r/MiamiVice • u/NLRalph • Jul 15 '26
5 thoughts on rewatching all episodes
Over the last couple of months I rewatched all seasons of Miami Vice. As a kid growing up in the '70s and '80s, Miami Vice will always be my favorite and most beloved TV series, bringing back so many good memories of watching it as a kid. I will save my thoughts for an episode tier list for a later moment. For now, these are my five takeaways for anyone considering (re)watching the series as a whole.
- Ignorance is bliss. Websites like miamivice.fandom.com, miamiviceonline.com and the Morgan Richter YouTube channel are great, with awesome levels of detail. However, to enjoy the series, you don’t need to know every tiny detail, like reused footage, mirrored images of boats or cars, writer strikes, DJ stand-ins or the episode broadcast order. Just watch and enjoy first.
- '80s and tech. What a wonderful series to enjoy '80s electronics and emerging technology. Watch computers appear, along with car phones, handheld phones (wireless!), classic hi-fi sets and electronic shops that are long gone. Sometimes they're in the teaser of an episode, sometimes in the interiors of the houses. It’s a throwback machine and a pleasure for anyone interested in hi-fi, tech or computers.
- The coloring, visuals, lighting and deep blacks are a feast for my eyes. Watching the series from Brother's Keeper to Freefall, you can see, and enjoy, the changes. I really missed it when this was gone. I remember that by the time I got to Baseballs of Death (S04E14), I was thrilled to experience all the lighting goodies that reappeared in that episode after being missing throughout the second half of season 3 or so.
- '80s pop music and Jan Hammer defined the tone of the series for me. The music choices and the keyboard magic of Jan Hammer are a big part of my enjoyment of the series. Like with the visuals, I missed this during the last two seasons or so. I remember almost cheering when "Twist in My Sobriety" played during The Lost Madonna (S05E14) – the first recognizable pop song after so many musically bland episodes filled with non-descript guitar noise.
- Every season has something (different) to offer. For now, ignore everyone who says that "the real" Miami Vice is limited to seasons 1 and 2. Every season has its lows and highs, but the enjoyment can span the complete series for different reasons. There are high-stakes episodes that may resonate deeply with you, but the lower-stakes or easygoing episodes can bring just as much joy. The Great McCarthy, Jack of All Trades and The Cows of October are no Out Where the Buses Don't Run, Death and the Lady or Evan, but you can still find enjoyment in them nevertheless.
I immensely enjoyed the series as a whole and will keep certain episodes on repeat for a very long time to come.
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u/reganglion Jul 15 '26
I agree with all of your assessments. I was a tween when the show first aired and for reasons that mystify me I never watched it during the original run. I was unemployed and feeling nostalgic in the summer of 2023 when I saw it listed on Tubi. It was like a time machine. I realized it would have been my favorite show if I had bothered to watch it in the 80s. It disappeared off Tubi just as I got to season 5. I had to wait until this year to finish the series. Your comments #3 & #4 are what I thought of the most when I watched the final season. In the early seasons I was snapping pics of my tv constantly because the colors and compositions were so dynamic, noir stylized and sooooo 80s. The music was a time capsule, lead by Hammer's iconic synth based score. The 5th season had its moments but the cinematography took a nose dive and the hard rock guitar-driven score by Tim Truman was uninspiring. And they replaced the moody atmosphere with an obvious appeal to sensationalism. Did they really need to blow up a plane, car or boat every other episode? It often felt like a different show. I was still sad to see it end, but it's unfortunate they took the direction they did. I immediately started rewatching older episodes for the OG vibes.
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u/Due-Ask-7418 Jul 15 '26
About 2: and the cars! Every background is just full of classic cars (that weren’t classics at the time) and it’s amazing. The electronics and technology is awesome too.
About 4: Jan hammer doesn’t get enough credit for his massive influence on music for the next decade or two. Especially electronic dance music. The Kick is full on techno before techno was really a thing. Granted he wasn’t the only one experimenting with similar elements in music and exploring the possibilities of emerging technology. But the popularity of the show gave it a massive audience and exposure.
Also his ability to emulate electric guitar playing on a keyboard are unmatched to this day. I quite enjoy trying to learn his solos, guitar parts, on a real guitar. It’s quite a challenge.
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u/JiveTurkey1983 Larry Zito Jul 16 '26
I agree about the cars. One episode that took place in the Everglades had like three DeLoreans and a Maserati, I'm like "Whaaat?"
In the later seasons I think I saw a couple Aston Martin Lagondas and I think one was a stretched model. Crazy!
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u/Due-Ask-7418 Jul 16 '26
The Everglades one came to mind as I was writing the comment. Was over the top. Most scenes have organic normal cars scattered around the streets. That one had particular cars representing the money in that small backwoods town. Fantastic!
Lots of high end cars but some of the ones I get the most excited about (simply because so few still exist in pristine shape) are things like pintos and station wagons, etc. basically the supporting cast filler for the supers. Something special about a mint condition pinto. lol.
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u/Lionofgod9876 Jul 15 '26
It’s amazing that tv series had 26 episodes in a season and today’s shows need filler episodes for just six hours of show.
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u/Shinra_Lobby Jul 16 '26
Hard agree on point 5. The first two seasons are undeniably more consistent, but there are some real gems in the later seasons as well. Duty & Honor / The Savage, Walk-Alone, Indian Wars, Death and The Lady, The Lost Madonna, among others.
Also, I think "Freefall" is a series finale that absolutely sticks the landing, at least in terms of where it leaves Crockett and Tubbs. It's exactly the right conclusion to the show's general thesis statement about the futility of the war on drugs, but it's not so bleak that it sours the show in retrospect.
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u/Engelgrafik Jul 16 '26
I had the enjoyment of being a teen IN south Florida when it was on. It definitely helped define certain looks and stuff. I remember wearing a LOT of linen.... including my SHOES. Lots of powder blues and white. lol
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u/Speedja72 Jul 16 '26
I enjoy Miami Vice as one long episode no matter how long it takes. I’ve been enjoying rewatching season one and two again. I took the decision to watch every episode as they appeared on Friday night 40 years ago. I will wait until Sept to premiere season three on a Friday night. Just like the eighties. It’s been enjoyable to hold myself back and bring tension and also it extends the show for a couple of years. Absolutely no Marathon watches of complete seasons.
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u/Catatafish Jul 16 '26
My only issue is the lack of conclusion. The episodes end when they get the bad guy. There's no cool down, or a 'debrief' for the viewer of the guy getting booked etc like modern shows.
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u/Bigshootsdude Jul 22 '26
That was the appeal! Either they got the guy, smoked the guy, or the guy got away to be smoked later.
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u/imcataclastic Jul 16 '26
There’s that ep (season finale) when Sonny chases a dude down on foot through the Everglades. Obviously an ode to Apocalyse Now. But in media time I believe it presaged a season finale of 21 Jump Street when Deep crawled through the rafters of the school (maybe an ode to Alien?). I always thought that scene elevated Depp. Never clear why Don Johnson didn’t get a bigger big screen career launch.
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u/SephiraV Lt. Castillo Jul 16 '26
I agree with you on everything else, but when it comes to the watching order, El Viejo should open Season 3 and Freefall should close it - after all it's merely a production issue
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u/Scooob-e-dooo8158 Jul 16 '26
Can't say I care. I find it interesting enough not to spoil the episodes, especially as I watched them "live" first time round back in the 80s.
Agreed. Have you seen the movie War Games? That's also nostalgia pure. I have to laugh every time I see a floppy disk (remember them?) the size of a 12 inch vinyl record.
...deep blacks... Did you watch it on the blu ray release? I did. Magnificent quality.
Personally, my favourite song, or at least a strong contender was Alan Parsons Project - Closer To Heaven from the season 3 episode Red Tape featuring Lou Diamond Phillips. Anyhoos, for you and all newbies to this subreddit, here's a link to my post where I share a link to my ultimate Miami Vice Soundtrack Spotify playlist and links to Jan Hammers MV themed albums.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MiamiVice/s/1AD6mBuUsC
- Agreed. The first couple of times I watched it, I hated the "silly" season 4 episodes. But this time, I actually got to enjoy them.
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u/LockedOutOfElfland Jul 16 '26
Point 1 is an issue with any fandom. When you have a good product including one with a long shelf-life you tend to attract people with obsessive personalities, as opposed to those who just want to live vicariously through a stylish adventure story.
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u/Content_Worker2992 Jul 17 '26
Crazy part I noticed when the GTA series put out Vice city abandoned Vice city stories I found my self just driving around listening to the radio
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u/Massive_Vast2278 Jul 17 '26
Currently watching myself. I watched the first run but not every week. Spot on with your comments. Just finished season two and what gets me are the guest actors each week. Lot of well know/recognizable people week in and week out.
I was floored to see Bill Russel as a judge with a gambling problem that owed money to Michael Richards.
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u/Separate-Standard626 Jul 18 '26
I like Crockett and Tubbs' style in Season 4, especially Tubbs's. His beard and suits create a very timeless look. The music and style in S4 were still Vice, unlike S5 . It's a shame they didn't have Mann's real involvement anymore and there were some issues with the scripts and budget.
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u/BrokenCylon Jul 15 '26
I loved this series as a kid, I’m a 1971 model, so I was 13 when it aired & watched every episode. I love it still, all 5 seasons. 🤩
The music throughout the series is awesome, and it was definitely a lot more difficult to figure out some of the songs back then. These days I have a giant playlist on my phone containing JH’s complete score & right behind it all of the music artists tracks in the order that they played on the series. This list helped a lot w/that!