Set in Baltimore, Homicide: Life on the Street paved the way to The Wire. No car chases, shootouts or clichés: this cop show focused on character development and on the psychological duels between detectives and criminals in scenes full of suspense and depth.
Writing and performances are superb. Braugher is phenomenal as clever, smug ace investigator Pembleton. The underrated Secor makes Bayliss a multi-faceted individual, a sensitive man capable of appalling bursts of violence. Johnson is likable as Meldrick, Belzer hilarious as Munch; Diamond has one of the best character arcs, as he portrays Kellerman's downfall; Kotto imbues the potentially clichéd role of the grumpy officer with humanity, humour and a volatile sense of threat. And Melissa Leo is still the best female detective seen on TV. Among guest stars, Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Elijah Wood and David Morse.
Homicide was not afraid of providing existentially disquieting closures: many cases were never solved, sometimes because they were "stone-cold whodunits" from the start, sometimes because the detectives messed up. In what is possibly the best episode (Three Men and Adena), there is a scene where you sense Pembleton and Bayliss are THIS close to getting the suspect confess, but they are so angry and exhausted they let the occasion slip... and you suddenly realize along with them that the moment is gone, beyond recall. It's terrific stuff.
Homicide had a seven seasons run. The first two feature some of the strongest episodes, like Black and Blue and Three Men and Adena. Seasons three, four and five found were also excellent: best episodes are Crosetti, Colors, Hate Crimes, Stakeout, The Hat, Prison Riot, Have a Conscience, Double Blind, Partners and Other Strangers.
In the last two seasons the series suffered from weak writing and new characters who were not on par with the original cast, like Falsone (Jon Seda), Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Sheppard (Michael Michelle). Character assassinations or departures of fan favorites like Pembleton, Lewis, Bayliss and Kellerman did not help.
Overall, Homicide was a brilliant show, something quite out of the ordinary. It's a pity it did not maintain the same level of quality to the very end, but the first five seasons (and a handful of episodes from the last two) were remarkable.
9/10
Writing and performances are superb. Braugher is phenomenal as clever, smug ace investigator Pembleton. The underrated Secor makes Bayliss a multi-faceted individual, a sensitive man capable of appalling bursts of violence. Johnson is likable as Meldrick, Belzer hilarious as Munch; Diamond has one of the best character arcs, as he portrays Kellerman's downfall; Kotto imbues the potentially clichéd role of the grumpy officer with humanity, humour and a volatile sense of threat. And Melissa Leo is still the best female detective seen on TV. Among guest stars, Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Elijah Wood and David Morse.
Homicide was not afraid of providing existentially disquieting closures: many cases were never solved, sometimes because they were "stone-cold whodunits" from the start, sometimes because the detectives messed up. In what is possibly the best episode (Three Men and Adena), there is a scene where you sense Pembleton and Bayliss are THIS close to getting the suspect confess, but they are so angry and exhausted they let the occasion slip... and you suddenly realize along with them that the moment is gone, beyond recall. It's terrific stuff.
Homicide had a seven seasons run. The first two feature some of the strongest episodes, like Black and Blue and Three Men and Adena. Seasons three, four and five found were also excellent: best episodes are Crosetti, Colors, Hate Crimes, Stakeout, The Hat, Prison Riot, Have a Conscience, Double Blind, Partners and Other Strangers.
In the last two seasons the series suffered from weak writing and new characters who were not on par with the original cast, like Falsone (Jon Seda), Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Sheppard (Michael Michelle). Character assassinations or departures of fan favorites like Pembleton, Lewis, Bayliss and Kellerman did not help.
Overall, Homicide was a brilliant show, something quite out of the ordinary. It's a pity it did not maintain the same level of quality to the very end, but the first five seasons (and a handful of episodes from the last two) were remarkable.
9/10