Homicide: Life on the Street: Season 1

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Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews

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Universal acclaim based on 26 Ratings

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Homicide: Life On The Street

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Season Details & Credits

NBC | Season Premiere Date: January 31, 1993

Starring: Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty, Melissa Leo

Summary: This series was the most reality-based police drama that has ever aired on television. It was shot entirely with handheld cameras on location in the Fells Point Community of Baltimore, MD. One of the series' executive producers, Barry Levinson, is a Baltimore native. He has written and directed at least three films that take place inThis series was the most reality-based police drama that has ever aired on television. It was shot entirely with handheld cameras on location in the Fells Point Community of Baltimore, MD. One of the series' executive producers, Barry Levinson, is a Baltimore native. He has written and directed at least three films that take place in Baltimore: "Diner", "Tin Men" & "Avalon". Doing this show was a natural for him.

The series was based on a book called "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," by David Simon, a writer who spent a year with the members of Baltimore's homicide unit. Some of the series' characters and cases were based on the book.

This series was unlike most cop shows of that time, in that there were almost no car chases, gunfights and etc. This show was about closing cases and the act of the crime was usually never seen. Generally, the viewer first sees the case when the detective(s) arrive on the scene. Open cases are kept track of on a board, open cases under the primary detective's name are shown in red ink, when the case is closed the red is replaced by black ink. During the first season it aired, it didn't have great ratings and the chances for a second season looked bleak. When Steven Bochco's NYPD Blue premiered in the Fall of '93 and got great ratings, police dramas "were in" and the series was given the go-ahead for a second season (the two Emmy Awards probably didn't hurt either). The better ratings of the second season led to a full third and subsequent seasons. When the Lifetime cable channel picked the show up for syndication in 1997 it helped guarantee that there would be a fifth season. Then NBC made it possible for the series to have a sixth and seventh season.

With the great cast, acting, writing, and directing the series has won awards including a few Emmy Awards, Writer's Guild Awards and George Foster Peabody Awards. Most of these awards were earned by Tom Fontana, one of the series' executive producers, whose other credits include St. Elsewhere. In the 1995-1996 television season Andre Braugher was finally nominated for Best Actor in a Drama. While he didn't win that year, two years later in the 1997-1998 television season he was again nominated, this time the Television Academy recognized what we already knew, that Andre Braugher was the best actor working in television drama.

One of the highlights of the series, starting with the second season was the use of music. All varieties of music have been featured throughout the series, most often it was featured in a montage of the detectives conducting their investigation.

First air date: January 31, 1993
Last air date: May 21, 1999
Original air time: Friday 10:00:00 pm (Eastern)… Expand

Creator: Paul Attanasio

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E9. Night of the Dead Living
Air Date: March 31, 1993
tbd
S1:E8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Air Date: March 24, 1993
tbd
S1:E7. And the Rockets Dead Glare
Air Date: March 17, 1993

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

David Hiltbrand

Jun 25, 2013

The best ensemble cop drama since Hill Street Blues. Read full review

100

Ed Siegel

May 12, 2013

The best new network dramatic series since "Shannon's Deal" and "Twin Peaks" in 1990. [29 Jan 1993, p.21]

100

Ed Bark

May 12, 2013

Much of this is likely to go to waste, though. Homicide, possibly the best police series ever, may prove to be the biggest turnoff since Cop Rock. Imagine a series in which a cop walks up to a potential mugger and tells him, "Hey, we're police. Go rob somebody else." [31 Jan 1993, p.5C]

100

Howard Rosenberg

May 12, 2013

A cops-and-crime hour reeking of atmosphere, wit and intelligence, an invigorating, essentially nonviolent series about homicide detectives that could be the "Hill Street Blues" of the '90s. [29 Jan 1993, p.F1]

Hal Boedeker

May 12, 2013

The thrill of Homicide comes in listening to some of the snappiest dialogue on television. David Mamet should admire Attanasio's lines. The show -- filmed in Baltimore -- looks good, but it sounds better. [30 Jan 1993, p.E1]

Miles Beller

May 12, 2013

It isn't as groundbreaking as it would have itself taken. However, in terms of presenting a strong portrayal of cop work out on the urban landscape, the project (inspired by David Simon's "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets") hits with compelling conviction. [29 Jan 1993]

Richard Zoglin

Jul 2, 2013

In the end, however, Homicide doesn't stand out in bold enough relief from TV's background clutter. The characters are too pat, their conflicts too predictable. Read full review

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User Reviews

allenfwells

Nov 12, 2018

Comparisons to the Wire are unavoidable due to the shared link in Simon’s book, but this is a tonally different series with different writers. Some people (including me) find this better while some fans of the former find it inferior, but these opinions tend to be pointless anyway (no oneComparisons to the Wire are unavoidable due to the shared link in Simon’s book, but this is a tonally different series with different writers. Some people (including me) find this better while some fans of the former find it inferior, but these opinions tend to be pointless anyway (no one wants to stoop to the level of the ‘best show ever’ ppl).
But in comparing, the clear differences between the two shows are Homicide’s approach to characterization, commentary, and music. It deals episodically (for the most part) with murder cases investigated by hardened, but well-meaning cops. Corruption is rarely a factor here (I read that it’s featured in Season 5 but I’m actually still on 4). The humor used is self-aware & sometimes dark, but it doesn’t go into the nihilistic & vulgar territories of the Wire. Drama is often punctuated by soft rock melodies & ambient instrumentals as it focuses on both the cases’ moral elements & the character’s personal lives.
It does have a soapy quality to it at times & some of the characters can get rather overheated & shouty, but these qualities combined with the uncompromising lack of ideal endings make a nice watch. (Btw, my opinion on the purported realism of the 2 shows is mixed. Homicide is more believable in depicting how a healthy police organization works (without exploring deeply on corruption issues) while the Wire (or at least the half I watched) focuses on a group of mostly dysfunctional, low-class cops surrounded by a crooked bureaucracy with hardly a morally-driven officer in sight. Maybe some middle ground for these 2 would be nice.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

stevenf49

May 25, 2018

Quality preceding the Golden Age which helped make way for it. On par with Hill Street Blues, only goes a little deeper. Superb.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tss5078

Jul 6, 2014

Back in the day, networks stood behind the shows they picked up. They believed in them, they advertised them, they pushed them to do whatever they could to get ratings. Unfortunately, things are much different today, as a new show is given 13 episodes to crack the top 50 on the NielsenBack in the day, networks stood behind the shows they picked up. They believed in them, they advertised them, they pushed them to do whatever they could to get ratings. Unfortunately, things are much different today, as a new show is given 13 episodes to crack the top 50 on the Nielsen charts, and if they fail, they're gone before they even got started. If this had always been the policy, shows like Cheers, The X-Files, Law & Order, & Homicide: Life On The Street never would have gotten started.

NBC took a real chance on this show, the cast was all unknowns, except for Ned Beatty, and the rating for the first season were in the toilet. NBC saw the potential though, they realized they had a special cast full of future award winners, and a terrific writing staff, so they made the show more intense. Regular characters could be killed off or added every week, they got big name guest stars, and even had crossover episodes with highly successful shows like Law & Order and The X-Files. With the network behind it, the series soared, completing 7 seasons, winning 4 Emmy's, and it was even turned into a full length feature film.

Homicide: Life On The Street, follows a unit of Homicide Detectives in one of the worst areas of Baltimore, which at the time, had one of the highest murder rates in the country. We follow the investigation, similar to the way they do in Law & Order, but what's different here, is that Homicide is more character based. The audience gets to intimately know the Detectives, their families, and their lives, but even that wasn't the real strength of the show. What made Homicide unique, an Emmy winner, and the launching point for almost a dozen big named actors was "The box" A.K.A. the interrogation room. Homicide takes us into the interrogation room in a way that has never been done before, showing all the emotion, stress, and everything that comes with the process.

What I really love about this show is that everyone is used equally and no one is a star! Every member of the cast is important and even the opening credits are in alphabetical order, giving no one top billing. That was how the show was designed, but the truth is that Andre Braugher moved beyond that and become a legend.

Playing the very complex Detective, Frank Pembelton, Andre Braugher made a name for himself by captivating audiences. Everything that happened was so deep and personal to him, and he put the emotion into everything he did, not only making him the best detective in the squad, but also the best character to watch.

Homicide takes you inside the interrogation room, but also inside the lives of Homicide Detectives the way that no other show has done before or since. It's a one of a kind show that survived, only because someone important at the network actually watched it and saw how amazing it is. If you're looking for a great show to get into, there are 7 seasons and over 100 episodes, and take my word for it, this show is as addicting as anything I've ever seen!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RadleyBear

Oct 20, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I watched this after seeing 'The Wire' as this was the first major Baltimore based tv serial, if your going to attempt it stick with it through the first few episodes as it now looks seriously dated. However the characters are great, Pembleton will stick with you forever; when the guy has a stroke I was devastated. The stories engage and surprise you right till the end. Some major stars also make frequent appearances, a few cross ever episodes with 'Law and Order' which pissed me off as I haven't seen it but generally a good cop programme.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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Seasons & Episodes

95

Series Overview
Season 7

tbd
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: September 25, 1998
Season 6

tbd
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: October 17, 1997
Season 5

tbd
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 20, 1996
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: October 20, 1995
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: October 14, 1994
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: January 6, 1994
Season 1

94
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 31, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E9. Night of the Dead Living
  Air Date: March 31, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
  Air Date: March 24, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E7. And the Rockets Dead Glare
  Air Date: March 17, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E6. A Dog and Pony Show
  Air Date: March 10, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E5. Three Men and Adena
  Air Date: March 3, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E4. A Shot in the Dark
  Air Date: February 24, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E3. Son of a Gun
  Air Date: February 10, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E2. Ghost of a Chance
  Air Date: February 3, 1993
- tbd
  S1:E1. Gone for Goode
  Air Date: January 31, 1993