Miami Vice

1 9 8 4 - 1 9 8 9 (USA)
64 episodes + pilot

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 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.