‘Homicide: Life on the Streets’ Launched David Simon’s Career and Changed TV History. Next Month, You Can Finally Stream It
Before David Simon debuted his groundbreaking socio-political tapestry “The Wire” to audiences and helped garner the prestige HBO now only reserves for “Game of Thrones” and superhero spinoffs, he wrote the book on the world of crime and law enforcement in Baltimore. Published in 1991, his non-fiction book “Homicide: A Year of Killing Streets” pools two years of research from Simon’s time spent observing the Baltimore Police Department, which itself followed four years spent on the police beat for The Baltimore Sun newspaper.
Wishing to adapt the book into a feature film, Simon got a copy to filmmaker and Baltimore native Barry Levinson, who felt the material was better suited to a TV series. Levinson shared with Paul Attansio, a former Washington Post film critic whose would go on to write the Oscar-nominated “Quiz Show,” as well as “Donnie Brasco,” and together the team brought the project to NBC, where it was picked up to series in 1993 under the title “Homicide: Life on the Street.”
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Featuring an unvarnished look at the lives of a fictionalized version of Baltimore Police Department’s homicide unit, the series was a critical darling and managed to run for seven seasons despite consistently poor viewership ratings. However, despite amassing awards recognition and solid reviews each season, following the 2000 TV movie that concluded the series, outside of DVD copies, it has been largely unavailable, with no streamer able to carry episodes due to issues with music rights.
Thankfully, that’s about to change, as Peacock has recently announced it will be dropping all 122 episodes of “Homicide” and the TV movie on its app August 19. And if you’re a fan of David Simon or even just interested in TV history, it should be your next streaming binge.
A Dream Team of Established and Developing Talent
Though Simon had never written a script prior to working on “Homicide” and wouldn’t get his first teleplay credit until the end of season two, the show served as a breeding ground for his creative and producorial talents. Helping him along the way and largely claimed as the real creator and showrunner of the series was “St. Elsewhere” writer and producer Tom Fontana, who would later go on to create another early hit for HBO, the prison drama “Oz.” Fontana received a story credit on a majority of episodes throughout the series, but also helped shepherd the careers of other writers including Eric Overmeyer (“Bosch,” “Treme”), Joy Lusco (“The Wire,” “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger”), and James Yoshimura (“Treme,” “Homeland”).
In addition to the creative staff, the acting talent on the show is also phenomenal. Included in the roster are heavyweights like Ned Beatty (“Deliverance,” “Network”), Yaphet Kotto (“Blue Collar,” “Midnight Run”), and comedian Richard Belzer, as well as up-and-coming stars like Melissa Leo (“Frozen River,” “The Fighter”), Clark Johnson (“The Wire,” “Alpha House”), and Reed Diamond (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” “Designated Survivor”). However, the real force behind the series and our next reason to watch “Homicide” is…
The Late, Great Andre Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton
He made us belly laugh with his dry, yet joyous comic performance as Raymond Holt on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” He touched us with his down-to-Earth presence in “Men of a Certain Age.” But it was his role in “Homicide: Life on the Streets” that really propelled Andre Braugher into the talent we remember him as today. Carrying with him years spent performing with The Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, Braugher imbued Pembleton with an eccentricity and intelligence that not even the writers are willing to take credit for. Despite the large ensemble cast, his character is the heart and soul of the show, often regarded as its primary figure.
For his performance in the final full season he would star in, Braugher received his first Primetime Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, having previously been nominated for the series’ fourth season and having already received recognition from the NAACP Awards, the Satellite Awards, and the Television Critics Association Awards.
122 Episodes and Guest Stars Galore
Remember seasons with more than 10 episodes? Though the first season only received a nine-episode pick-up and the second season even less with four, seasons three through seven each got 20 or more. That means multiple two-parters, holiday episodes, legit character development, and a volume of guest appearances that would put “The Bear” to shame. Notable featured players include Robin Williams, Steve Buscemi, Alfre Woodard, James Earl Jones, Lily Tomlin, and even John Waters.
Shot on 16mm, Remastered for 4K
Need a little more grain in your TV shows, but still want that crisp image? “Homicide” has you covered. In addition to the show having its streaming premiere, this will also be the first time episodes have been updated for 4K TVs. Having been shot on 16mm film, one expects the visuals to be more sumptuous than many of the other crime procedurals available currently, offering a cinematic quality that predates the Golden Age of Television that would follow with “The West Wing” and “The Sopranos.”
In addition to Levinson, a number of directors who would later flourish in film and television worked on the series. The roster includes Alan Taylor, Martin Campbell, Tim Van Patten, Lisa Cholodenko, Matt Reeves, Kathryn Bigelow, and even legendary documentarian Barbara Kopple.
Oh, You’re a Fan of ‘Law & Order?’
Fontana became close with Dick Wolf, the man behind the massive “Law & Order” franchise, while both were working in the same building as writers on different shows (Fontana on “St. Elsewhere,” Wolf on “Hill Street Blues.”) When both were given the reins to their own shows and when both shows proved to find success in their own right, the two buddies couldn’t help but collaborate, doing a crossover episode in the third season of “Homicide” that featured Chris Noth’s “Law & Order” character, NYPD Detective Mike Logan, transferring a fugitive to Pembleton. Since then, there have been multiple crossovers, with characters from each show being featured on the other, as well as episodes of “Chicago Hope.”
It’s Just Really F***ing Good
In contrast to the many detective narratives that preceded the series and still persist to this day that paint cops as heroes, flawed or otherwise, “Homicide” cuts to the truth of the profession. While acknowledging the painstaking dedication of its subjects, the series is also known for communicating how most of the job is a grind like any other, draining those who take on the crime-fighting profession of their spirit and therefore their drive to do the work honorably. It’s a raw, cutting exploration, one that doesn’t shy away from difficult discussions and brought about even more by giving launch to the careers of Simon and many others.
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