Homicide, Life on the Street

Like everybody before me told, this is THE best police story ever made.

The photography, the personages, the direction and last but not least the music. It's the first series where I noticed that a song was completely played, while all the actors kept moving, doing what they have to do, but without dialogues. If you are a scriptwriter it's a dream when you can accomplish this. The action counts. But then, as a cherry on a pie, the dialogues are perfect too.

Too bad we get this only once a week and then at a past midnight hour.

I was very surprised to learn this series originated from a book. Got that information from this web-site. I'm still full of praise but on the go for the Amazon book store. :-)

We all agree this was probably the best crime series ever made, despite NBC's reluctance to support and promote it. This was TV acting, scripting, and directing at it's best.

What the public could not accept, was that the stories did not have neat endings. Life, and crime stories are messy. The show reflected that. And I'm grateful for it's honesty.

On the other hand, I'm grateful they allowed the show to have a movie that ended several major story lines. At the end of it all, we needed closure, even it some of the endings weren't "happy endings". That in itself showed the quality - the truth of this show.

Fiction can be truthful, and "real". This was the best example . And NBC should hang it's head in shame for the way it treated it. I'm glad that "Munch" still lives on Law & Order SVU, but it's a shadow of a great character in a great show.

On TV you take what you get.

Simply, the most rewarding dramatic broadcast television show I have ever seen. HLOTS was consistently character driven, well written and beautifully shot and edited. The acting stands alone as a singular achievement in broadcast TV. An across the board gifted ensemble speaking emotionally provocative, unflinchingly honest and challenging words.

Two things kept this show from legendary status: First, for most of it's run, it suffered from a terrible schedule spot, Friday. Second, it was a challenging show. In no way is that a denigration, in fact, the opposite. The levels of meaning presented in the writing and reinforced by the camera style and acting required a level of attention that people normally bring with them to watch the theatre.

Regarding it's lack of very many Emmy's, it was produced outside of Hollywood, yet was made with substantive quality and artistic integrity. My guess is that it therefore lacked clout and engendered jealousy at the same time.

It's cliché, but HLOTS was ahead of it's time. Many shows on today echo much of the style and substance HLOTS pioneered. Look no farther than THE SHIELD, NIP TUCK or THE SOPRANOS for dramatic quality similar to what HLOTS was doing 10+ years ago.

There are other good dramas on TV today, but HLOTS connected so consistently on an emotional and aesthetically fulfilling level that I felt like I had lost a friend when it finished it's run. I can't say that about anything I've seen before or since.

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.

As an aspiring writer, and a longtime local of Maryland, this series has continuously touched me and will probably always be in my memories.

Not much more can be said about "Homicide: Life on the Street" that hasn't already been said. Excellent writing, gripping messages, memorable characters...this is an example of the epitome of drama, this is a study of human behavior, and like the book that inspired it, this is a tribute to the brave men and women who strive to see that justice is served in real life.

In case you don't know the general idea, it's about a believable group of individuals tracking down killers--who are often portrayed as disturbed individuals themselves, not brawlers. The heart of the stories primarily takes place in two settings: The box, and the street--with humorous, often thought provoking intervals happening in the station and during car scenes.

The best season: Six, in my opinion. This season combined the series' great writing (stories like "Blood Ties", "The Subway", "Abduction", "Finnegan's Wake", "Fallen Heroes", etc.) with some general excitement throughout almost the entire run of episodes. Also, every character present has something interesting or likable about them (the poster for "Homicide: The Movie" features mostly the collective image of season six). "Homicide" didn't often focus on intimate relationships, but the main one towards the story's end was developed in a clever, truly romantic way.

Overall, as you've probably heard before, this is one of the best shows ever to air on television. It will always be regarded as such.