As ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Finally Debuts on Streaming, the Show Remains Astonishing Television

As a connoisseur of television, I must say that “Homicide: Life on the Street” is a gem from a bygone era, one that still shines brightly today. While many shows of its time followed a formulaic path, this series broke the mold and offered something truly unique.

Many people point to the late ’90s and HBO’s rise as a turning point in the emergence of high-quality television. In 1998, HBO premiered “Sex and the City,” and a year later, it introduced “The Sopranos.” These shows revolutionized TV by giving it a movie-like feel. However, it’s not entirely accurate to claim that these series were the initial sparks of this change. In fact, five years prior to the start of Carrie Bradshaw’s love story, David Simon, the creator of “The Wire,” published his first novel, “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.” This book was later adapted for television in 1993 on NBC. Now, over three decades later, all seven seasons of “Homicide: Life on the Street” and its concluding TV film can be streamed on Peacock.

Produced by Paul Attanasio, “Homicide” is an intense, captivating, and strikingly realistic portrayal of Baltimore’s homicide department. Unlike many police procedurals of its time that followed a predictable formula for viewers, providing mechanical case resolutions and generic character analyses, “Homicide” breaks the mold. The creative minds behind the show, Attanasio, Tom Fontana as showrunner, and Simon (who contributed as a writer and producer), held their audience in high regard, as demonstrated by the unconventional decisions made throughout the series.

In the opening of “Gone For Goode”, the narrative unfolds amidst Baltimore’s bustling nightscape. Detectives Meldrick Lewis (played by Clark Johnson) and Steve Crosetti (portrayed by Jon Polito) engage in a chat about a book, all the while scouring a crime scene for leads under the cover of darkness. As the camera pans out, a lifeless body with a gunshot wound to the head is revealed on the sidewalk. As the scene winds down, without any crucial evidence found, Crosetti humorously remarks, “The issue with this line of work is that it bears no resemblance to real life.”

Though the series has been remastered to high definition and 4K, it has a grittiness that is now lost in the hyper-polished nature of digital filming. Also, while the show is somewhat serialized, each episode acts as a puzzle piece for the next. The murder police color-code cases on a massive whiteboard, written in black for closed or red for open. The cases loop around each other, and are eventually solved (or not).

Upon entering this series, newcomers will likely spot some recognizable characters. For instance, Frank Pembleton (played by Andre Braugher, who garnered his first Emmy for this part in 1998), portrays a no-nonsense and detail-oriented detective with a strong dislike for teamwork and an impressive track record. If you’re a fan of “Law & Order: SVU,” you might recall Richard Belzer’s character, John Munch, who first appeared in the series “Homicide” prior to “SVU” being set in New York City.

The characters make “Homicide” what it is. Attanasio and Fontana took great care to ground their audience into the specificity of Baltimore in the 1990s. The series’ texture is such that one can almost touch the sticky coating on the break-room floor, or feel the biting chill in the precinct when the heat blows out mid-winter. Some of the discussions about Michael Jordan v. Scottie Pippen and the merits of disgraced Vice President Spiro Agnew are very much of the time. However, other topics, including dating following a divorce, race and gun violence, remain topical 31 years later.

In the gritty series “Homicide,” some crimes are exceptionally brutal, and this intensity is evident in the early episodes. The narrative follows a young detective named Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor), who grapples with his first case – the gruesome murder of an 11-year-old girl, Adena Watson. This heinous act bears striking similarities to the real-life tragedy of Latonya Wallace, detailed in David Simon’s book. What makes “Homicide” stand out is its graphic portrayal of such sensitive topics, even going so far as to show Adena’s lifeless body on screen. Over several episodes, the case weighs heavily on Bayliss and his partner, Pembleton, culminating in Episode 5, titled “Three Men and Adena.” This episode is predominantly set within an interrogation room, and the racial slur, the N-word, is used by the suspect multiple times.

In the gritty world of “Homicide,” my passion for this show is unwavering. As a fan, I can’t help but notice how the strain of the job intensifies on screen. The chaotic mix of diverse personalities in an environment teeming with death and ruin certainly doesn’t foster a tranquil work atmosphere.

Indeed, while “Homicide” may have a somber tone, it isn’t devoid of lighthearted moments. Interspersed among the harrowing acts of crime are cases that carry an element of humor. For instance, in one case from the first season, an elderly woman is revealed to have pushed her husband down the stairs after discovering he wasn’t as deceased as she initially assumed. There’s also a witness who comically attempts to evade police by seeking shelter in a real dog house during another investigation. However, for the most part, there’s a great deal of violence throughout the series.

Currently, following the decline of the golden age of television, there’s a sense of disappointment regarding the content provided by traditional network television. With streaming platforms and cable networks producing more daring programming, the major four networks seem to be focusing on safer options. However, shows like “Homicide: Life on the Street” serve as a reminder that this wasn’t always the case. Truthfully, audiences today are hungry for authenticity rather than the sanitized content they often receive now.

All seven seasons of “Homicide: Life on the Street” are now streaming on Peacock.

2024-08-20 01:47

As ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Finally Debuts on Streaming, the Show Remains Astonishing Television

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