel to detach themselves as much as they can from what they have to deal with on a daily basis to keep their mental health? Plenty of black humor, sure but the constant boiling point of rage? Then we get into the individual characterizations: Yaphet Kotto as the captain, plays the part as a detached, highly educated philosopher whose job description is to walk around the offices giving orders, without apparently having to stop and think about the logic of the orders. At times he's unwatchable. Melissa Leo, costumed and haired-up to be an undercover aging hippy, instead goes out on homicide calls with her hair, either blown out or in a long ponytail. Can't you just imagine a violent perp jumping at the chance to pull her into a compromising situation? Richard Belzer continues to be cast as the wiseguy cop doing standup; the Rodney Dangerfield of detectives. Daniel Baldwin, still vocally impersonating Edward James Olmos's whispering delivery is just so full of himself. Does he think his ego's a shield that will protect him from a well directed bullet? Isabella Hofman as Lt. Russert is simply miscast; I never, ever saw the interior toughness via her eyes that any cop must have, especially if your a slight and good looking woman in a position of leadership. Stories: Hatched too soon with story bugs not worked out. "Nearer My God To Thee" depicts a female serial killer who apparently had the wealth and leisure to go from city-to-city finding women of a very specific description to murder. How was she able to get into personnel records of these people? Also, why in god's name did she confess since she wasn't even a suspect? This episode also has an embarrassingly written and performed interrogation of the suspect by Andre Braugher which if actually occurred, would mean the immediate release of the suspect. Finally, for those of you who commented that this was the best police series they ever saw, rent or buy "The Wire"; you'll change your opinion immediately.

one of the best cop shows if not THE best

[terp_92 · 27 July 2000]

Sorry Law and Order, but there's just something special about this show and there's more of a place for it in my heart, and it has nothing to do with the fact it takes place in my home state (well OK, that's does have something to do with it). It had an unconventional style different from that of L & O, but there were times I found it to be more intellectual.

There was never a bad episode, and the casting was all good, especially Andre Braugher, Yaphet Kotto, Kyle Secor, and Richard Belzer. It's too bad that some cast members left earlier than they should of (Ned Beatty, Jon Polito), but they were ably replaced.

It's really a shame that more people didn't watch this show which led to its cancellation, and appreciate it more with some of the crap that's on TV these days, which is a sad commentary on TV viewers as a whole. Oh well, there's always the reruns on Court TV.

Best TV show ever period!!!!!

[ltfish06 · 10/10 · 15 October 2007]

Homicide was the best show of any genre to be made for television. It honestly gave the most detailed and truthful accounts about how criminal investigations really happen. It also touched on the personal lives of how many police officers live and how they deal with the daily grind of the job. I say this because I've been in law enforcement for 7 years and I know how things really happen. Homicide puts the truth in crime TV....all crimes don't get solved overnight or at all sometimes. Homicide touched on that very point in different episodes. It was a show that TV executives should have just let it run it's natural course. It was taken off the air well before it's time!!!

T.V at it's finest

[brianoreilly99 · 10/10 · 18 August 2006]

Homicide is, without question, the greatest T.v show ever produced. Brilliant writing and acting, and even with cast fluctuations, the quality rarely ever dipped.It's a shame it never caught the public's full attention, like inferior shows such as NYPD blue, but still survived 7 season's of close on perfection.Of the core cast, most people will pick Andre Braugher as the standout, playing Frank Pembleton, but for me Kyle Secor, as the decidedly odd, and constantly evolving Bayliss, and Yaphet Kotto as Al are the standout characters.The show is set in Baltimore and was produced under the watchful eye of Barry Levinson, a Baltimore native.All seven seasons are available, and a must have for any discerning viewer. Buy them now!!!!!

A modern-day "Playhouse 90."

[movibuf1962 · 10/10 · 22 January 2003]

I give NBC tremendous credit for keeping this show on the air in the first place- even if its air times were sporadic and its fate had to be suspended across every summer before the executives decided to keep it for one more season. It wasn't a typical crime drama, not using a lot of car chases, explosions, or erroneous soap opera plots. The mundane of the precinct office and its eccentric inhabitants were the real stars of the show. The shows were character studies, frequently only focusing on one or two leads per hour- which made for a lot of story telling across the large ensemble cast. And though some have criticized the series' excessive use of hand-held camera and jump-cut editing, I think that gave the performances a more spontaneous, breathless appearance. This wasn't just television, it was theater. One could imagine this series being shown 50 years ago at the time of "Studio One" or "Playhouse 90," when live television drama was the norm: gritty in appearance, but sleek, literate dialog and excellent acting. (Witness episodes featuring Clark Johnson and a suicidal Reed Diamond on a sailboat; or guest star Vincent D'Onofrio mono-a-mono with Andre' Braugher while lying crushed under a subway train; or an entire episode dedicated to the graveyard shift at the height of a sweltering summer- with no working air conditioners.) This show revealed wonderful theatrical performers not only in Braugher but in Richard Belzer, Kyle Secor, Ned Beatty, Melissa Leo, and Daniel Baldwin, to name a few. I'm glad I witnessed it on network television.

Best Cop Show Ever!

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 10 October 2006]

I still miss a show like this drama. It had a first cast, crew, and writing that no other show on television had until that point. Andre Braugher (I love you), Kyle Secor, Melissa Leo, David Belzer, Ned Beatty, Isabell Hoffman, Stephen Baldwin, etc. I only wished that they didn't get rid of Leo's character, Kay Howard, who I think was the best female heterosexual cop on television up there with Cagney and Lacey. I like the real life and on screen relationship between Hoffman and Baldwin. Let's put it to you this way, when they did the reunion film, everybody in the cast and crew reunited which is amazing because this cast and crew worked so well together that they formed relationships that would last a lifetime. Braugher's Emmy winning performance as Frank Pendleton is amazing and unforgettable. The show shot much of it on location in Baltimore itself and that city became part of the show's unique character.

Phenomenal show - 'till Season 7

[SusieSalmonLikeTheFish · 10/10 · 30 August 2016]

Homicide differs from most crime shows out there because it doesn't conform to the usual drama that most others in the genre carry. There are no high-speed chases, no shock value love affairs, no extended action scenes, no nerdy book and film trivia scattered in for no reason. Homicide is as close to reality as fiction can get. The characters, not played by the usual glamorous celebrities, look and act like ordinary working joes dedicated to their grim job, "speaking for the dead" as they put it. And viewers connect with the characters, whether it's Giardello's speeches, Munch's cynical but well-placed comments, or Pembleton juggling work and family all at once. The show might've been dark, but it worked extremely well.

Around Season 6, it began to decline noticeably. Kay Howard, the "woman doing a man's job", whom viewers come to admire, is out of the picture, replaced by two new detectives who have supermodel looks but nothing outstanding or memorable about them. Brodie, the geeky but ambitious young videographer, is sent away just as he starts to become part of the Homicide "family". Pembleton and Kellerman, major characters, resign and are replaced by Gharty, a watery-eyed, often-drunk, middle-aged detective who mostly just mopes around and makes passes at younger women. Munch, once a sardonic jerk but a great detective and a surprisingly kind person and great friend when he wants to be, becomes lazy, a gossip, overly crass and annoying and is hardly ever in Season 7 anymore, spending all his time working the Waterfront Bar with Billie Lou, an eccentric barmaid who looks more like his daughter than his girlfriend. Their relationship, which is supposed to appear comical and cute, just comes off as extremely creepy, as they frequently discuss their sex life in front of other characters. Watching them carry on that way just makes me cringe. It looks so weird! Billie Lou isn't exactly devoted either, as she often flirts with Gharty (Gharty is even older than Munch). The FBI arrives in later seasons, expanding the usual small Baltimore homicide unit unnecessarily and throwing in extra drama. Bayliss becomes a "zen detective" and starts reciting proverbs and claims to be bisexual, again throwing more drama into the mix. The trademark camera angles and 16mm film look of grainy browns and grays change to an unoriginal appearance with bright blue paint and a renovated office.

The good thing about Homicide is that the first five seasons are something you can watch over and over again, while still being impressed every time. This show isn't afraid to leave questions unanswered and mysteries unsolved, just like real-life. What drove Crosetti to suicide? Did Munch turn vigilante and shoot Gordon Pratt in the night? Who killed Adena Watson? What makes Homicide unique is that sometimes, things aren't easy, things aren't cheerful, but hope still prevails even in the darkest times, and this show does an excellent job at portraying that. Personally I like it far more than The Wire or Law & Order, and I was really sad to see it go when it did, although, with the direction it was going, maybe it's for the best that it still got to die with dignity.

Homicide: Life on the Street is another favorite

[bkdrdav · 10/10 · 2 December 2018]

Another show I binge watch. I think every actor in this series is superb.

Great at first

[willfulton · 8/10 · 3 December 2013]

Really well written network series, but the original cast, good actors who looked like real detectives, were largely replaced in the series' final years with younger actors who looked more like fashion models than detectives. I suspect that the scripts were also compromised to accommodate lowered acting expectations. (I am not including Esposito, one of my favorite actors, or Seda in this slighting.) If I had been Simon, I would have gone running to HBO, as well. "The Subway" an episode starring Andre Braugher and Vincent d'Onofrio is still one of the finest television dramas I have ever seen. Erik Dellums as Luther Mahoney gave a memorable performance as a villain.

detectives

[klpeach · 10/10 · 13 May 2021]

The best detective show I have ever seen. The cast was excellent, the stories gritty, and real.

When LAW & ORDER isn't on...

[xredgarnetx · 6/10 · 10 February 2008]

HOMICIDE ran six seasons in the 1990s, documenting the solving of violent crime cases in Baltimore, and had a real who's who of a cast, including Andre Braugher, Yaphet Kotto, Ned Beatty and Richard Belzer. I am not clear on the show's relationship to LAW & ORDER, but characters kept crossing over for guest spots between the two. One character, Belzer's quirky Munch, eventually moved over to the L& O spin off, "Special Victims Unit." HOMICICDE was beautifully shot in one of the nation's grittiest, most colorful and crime-ridden cities, and the characters were for the most part low-key and believable within the limitations of the scripts, which unfortunately were never up to L&O quality. Worth a watch when you can't find an L&O or NYPD BLUE episode on.

who killed Deana Watson's

[Sunshine4121960 · 5/10 · 14 April 2009]

Thanks for the updates on the real story behind the victim. Because it had no closure on the child's killer, only the suspects, I had my suspicious who might have done it. Which was the last suspect at the end. In the three men Adriena. Now that I know about the episode, of the book that were explained to from by the episode, and not wondering what's missing,I don't have to figure out who might have molested this little girl. I understand Bayliss wanted to closed the Deanna Watson's case so he can prove something to his Lt. That he can handle it by working on it as a primary for the case. It can be hard, not giving up on it to the matter is solved. But the story in the book,is a true story,and they haven't found the real killer yet either.