Fun fact — when the NBA announced its expansion to Miami in 1986, the team took a fan survey for potential team names. While the “Miami Heat” eventually won, a surprising contender emerged from the survey: “Miami Vice.” Sports teams often draw inspiration from city landmarks or alliterations, but a TV show? It might be unusual, but the survey shows the widespread appeal of this NBC show following its two-hour pilot episode from Sept. 16 1984.
“Miami Vice” stars James “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) as undercover cops who battle drug lords and organized crime in Miami, Florida. When critics watched the pilot, they were amazed that it appeared on broadcast television because it was shot like a film. Additionally, Crockett and Tubbs’ relationship mirrors the rise in high-concept buddy cop films after “48 Hrs.” with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. This concept continued throughout the 1980s (with “Lethal Weapon” and “Running Scared”) to the present day (“Bad Boys: Ride or Die”). Another crucial element of the show’s success is executive producer Michael Mann, one of the most influential neo-noir filmmakers. Mann directed the noir film, “Thief,” and continues to specialize in this genre with films like “Manhunter,” “Heat” and “Collateral.” The pilot episode features tone, noir conventions and music that dissolved the barrier between television and film in a way still seen today.
The show’s opening minutes reveal the stark contrast in styles between New York and Miami. Tubbs starts in the dark, gloomy alleyways of New York before the show cuts to the vibrant Miami scene where the audience sees an eye-popping explosion of color expressed in cars, pools, clothes and flamingoes. As the opening credits end, Crockett stands at a street corner in a bright white suit. This is an odd choice for an undercover cop, but it illustrates how the highly-stylized Miami lifestyle spills into a grizzly cop’s fashion choices.
In addition to the stylish opening scene, this episode applies multiple conventions of traditional noir films. First, for character conventions, both detectives’ lines between good and evil remain unclear as they face uncertainty about doing things “by the book” or by “justice at all costs.” Tubbs, for example, could be viewed as a detective or criminal throughout the first half of the pilot. Both characters are haunted by their past (death of former partners) in flashbacks, a staple in noir storytelling. The show also used cinematographic conventions of noir filmmaking, such as the rejection of three-point lighting, low-angle shots and functioning lights within the shot. The show’s use of these character and cinematographic conventions brought noir filmmaking into broadcast television.
“Miami Vice” follows traditional noir conventions, but one original characteristic of the show is how it weaves popular music into broadcast television. Today’s audiences must understand that 1980s episodes were made for broadcasting and thus faced less scrutiny than today’s prestige TV. Imagine it’s 1984, and “Miami Vice” is playing on your home television screen. The TV set is on, but you might be reading a magazine, playing Dungeons & Dragons or working out. However, when a scene plays a popular ‘80s song like Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, or Lionel Richie's “All Night Long (All Night)” over its action, you’re drawn back into the plot. Interestingly, NBC’s entertainment division head, Brandon Tartikoff, dubbed Crockett and Tubbs “MTV Cops” because they had so many scenes with contemporary music. The show’s use of recognizable music hits for quick-cutting, MTV-esque sequences effectively drew audiences back to the screen and away from distractions.
After finishing the “Miami Vice” pilot, I found the style, noir conventions and music reminiscent of today’s television series. Shows like “Emily in Paris” emphasize style as a key attraction, an idea popularized by “Miami Vice” and its unique style that made Miami a tourist destination. Noir conventions arise in today’s shows such as “Presumed Innocent” because “Miami Vice” paved the way for darker themes in television. Protagonists who walk the line between good and evil have since carried over to shows like ”The Sopranos,” “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.” Finally, contemporary music is still used in shows to connect episodes to popular culture and pull audiences to the screen. Through the “Miami Vice” pilot and the episodes that followed, Michael Mann and his team blurred the lines between film and television.
