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Part of series: Miami Vice [TV Series]: Miami Vice has been described as the first cop show for the MTV generation. Brilliantly capturing the mood, the style, the rhythm, the pulsations, the bright electric colors, and the garish glitz of the early 80s, the weekly, 60-minute series was just a much an elongated music video (with a Jan Hammer score) as it was a crime drama -- and it set the standard for the scores of copycat series that followed in its wake. Set in (where else?) Miami, the series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as hard-nosed Miami-Dade PD vice detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Crockett was a Ferrari-driving fashion trendsetter (how many millions of the series young male fans emulated Sonnys no-socks, no-shave look?), who lived on a sailboat called iSt. Vitus Dance/i with his pet gator, Elvis. Tubbs hailed from New York, and had come to Florida to track down the drug dealer responsible for his brothers murder. Like most such salt-and-pepper TV detective teams, Crockett and Tubbs did not always see eye to eye on details and procedure, but when they worked together as undercover cops in the sleazy underbelly of the Florida resort community, they almost invariably got results. And the criminal element -- which on this series consisting primarily of drug lords, white slavers, and illicit arms traders -- was well advised to stay out of their way. Though Sonny and Ricardo were pretty much the whole show, a few supporting characters were also worth noting, especially Edward James Olmos as the boys mercurial superior officer Lt. Martin Castillo, Olivia Brown and Saundra Santiago as feisty female cops Trudy Joplin and Gina Navarro, and John Diehl as Larry Zito, Crockett and Tubbs obligatory orthodox co-worker Calabrese. Making occasional appearances were Belinda Montgomery as Sonnys ex-wife, Caroline, and Sheena Easton as wife number two (albeit briefly), Caitlin Davies. Except for a short 1988 story arc in which an amnesiac Sonny assumed his undercover identity as drug dealer Sonny Burnett, things moved at a steady and reliable clip throughout the series four-season run. Maybe it is true that series producer Michael Mann favored style over substance -- but what style! Miami Vice was seen on NBC from September 16, 1984, to July 26, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Includes seasons: Miami Vice: Season 01: Season one of Miami Vice finds New York-bred vice cop Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) newly arrived at the Miami-Dade PD, in pursuit of the drug kingpin who murdered his brother. Reluctantly teamed with maverick undercover detective Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson), Tubbs is not a little surprised at how well and effectively they work together. In subsequent episodes, Crockett and Tubbs try to get to the bottom of an allegation that a rogue FBI agent has sold them out; Tubbs rescues Crocketts family from an Argentinean hit man; Lt. Martin Castillo (Edward James Olmos) joins the force as the boys new, no-nonsense superior officer; a recreational speedboat racer is revealed to be a dangerous drug-runner; and the son of a wealthy industrialist is set up as a decoy to catch a few big-timers in the heroin trade. In addition, Sonny and Rico pose as corrupt hotel security guards to thwart a prostitution ring and end up halting a robbery; Castillo solicits the boys help in freeing his kidnapped wife; Tubbs himself is abducted because of the gung-ho tactics of a revenge-seeking police officer; and Crockett comes face to face with a dark figure from his past during an ATM bust of an arms dealer. The season wraps up with a tense cat-and-mouse game between Crockett and Tubbs and the gunmen who intend to murder their prisoner, a mob witness. Though Miami Vice would not crack the Top 30 TV shows during its maiden season, word of mouth would elevate the show to ninth place in the overall ratings for season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Includes episodes: Miami Vice: Pilot: When NBC head honcho Brandon Tartikoff demanded a flashy weekly series with MTV Cops, executive producer Michael Mann responded with Miami Vice. The stars were Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, members of Miamis Organized Crime Bureau. In the Miami Vice two-hour pilot, telecast September 16, 1984, Florida native Crockett and New York transplant Tubbs team for the first time; their mutual target is a nasty drug lord who has killed two people who were near and dear to the detectives. Gregory Sierra (replaced in the series by Edward James Olmos) costars as Crockett and Tubbs superior. A triumph of style over substance, Miami Vice was for many years the most popular action series on network TV; it ran until July of 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Miami Vice: Heart of Darkness Miami Vice: Cool Runnin Miami Vice: Calderones Return Miami Vice: Calderones Return, Part II Miami Vice: One Eyed Jack Miami Vice: No Exit Miami Vice: The Great McCarthy Miami Vice: Glades Miami Vice: Give a Little, Take a Little Miami Vice: Little Prince Miami Vice: Milk Run Miami Vice: Golden Triangle Miami Vice: Golden Triangle, Part II Miami Vice: Smugglers Blues Miami Vice: Rites of Passage Miami Vice: The Maze Miami Vice: Made for Each Other Miami Vice: The Home Invaders Miami Vice: Nobody Lives Forever Miami Vice: Evan Miami Vice: Lombard