Miami Vice
The pulse and rhythm of a glamorous resort city was set against
the seamy side of the drug underworld in this action series, which
made use of rock music and music video in a manner previously
unprecedented on TV.
James "Sonny" Crockett was a rough Miami vice squad
detective who lived on a sailboat called St. Vitus' Dance
which was guarded by his pet alligator, Elvis.
Ricardo Tubbs was an ex-New York street cop who had come to
Florida to find the drug dealer who murdered his brother.
They
were an unlikely - but very effective - team, working undercover
on the upscale Gold Coast and the seedy alleyways that made Miami
a city of contrasts.
Somehow, the two undercover vice cops managed to afford the
fastest, most expensive cars, incredible wardrobes and an
altogether fabulous lifestyle.
They were often seen speeding
around town in Sonny's black Ferrari Spider which was later
upgraded to a state-of-the-art white Ferrari Testarossa.
Lt. Castillo was their uptight superior. Gina and Trudy were a
pair of female undercover officers. Stan and Larry was Crockett
and Tubbs' more traditional backups.
Sonny's co-workers changed during the years: his original
partner in the pilot (played by Jimmy Smits) was killed, as were
his backup Zito and his original superior Lt. Lou Rodriquez .
 Even
his original Ferrari was blown up accidentally at the beginning of
the third season.
This stylish, MTV-influenced series was a smash hit, and
transformed struggling actor Don Johnson into a major sex symbol
in the mid-80s.
His expensive pastel sports jackets worn over a
T-shirt, with a stubbly beard and no socks started a fashion trend
for those into the rugged, macho look.
Most of the female characters on the show swooned over him.
Sonny's estranged wife, Caroline, and his young son were rarely
seen, and later in the show, his new bride Caitlin Davies (singer
Sheena Easton) was an infrequent guest.
A multi-part story in 1988 had Sonny believing he was really
his drug-dealing undercover alter ego, Sonny Burnett, forcing
partner Tubbs (who was Rico Cooper undercover) to bail him out.
The show attracted many famous celebrities not normally seen in
TV acting roles to do cameos, including singers from the 50s to
the 80s such as James Brown, Ted Nugent, Phil Collins, Little
Richard and the Fat Boys. Watergate felon G. Gordon Liddy made an
impression in the role of sneaky Capt. Real Estate.
Other celebs
included; Tommy Chong, Lee Iacocca, the President of NBC-TV (as a
bartender), Roberto Duran and Don King.
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