Homicide: Life on the Street

It has the best tough-guy dialogue around and an acting ensemble that's ferociously effective. Face it: Homicide is a killer.

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]

The quality of talent in front of the camera matches the high standards behind the scenes. As a cop ensemble, the Homicide squad has the spice, dry wit and ethnic diversity of the "Hill Street Blues" crew, with even more eccentricities and a heightened sense of realism. Like the New York partners in "Law & Order," the Baltimore detectives grind it out with street-tested police procedures. [29 Jan 1993, p.55]

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

Homicide isn't only riveting drama; it's really about something, and it says what it's about in credible and haunting ways, sometimes with a dramatic jolt, sometimes with a painfully funny jab, almost always with compelling command. It is, in short, a killer. It's murder. That is meant as a compliment.

Among the most stimulating and entertaining series of the last 10 years and far and away the best new network show of the 1992-93 season.

Homicide is a cop show of a different kind, a rare TV combination of writing to die for, brought to life from the pages of a bestseller, by a knockout ensemble cast, and the production smarts of one of Hollywood's hottest Oscar-winning filmmakers. [31 Jan 1993, p.3]

Homicide is the best new television drama of the season. That's particularly surprising, considering it's yet another cop show. And even more surprising in that it's NBC - the loser network - which has come up with a winner teeming with unique characters, steaming with atmosphere and featuring writing as sharp as a stiletto. [31 Jan 1993, p.30]

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]

For all of its fashionably jittery surfaces, Homicide establishes its own special mark with incisive character portraits. This particular squad of detectives is an inspired collection of types, many sounding like escapees from a play by David Mamet. And why not? Buffs will remember that Mr. Mamet wrote one of the final episodes of "Hill Street Blues." In any event, the protective cynicism and sarcastic repartee of these Baltimore cops are brilliantly on target. A dynamite cast gets it just right.

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]

There's lots of good stuff to recommend Homicide. Performances are uniformly strong, above normal level of series work. It's a class act; all techs are superior, including excellent photography by Wayne Ewing and editing by Jay Rabinowitz. [29 Jan 1993]

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]

Homicide is fast-paced but reasonably easy to follow. It is fragmentary at times, but somehow cohesive. It's impressionistic in style, yet driven by plot, enlivened by gallows humor and inhabited by intriguing, amusing, startlingly natural characters...You can think of Homicide as "Hill Street Blues" with more grit and less econo-socio-poli-psycho babble; "Law & Order" without the "order" half; "Twin Peaks" with intelligence and discipline as well as style. "Diner" with cops. [31 Jan 1993, p.7C]

I love the characters, the actors, the spell they weave, the way of telling a story. By the second episode, I didn't want them to solve the case so it would go on and on. Homicide: Life on the Street is another stroll down heartbreak alley. [31 Jan 1993, p.21]

Even viewers who feel they've been copped and robbered to death by TV will find this highly juiced blend of bright writing and dark motif hard to turn off.[31 Jan 1993, p.D1]