Miami Vice: Influencing an Era
The early 1980s was a very special time. A time of excess when an actor was president and there were music videos on T.V. If you can remember back to that time, I’m sure it all seems like a heavily synthesized neon blur rushing by your head. But the decade might not have been remembered as such if it weren’t for one show. A show that defined not only an era, but influenced almost every facet of popular culture including the how television shows were made, music, style and even the way people thought of a city. This show was called Miami Vice.
Before delving into how Miami Vice influenced the 80s so much, we first have to understand how it came to be and what it was. Legends tell the tale of how the show was created. It is said that the president of NBC at the time, Brandon Tartikoff wrote just two words on a napkin one day. “MTV Cops” it said, and thus the show was born. But sadly this isn’t how it happened. In reality the shows creator Anthony Yerkovich dreamt up the idea after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal.
The article stated that around 20 percent of the unreported income in the U.S. came from Miami’s own Dade County. This really intrigued the shows creator. In an interview Yerkovich said, “That means one-half of 1percent of the nation’s population is responsible for 20 percent of the under-the-table money. That is fascinating. Statistically, that’s a 40-to-1 disparity. Any area that generates 40 times more unreported cash than the rest of the country is worth writing about.”- (1. Miami Herald) The article gave him the idea to dig deeper into the crime into the city streets of Miami through the eyes of the people who experienced it first hand, the police officers of the vice department. The other thing that influenced him was in fact MTV. MTV gave him the idea to not only tell an interesting story through the script, but with the music.
Now that we know how it was created, we can take a look at what the show was. IMDB’s description of the show is very simple. “The adventures of the vice squad detectives of the Miami Police Department.” -(2. IMDB.) The show chronicles the cases of two vice detectives. Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson) a laid back cop with a pet alligator who wore pastel suits and drove nice cars, and Rico Tubbs (Phillip Michael Thomas) a cop from New York who came to Miami to solve his brothers murder. Along with a stellar supporting cast, Miami Vice followed these characters solving crimes involving prostitution, gambling, and most relevant to the time and location, drugs. But it wasn’t just the subject matter that made the show great. Crazy police chases and undercover sting operations were awesome, though that’s not what made the show special. You could find that on any other cop show of the time. What made the show special and decade defining is how it was made.
The first thing Miami Vice really influenced was changing how people thought a network show should be made. The show was different from the beginning, starting in the writer’s room. Vice was one of the first television shows to be co written by a feature film director. Michael Mann was hired to bring some of his signature style to the show. It turns out that he only had writing credits on the pilot episode but after the original creator left he took over creative control as executive producer after the 7th episode. Mann made it a rule that no earth tones could be used by the costume designers, this gave the show a look that nothing else at the time had. -(3. AV Club) It was a vibrant neon forefront against a gritty crime ridden background. Nothing on TV had that sort of contrast between storytelling and cinematography.
With the show being produced as a mini movie rather than just a network series, cinematography wasn’t the only thing that was done differently. Anthony Yerkovick said that MTV influenced him to make music a big part of the show and Mann delivered on that. Instead of just having music as part of the background, it was put in center stage. Scenes with no dialogue, just characters walking the dangerous city streets with dark, thumping beats or the opening theme that set up the show highlighted the original score composed by Jan Hammer. –(4. Rolling Stone) Along with an incredible original score, the show was the first to get the rights to popular music of the time. With a reported budget of $50,000 per episode devoted to getting the rights to music, Miami Vice was a game changer. $50,000 an episode was a ludicrous sum, but it worked. With music by popular artists like Tina Turner, Dire Straights, and Peter Gabriel accompanied by the amazing original score, Miami Vice wasn’t just a place to get compelling stories, it was also an outlet for great music.
The mix of film quality cinematography and music created network television show like no one had ever seen. It brought storytelling to a whole new level. One shot in particular from the first season really sums it all up. Crocket is driving down a glistening city street alone, the streetlights reflect off his Ferrari in rhythm to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. Nothing is said and the music almost acts as another character. The show let you feel like you were there with the characters, going through the thick of it with them. The show cost one million an episode to bring these elements to the small screen. That sounds like a lot, and it was for the time, but it all paid off in the end. The way Miami Vice was produced would set the standard of television production for years to come.
Not only did the show begin to change how television was produced, it also heavily influenced 80s fashion. Wearing up to 8 outfits between the main characters per show, people saw many shades of bright pinks, blues, greens and purples. Pastel colors and light fabrics began to dominate department stores in the mid 80s. –(5. CNN) Everyone wanted to look like Johnsons’ Sonny Crocket. The t-shirt, blazer and shoes with no socks look could be found being duplicated across the country. Around the clock 5 o’clock shadow was also a trend set by the show. People didn’t just want to watch the show; they wanted to be the show. Vice fashion was now the epitome of cool. This look has now become the standard when thinking back to the 1980s.
The last thing Miami Vice did didn’t have anything to do with television or fashion. It revitalized a city. Before the in the early 80s Miami was known as the murder capitol of the nation. –(6.Miami News Times) With the homicide total hitting 621 by the end of 1981, it wasn’t a very safe place to be and it certainly wasn’t a booming tourist attraction. There was a new incident of drug smuggling, gang violence and murder every day. But the show helped change the cities image. It made people want to visit the location of there favorite show. The boom of tourism brought business and even new restorations to the architecture of south beach. Miami might not be the vacation destination and club scene we know today if it wasn’t for Miami Vice.
Miami Vice was a very special show. But it was so much more than just a show. How it was made revolutionized the television industry. Without it we might not have the integration of cinematography and music that is now the norm in modern TV, we might have one less sunny vacation spot, and we might not remember a decade filled with synth and neon. When people look back at the 80s they aren’t really remembering the decade, they are remembering the pop culture inspired by one show. They are remembering Miami Vice.
