Homicide: Life on the Street: classic or the best show ever created?

However, the later episodes with the terrible Jon Seda, Michael Michele and that annoying brunette women brought the show down quite a bit. I don't how Andre Braugher could stand to be in the same room with such stank actors.

I loved that episode where Bayliss was revealed to be this freaky Internet web-site guy, and everyone in the office ostracized him. (I think it also had something to do with homosexuality, too - wasn't following the show too closely to know, though.

He had his own site, which revealed his thoughts about being a bisexual buddhist. Don't recall everything about this episode, but I think both the bisexuality and the buddhism made everybody a bit uncomfortable.

the cool forensic pathologist with bob = woman i wd most like to snap my neck w. her legs ahem

are we at odds?

I actually went to Baltimore once, to check out the area the taped the show. I have a picture of myslef standing in front of the station wearing shirt/tie trench coat. I also had a beer at the bar that the cops own in the show-got a cool t-shirt with a chalk outline of a body on the back.

Why did Channel Four fuck with it so much? We never got to see the end.

I think the reason why I love it so much were the details they got so right. There was an episode where a kid gets shot dead in a mall, the parents are called into a room, completely numb from what's just happened. Then someone pops their head round the door and says "Does anyone here own a black buick, reg no. whatever" and the father looks round, distracted from his thoughts and goes "Huh, oh yes that's mine, I'll move it" and goes out to move the car. It was the contrast between the sheer ordinariness of having to shift his car with the trauma of what had just happened to him, and the fact that he just switched into auto-pilot and did it, that made the moment ten times more poignant than it would have been. I'm probably not capturing it very well but the show was full of situations like that - just written and acted with that bit more imagination.

And it's hard to think of a show making better use of a telephone ringtone and a board with marker pens.

Favourite character - Munch because of the way he revels in his unpopularity.

i find it hard to remember the details about homicide, i just remmeber growing up with it and loving it

ilx regulars will know about my love for oz

One thing I didn't realize when I was watching the show was that the guy who played Meldrick had actually spent a lot of time in Canada, and spent half his time living here. I found that out when I was in the Chapters on Bloor street, walked around a corner into (I think) the photography aisle, and there he was flipping through something. Also found out that he's Molly Johnson's brother. Neat!

All the characters on HLOTS (except for those brutal last few seasons, only brutal in comparison to the sheer genius of the first five or six) were SO complete.

I know so many damn extras in episodes of HLOTS that it's silly.

The only show i've ever felt emotionally attached to - reading the description upthread about the finales made me sad all over again.

andy

btw, i meant the 3rd when i said the 5th. it's saturday.

andy

http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9711/12/law.order/

quote...
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The last time "Law & Order" joined forces with its NBC partner "Homicide" to solve a case, the shows' detectives were looking for a suicide bomber. The crossover episode proved popular with viewers from both shows, and gave each drama a Nielsens infusion.

So it only makes sense that the two programs' producers would seek out another joint venture. This year, crossover director Ed Sherin says, the teams are trying to solve "the mysterious death of a beautiful model, who happens to be 14 years old."
end quote...

that said, this was posted in 1997 so...

and here (http://www.lawandorder-fr.com/guide_episodes/crossovers.php3) it says (in french no less) that this is actually the third:

A ce jour, Law & Order (New York District) compte quatre cross-overs répartis comme suit :

one i didn't know about:
6.13 - Charm City 1/2 (Panique dans le métro) dans L&O (NYD).
4.12 - For God and Country 2/2 (Pour le bien du pays) dans Homicide.

this was the last one:
8.06 - Baby, It's You 1/2 (Mon enfant) dans L&O (NYD).
6.05 - Baby It's You 2/2 dans Homicide.

this one on saturday:
9.14 - Sideshow 1/2 (Querelles de clochers) dans L&O (NYD).
7.15 - Sideshow 2/2 (Dans les hautes sphères) dans Homicide.

isn't google a wonderful thing. 8)

andy

Of course they could be showing them the other way round and putting on one of the earlier ones. Either way I'll definitely watch it.

My favourite character arc has to be Kellerman. The handling of Bayliss' character always seemed forced to me, especially towards the end.

And Meldrick Lewis was the best character.

adam, are you there? can you hear me? can you feel me near you?

I have been GORGING on homicide these past few days

esp. seasons II and III

detective frank pembleton/andre braugher and giardello/yaphet kotto are my new gods

haha me too holmes.

pembleton > all other screen characters.

they've been showing it again, from the beginning, on itv4 but appear to be finishing at the end of series 3 (next week)

i've been writing down the names on the board as i spot them but figured it'd be on the web somewhere. a quick google for "visciglia liddell" (2 of munch's cases from 1994) gave me:

http://members.aol.com/jimking/ which is stunning.

(the last 3 i've seen have had Steve Buscemi, John Waters and Tim Russert guest starring / cameos). but the way they are showing them out of order bugs me (end of season three was episodes from before the shootings / bolander's scar, for instance.)

I have been thinking of watching this when I finish S5 of The Wire. How does it compare?

For its time, it was really about as good as it gets. C4 UK passed up on the final season, which is probably where the rot set in for them.

Having recently seen a BBC2 piece on The Wire, but never watched it, I'm in the opposite situation of feeling I should really catch up with a box set.

I don't know how much it compares as I haven't seen much of the Wire, but it's generally considered about as realistic, but more episodic. Nearly everyone I've come across who loves one loves the other.

Everyone needs The Wire in their life.

I'm just worried that Homicide will be like The Wire, only not quite as good. Only one way to find out, I guess!

well, according to the current Tivo listings, on 4th october itv4 here in the UK is showing "La Famiglia" which is episode 1 of series 7 and i think is the first time it's been aired on english tv. (is, as usual, 2:55 in the morning but...)

(last night's was 6.16 The Abduction which is roughly where they stopped the last lot of repeats)

In anticipation of this placing on the '90s poll, just thought I'd point out that Amazon at this very moment has an insane sale on the complete series. 60% off, dudes!!!

nice. the wire complete set on sale too

Pretty much best show ever created.

My husband would agree. We're only through season 1 and started watching s2. But he's hooked. And thinks it's the best show evah.

Me? I really like it. S1 was good, S2 seems even better. I did not like the Gyllenhaal directed ep, I have to admit. Hated it. Not the storyline, just the style of directing was totally off (imo)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-simon-cassidy-20120311,0,547379.story

man why did no one ever tell me andre braugher was on kojak

https://www.facebook.com/john.mcnaughton.568/posts/874305706035374

RIP jon polito

lots of the obits will be about his coen bros parts but crosetti was his best part

in the movie, when everyone finds out about REDACTED, is the sound cut out? my stolen internet copy has silence there except a bit, somewhat out of sync i thought, with kellerman turning up the radio, and then comes back in once pembleton is informed. i thought it could be some extreme technique but maybe it was blotted out for some kind of copyright reason, who knows (the opening song wasn't, though).

huh, i guess it was a copyright thing, happens at the end too

Possibly? I haven't seen it since the original broadcast, but I do remember Beck's "Beautiful Way" appearing prominently over a montage.

hmm yes must be a copyright evasion thing, i got peter tosh 'pick myself up' in the opening and definitely no beck for the two later montages which were silent.

No idea but I'm glad to see the thread bumped because I love this show so much. "Crosetti" is the best hour of television I have ever seen.

I'm rewatching this with my wife, who's seeing it for the first time. We're about 1/4 through season 3 and she hates the first replacement character (Russert). Unfortunately, that's a pattern likely to continue.

The Robin Williams episode co-written by David Simon is even better than I remember. The resolution of the serial killer plotline that opens season 3 unfortunately is ludicrous.

This show is similar to Twin Peaks in that it's a bridge between old network TV tropes and "prestige TV," resulting in a disorientating mix of experimentation with the form and concessions to dopier network-mandated convention.

the episode with Vincent D'Onofrioeoeo in the subway is one of the best hours of network tv in history.

Russert is terrible but I like Kellerman just fine. I like his doofy voice and extreme angst.

Yeah, that three-part serial killer thing is ridiculous, but I think the third season is overall my favorite. Just so many incredibly strong episodes.

concessions to dopier network-mandated convention

where

The last episode we watched was the one where Lewis and Bayliss both fell in love with the woman who slept in a coffin. The whole tone was very sitcommy and jarring; reminded me of Twin Peaks season 2.

Thought I would remind everyone that Homicide has a really good Thanksgiving episode, "Hate Crimes." Lewis negs a redheaded lie detector technician into going out with him, Bayliss agonizes about his sexuality, Kellerman agonizes about being Kellerman, Pembleton is a badass as usual, and Munch goes skiing. It's a classic.

i miss watching this live when it first aired
felt like this amazing secret that only cool ppl knew

we're still cool

are u tho

(jk)

i… i…

:-(

I just recently realized how good this show is and binge watched almost all of it. I haven't been able to find the final season yet tho *sobs*.

I won't say it's the GOAT, personally I'm still partial to Six Feet Under but The Wire has maybe aged better than 6ft.

I'm definitely going to come back and read the whole thread asap but my hot take is that it's bothersome how the network did their best to kill the show after the 1st season (and continually disappeared great characters for not good reasons).

If you haven't seen the final season yet, you probably want to lower your expectations. There's a major drop in quality imo. The series finale is good though.

the series finale is quality and the reunion movie is good

mostly i tune out around season 6, though of course season 6 was the one with "subway" so it's not an absolute thing. i find the entire character of kellerman (he lives on a HOUSEBOAT) kind of excruciating, which is also how i feel about the "buying a bar" plotline.

i'm not sure how i feel about the "bayliss is bi" plotline. i think it's a good idea but i don't know that it was handled particularly well. still, i figure they get credit for trying. if the show was made today he'd probably be non-binary as well. the show wouldn't be made today because a show starring mostly "good" murder police wouldn't have room for non-binary characters, just like actual murder police wouldn't have much room for non-binary detectives

that's the challenge about "homicide" for me, at the end of the day i am supposed to empathize with the police, the moral heart of it is an approach to justice that, if it existed in the first place, was gone by the time "the wire" was made

I liked the "Bayliss is bi" plotline because I thought they set it up very well. Every season from Season 2 on had a "Bayliss is weird and conflicted about sex" episode, and then it got clearer and clearer that he was in love with Pembleton, so by the time he actually came out it made a lot of sense.

RIP Yaphet Kotto.

That cold open where he runs into Munch at the washateria on their day off...

rewatching (rip Andre Braugher)

havent watched it in years, not since it used to get rerun on Bravo or one of those early rerun cable channels

anyway man i think this show is the ultimate comfy pair of slippers rewatch show for me. it’s all so familliar: the patter, the characters, just so good. that first crosetti lincoln rant and i was home <3

started slowly watching this from the beginning and ffs they've got yaphet kotto and ned beatty and andre braugher doing supporting roles and it's so good. 'iguana style'? G

also lol that everyone, including pembleton, refers to bayliss as a kid, when kyle secor is five years older than andre braugher

also ned beatty would never have sent wendy hughes into mortal danger the way j-l picard did

fuck, i could just watch yaphet kotto randomly move about the room

i love how he delivers his lines, it’s like watching free jazz or something

also appreciate that it only took 1.5 episodes for me to *hate* that uniformed superior guy who shits on G

i don't even know his name, i just know i'm gonna spend like 100 episodes hating him

so punchable

haven’t even mentioned meldrick or munch

i should make a clip of ned beatty, in the premiere, declaiming ‘Detective Munch’ over and over again