How 'Miami' got so hot in '80s - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

vashti1999 · 02-08-2005, 11:49 AM

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com

How 'Miami' got so hot in '80s

By RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Tuesday, February 8th, 2005

'Miami Vice" is the series that almost never was.
That's because Anthony Yerkovich, creator of the groundbreaking '80s cop show starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, wanted to make a movie instead.

"I didn't want to do more television," said Yerkovich, who had previously worked on "Hill Street Blues."

The idea for "Miami Vice" came from a newspaper story about undocumented income from South Florida, the emergence of MTV and laws allowing the government to confiscate property used in crimes.

"The cause and effect of all that illegal income provided episodes and episodes of colorful activities, such as drug running, money running, gambling, prostitution, extortion and political corruption," he said.

But when he took the idea to Universal Studios as a movie, he was turned away. Brian DePalma was already making a film set in Miami, so he was steered to NBC.

"Miami Vice" launched in 1984 and quickly became a hit. Johnson and Thomas helped make stubbled beards and pastel-colored suits hip, and the music of the day became a key part of the production.

"I think what we did with 'Vice' was, we infiltrated a genre and worked inside it, and made it over before anyone realized what happened," Yerkovich said.

Indeed, the use of hit music - along with original compositions by Jan Hammer - and film-like production qualities made "Miami Vice" stand out during the '80s.

"I think we felt it was going to be a hit," Yerkovich said. "Did we know it would have that much influence? No! You can never anticipate that success."

The impact was huge. By its second season, it was the No. 9 series. But it faded just as quickly, ending in 1989.

During that run, though, many of today's top stars - Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Chris Rock and dozens of others - made appearances on the show.

Since '89, the show has lived on in syndication. And now, after years of negotiating music rights, the first season of "Miami Vice" is out on DVD.

"The show's legacy," Yerkovich said, "very simply is it was the first show to bring major league film production values to television. In that regard, it was truly groundbreaking."

Dr. Jazz · 02-08-2005, 02:45 PM

Good Article. Let's just hope they release the next couple seasons with it's original music intact as well.

02-08-2005, 11:49 AM	#1
vashti1999 NY METS - #1 Forum Fanatic Join Date: Oct 14, 2003 Location: The world's greatest city - New York City Posts: 11,404	How 'Miami' got so hot in '80s New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com How 'Miami' got so hot in '80s By RICHARD HUFF DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR Tuesday, February 8th, 2005 'Miami Vice" is the series that almost never was. That's because Anthony Yerkovich, creator of the groundbreaking '80s cop show starring Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, wanted to make a movie instead. "I didn't want to do more television," said Yerkovich, who had previously worked on "Hill Street Blues." The idea for "Miami Vice" came from a newspaper story about undocumented income from South Florida, the emergence of MTV and laws allowing the government to confiscate property used in crimes. "The cause and effect of all that illegal income provided episodes and episodes of colorful activities, such as drug running, money running, gambling, prostitution, extortion and political corruption," he said. But when he took the idea to Universal Studios as a movie, he was turned away. Brian DePalma was already making a film set in Miami, so he was steered to NBC. "Miami Vice" launched in 1984 and quickly became a hit. Johnson and Thomas helped make stubbled beards and pastel-colored suits hip, and the music of the day became a key part of the production. "I think what we did with 'Vice' was, we infiltrated a genre and worked inside it, and made it over before anyone realized what happened," Yerkovich said. Indeed, the use of hit music - along with original compositions by Jan Hammer - and film-like production qualities made "Miami Vice" stand out during the '80s. "I think we felt it was going to be a hit," Yerkovich said. "Did we know it would have that much influence? No! You can never anticipate that success." The impact was huge. By its second season, it was the No. 9 series. But it faded just as quickly, ending in 1989. During that run, though, many of today's top stars - Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Chris Rock and dozens of others - made appearances on the show. Since '89, the show has lived on in syndication. And now, after years of negotiating music rights, the first season of "Miami Vice" is out on DVD. "The show's legacy," Yerkovich said, "very simply is it was the first show to bring major league film production values to television. In that regard, it was truly groundbreaking."
	__________________ .

02-08-2005, 02:45 PM	#2
Dr. Jazz The Evil Empire. . . . Forum Star Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 11,093	Good Article. Let's just hope they release the next couple seasons with it's original music intact as well.