Ranking the seasons and evolving tastes

[mirrorimageegamirorrim]

How do you rank the seasons of Miami Vice from most favorite to least favorite?

 

For me it used to be 2, 1, 4, 5, 3.  But starting in 2013/2014 I noticed my tastes started to change a bit.  Now I rank them like this: 2, 1, 5, 3, 4. Here is my current view of each season in chronological order:

 

Season 1: A phenomenal start to the series.  All the core elements that made the show successful are present (music, fashion, hardware, beautiful people, beautiful scenery, great writing) but initially there is some uncertainty on how to best apply these elements.

 

Season 2: Perfection attained after going through the necessary experimentation.  (I actually think perfection was first attained somewhere in the middle of season one.  The show managed to ride that wave successfully and sustain this perfection all the way through season two.)

 

Season 3: Under the new direction of Dick Wolf, a clear departure from the magical formula of the first two seasons but still a successful season overall.  There is the undeniable presence of "filler episodes" which were previously absent.  The humor is mostly gone and Crockett's fashion is a bit blah.  Still having Jan Hammer 100% on board with the show is a definite plus when comparing season 3 to the final two seasons.  

 

Season 4:  When it's hot it's hot and you know the rest.  It's nice to still have Jan around on roughly one third of the episodes but I do not like the music of John Petersen.  I know Hammer supposedly gave him the cues but I think his music sounds nothing like Hammer.  It's sounds gothic and does not fit with the vibe of Vice.   The writing ranged from decent to spectacular when the themes were traditional Vice but you tell me how you're gonna make things as varied as UFOs, cows, samurai, crooked politicians, cryogenics, etc. work in the context of Vice.  Crockett's fashion was nothing to write home about but Tubbs looked sharp.  

 

Season 5:  An attempt is made to recover some of that "old feeling" and the attempt is generally successful.  Jan Hammer is missed though Tim Truman is a definite step up from Petersen.  When the fashion is traditional it's pretty good.  When it is ultra current, it isn't.  As a whole, the writing is improved over season 4 but the execution and attention to detail is sometimes sloppy.  The season "feels" like Vice though, which is very nice compared to the previous season.  

 

I'm keenly interested to hear how you rank the seasons and why.  Care to participate, pals?

 

-MIIM  

Edited September 11, 2014 by mirrorimageegamirorrim

[Matt5]

How do you rank the seasons of Miami Vice from most favorite to least favorite?

 

For me it used to be 2, 1, 4, 5, 3.  But starting in 2013/2014 I noticed my tastes started to change a bit.  Now I rank them like this: 2, 1, 5, 3, 4. Here is my current view of each season in chronological order:

 

Season 1: A phenomenal start to the series.  All the core elements that made the show successful are present (music, fashion, hardware, beautiful people, beautiful scenery, great writing) but initially there is some uncertainty on how to best apply these elements.

 

Season 2: Perfection attained after going through the necessary experimentation.  (I actually think perfection was first attained somewhere in the middle of season one.  The show managed to ride that wave successfully and sustain this perfection all the way through season two.)

 

Season 3: Under the new direction of Dick Wolf, a clear departure from the magical formula of the first two seasons but still a successful season overall.  There is the undeniable presence of "filler episodes" which were previously absent.  The humor is mostly gone and Crockett's fashion is a bit blah.  Still having Jan Hammer 100% on board with the show is a definite plus when comparing season 3 to the final two seasons.  

 

Season 4:  When it's hot it's hot and you know the rest.  It's nice to still have Jan around on roughly one third of the episodes but I do not like the music of John Petersen.  I know Hammer supposedly gave him the cues but I think his music sounds nothing like Hammer.  It's sounds gothic and does not fit with the vibe of Vice.   The writing ranged from decent to spectacular when the themes were traditional Vice but you tell me how you're gonna make things as varied as UFOs, cows, samurai, crooked politicians, cryogenics, etc. work in the context of Vice.  Crockett's fashion was nothing to write home about but Tubbs looked sharp.  

 

Season 5:  An attempt is made to recover some of that "old feeling" and it is generally successful.  Jan Hammer is missed though Tim Truman is a definite step up from Petersen.  When the fashion is traditional it's pretty good.  When it is ultra current, it isn't.  As a whole, the writing is improved over season 4 but the execution and attention to detail is sometimes sloppy.  The season "feels" like Vice though, which is very nice compared to the previous season.  

 

I'm keenly interested to hear how you rank the seasons and why.  Care to participate, pals?

 

-MIIM  

 

 

Nice review - I enjoy Season 5 as it shows Vice coming full circle - if you compare Sonny and Rico in "Freefall" to the Pilot episode they are tired, hurt , burnt out and disappointed .

       

[James]

1, 2, 3, 5, 4

 

It's been a while since I've last seen season 5, but if I remember correctly, the bad guy is always getting away with it at the end of the episode.

 

I think we already had a thread like this a couple of months ago.

Edited August 11, 2014 by SL1DE

[mirrorimageegamirorrim]

1, 2, 3, 5, 4

 

It's been a while since I've last seen season 5, but if I remember correctly, the bad guy is always getting away with it at the end of the episode.

 

I think we already had a thread like this a couple of months ago.

I went back and checked and there was recent thread called "Favorite Season" that is fairly similar.  I guess I missed it before.  

 

-MIIM

Edited August 11, 2014 by mirrorimageegamirorrim

[Vincent Hanna]

1=2>3>4>5

 

S1 is probably the most consistent season, pretty much every episode is atleast good.

 

S2 is where you can feel the pressure to outdo the first season and in some aspects they do. The highest highs are better than S1 but the lows are terrible..for example Tale of the goat, The Fixx, Free verse. So S1 and 2 are around equal

 

S3 is a change of pace, the look has grown on me a lot and the testerossa is cool.

 

S4 and 5 is where the show gets iffy. Most of the stories are just plain, drab and unimaginative.

[Fresh Prince]

For me it's simply: 1 and 2.

I saw some of the following seasons but a lot had changed obviously in terms of atmosphere and style and I just have a hard time accepting it.

So it's always going to be: 1 and 2!

[Viceguy]

I have been struggling to clearly understand which season is my absolute favorite since the first time I watched"Freefall". So far, to no avail = (

 

At first, i considered the 4th to be an outsider, but now I understand that there are some things that make it unique and there is a lot to like about this season. Sure, it's not Vice at its best, not by any means. Still though, the 4th season has its moments.

 

At the moment I consider season 2 to be my favorite, because its was the moment when Vice was at its peak. Everything is perfect and the unique Vice style really blossoms in this season. Then, I have trouble determining which season I consider to be the second best. Its either the first or the third.... I guess the third is a bit better, but only marginally. They are both great.

 

BTW, every time I watch episodes from the first two seasons mixed with the episodes from 3-4 seasons I can't help but wonder why the show feels so different ? It's not so much that the visuals had been changed by then,  it's just that there is something about Crockett and Tubbs that is so different compared to the first seasons. But I still can't exacly describe what that is. Anybody get the same feeling?

Edited September 10, 2014 by Viceguy

[Vincent Hanna]

I have been struggling to clearly understand which season is my absolute favorite since the first time I watched"Freefall". So far, to no avail = (

 

At first, i considered the 4th to be an outsider, but now I understand that there are some things that make it unique and there is a lot to like about this season. Sure, it's not Vice at its best, not by any means. Still though, the 4th season has its moments.

 

At the moment I consider season 2 to be my favorite, because its was the moment when Vice was at its peak. Everything is perfect and the unique Vice style really blossoms in this season. Then, I have trouble determining which season I consider to be the second best. Its either the first or the third.... I guess the third is a bit better, but only marginally. They are both great.

 

BTW, every time I watch episodes from the first two seasons mixed with the episodes from 3-4 seasons I can't help but wonder why the show feels so different ? It's not so much that the visuals had been changed by then,  it's just that there is something about Crockett and Tubbs that is so different compared to the first seasons. But I still can't exacly describe what that is. Anybody get the same feeling?

 

Season 4 does have it's moments but dear god is it a complete failure in pretty much every aspect when you compare it to the first 3 seasons. I can't even fathom what went so wrong. But there are some shining nuggets of greatness in the pile of crap. Death and the lady is a legitimately good episode.

 

But one of things i do kinda like is that Crockett and Tubbs seem more mature in the later seasons. I don't know if that was an intentional choice or just a by product of the actors being slightly less energetic then they were when the show started. 

 

I'd say S1, 2 and 3 are pretty much equal but i like them all for different reasons. They got a few stinkers in each one but overall it's stood the test of time and still revolutionary. All you have to do is youtube random 80s tv shows and you realise the production values of MV was insane.

 

I don't understand the love for S5 on here. To me it's even worse than S4. Atleast that was horrible in a so bad it's good way but S5 is just dull. I swear at one point Don Johnson's stand in appears in a whole scene with his face straight at the camera with DJ dubbed in, It's unbelievably cheap looking and Tubb's fashion style is vomit inducing and for some reason he's caked in makeup xD

Edited September 10, 2014 by thedeparted94

[Jerry B.]

Interesting thread, here are my thoughts:

 

speaking about evolving taste, going back when the show was aired, I used to find every following season better than the previous. So S2 was better than S1, S3 better than S2 etc. I found S5 weak, but to me it was so "cool" cause was new and contemporary. The eighties were "fast" times, so it was all like "the newer, the better". Don't get me wrong, of course I found ridiculous many episodes in S4 and also in S5, sure I missed Jan, of whom I've been a fan way before MV.  But I liked them in spite of that.

 

I re-watched the show this year for the first time after my last view, happened around the early nineties, on my VHS tapes. 

25 years after, my perception of the seasons is totally different. As many of you guys, my absolute fav is S2: perfect balance of all the elements. Look, stories, clothes, deeper interplay and definition of the characters, and - in no way least - the awareness of being "creating a style".

 

To me, S2 is better than S1, (still like "searching" the way), and S3 (silly Crockett look with wrong hair and waiter short jackets, filler episodes etc.). I consider the first three seasons  the best anyway.

 

S4 Is by far the worst one, but I like the Sonny look, hair and clothes. Anyway, the signs of weariness are all there. You guys already explained that well here.

 

S5 is the end. Times are changing, the eighties pass from being the future to being the past.

 

Everything is a desperate tentative to keep this thing alive, but it doesn't work: the poor and artificious Burnett saga, Switek addicted to betting etc. In spite of all this, to me, the last episode is great, as it sums the essence of that transition period: The time of being a cop the way C&T were, is over. It's no more "good guys against bad guys". The line between the two is faded to be almost invisible.

 

One thing - anyway - stands out after 30 years. This is stil the greatest tv show ever made. Period.

[Viceguy]

and S3 (silly Crockett look with wrong hair and waiter short jackets, filler episodes etc.). I consider the first three seasons  the best anyway.

 

 

 

Interesting,I don't find Crockett's look in the third season all that silly. To me it was quite 80s-esque . Especially the spiked hair.But I do agree that the season was let down by badly thought-out filler episodes which were thrown in just for the heck of it. But my third most favorite episode of the show comes from this season - Lend Me An ear is awesome all around.

 

Also, what for me makes the first two seasons better is that there was a lot more screen time given to Tubbs.  I mean, starting in the third season he was cleary pushed into background. I was disappointed, because in many ways he is my favorite character.

 

the poor and artificious Burnett saga

 

 

Wow! I have never met a Vice fan who doesn't like Burnett saga. But yeah, I understand what you mean. Personally, I enjoyed it quite a lot, but these episodes are far from being my favorite. They are too unusual. After all, I am used to Crockett being Crockett.

[Jerry B.]

Hi Viceguy, thanks for the reply, is always interesting to see each other views ;-)

 

Well, when I saw the first "Burnett saga" episode for the first time, I thought: "it could work" but, come on, can you transform yourself in another person with a hit in the head and go back with another hit? It's more Mel Brooks than Michael Mann.

 

More, nobody noticed that the amnesiac Burnett behavior is completely different from the undercover Burnett we are used to see. He's kind of cruel and heartless man, while the "regular" SB is cool and easy.  Why? Of course I know why, but it's just not plausible. One could say that *nothing* in the show was plausible (can you imagine a true undercover cop going around with the same car all the time, the same name, dealing with any kind of bad guy, and all that for 5 years???) In a week he would be spotted and eliminated. We all can accept this as part of the fiction, but there's a limit even to it, I think.

 

I absolutely agree with you about Tubbs in the background. One of the assets of the show was the interaction of different characters, and Tubbs, along with Castillo, was one of the strongest ones. Maybe the production realized that DJ was the rising star, but putting the rest in the background wasn't a good idea. After all,  a "choral" show was the idea of Yerkovich (does anybody recall "Hill Street"? Same concept, and that show has more than one connection with MV).

 

As far as Don's hair on S3, sure they are so 80s-eque, but I don't think they are the best choice for him, too high on top, they remind me of Rick Astley's "pancake" styling :-). It's not a surprise that Don had long to very long hair 90% of his life.

 

Just my view, of course ;-)

Edited September 10, 2014 by Jerry B.

[mirrorimageegamirorrim]

 

BTW, every time I watch episodes from the first two seasons mixed with the episodes from 3-4 seasons I can't help but wonder why the show feels so different ? It's not so much that the visuals had been changed by then,  it's just that there is something about Crockett and Tubbs that is so different compared to the first seasons. But I still can't exacly describe what that is. Anybody get the same feeling?

I know what you're saying and I attribute this to Dick Wolf.  Under his direction the show became much more serious.  Nihilism had always been a part of Vice but previously there had always been humor to counterbalance it.  Wolf tilted the balance entirely towards the dark and weighty. Check out a recent thread I started about humor in seasons 3-5.  

[mirrorimageegamirorrim]

 

I don't understand the love for S5 on here. To me it's even worse than S4. Atleast that was horrible in a so bad it's good way but S5 is just dull. I swear at one point Don Johnson's stand in appears in a whole scene with his face straight at the camera with DJ dubbed in, It's unbelievably cheap looking and Tubb's fashion style is vomit inducing and for some reason he's caked in makeup xD

Thanks for participating in the thread!  I really like season 5 because, among seasons 3-5, it has the most in common thematically with the first two seasons.  Obviously the look is different for the most part, though Crockett does at times return to his white and pastels.  But, more importantly, C&T are back to being Vice cops dealing with traditional Vice crimes.  Starting in season 3 and especially in season 4 the material strays too far from home.  I agree that the execution is off sometimes but not enough to prevent us from enjoying the season as a whole.  Give it another shot.

[mirrorimageegamirorrim]

Hi Viceguy, thanks for the reply, is always interesting to see each other views ;-)

 

Well, when I saw the first "Burnett saga" episode for the first time, I thought: "it could work" but, come on, can you transform yourself in another person with a hit in the head and go back with another hit? It's more Mel Brooks than Michael Mann.

 

More, nobody noticed that the amnesiac Burnett behavior is completely different from the undercover Burnett we are used to see. He's kind of cruel and heartless man, while the "regular" SB is cool and easy.  Why? Of course I know why, but it's just not plausible. One could say that *nothing* in the show was plausible (can you imagine a true undercover cop going around with the same car all the time, the same name, dealing with any kind of bad guy, and all that for 5 years???) In a week he would be spotted and eliminated. We all can accept this as part of the fiction, but there's a limit even to it, I think.

 

I agree with you about the implausibility of the Burnett trilogy.  There is a critical need to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy it but, as you pointed out, this need was always there and that goes for Vice or any other show.  It's just the nature of the beast if the beast is television.  But, the idea of Sonny becoming his undercover alter ego is genius, regardless of how they make it happen.  It is storytelling at its most compelling.   

[72Grabber]

Season 1-2-3-5-4 with 1-2 being way better than all the rest.

 

I keep trying to figure it out too. Why are the first two so much better. It almost seems like Mann had a greater influence on the mood of the earlier shows. Even though he was technically in the same position for the whole run.

 

The first two seasons seemed to treat the viewer like a more intelligent person. More communication through looks and actions instead of dialog.

1-2 seasons seemed to have a better idea of how ridiculous the lives these guys led were and it shows in the humor. C&T frequently making funny lines about the situations and people they deal with. It makes the viewer feel like they are sharing the joke.

The latter 3-5 seasons seemed to portrey the bad guys as more one dimensional sneering evil doers. Instead of almost making their lives look enticing like many 1-2 season episodes do.

3-5 Rico and Sonny seem to be less friends and more co-workers. That bond between them goes away as the show focuses more on DJ. When there is humor in the latter seasons it's more silly stuff for seemingly less intelligent viewers.

 

Just my thoughts.

[agent 47]

I used to say my favorite was between Season 1 and 4, after a recent viewing I have to say my views on changed a bit:

 

Season 1: It's funny that Season 3 is credited as where the series gets dark and gritty because I felt this one started out off that way, episodes might have humorous moments but they turn dark pretty fast like Cool Runnin' or Calderone's Return. A lot of episodes have aged even better than I last saw them such as Heart of Darkness especially thanks to Ed O'Neill's performance. Can't say I truly dislike any of the episodes in this season anymore and the first five episodes represent an incredible stretch of TV which is rare as often you'll get a dud in there to break up momentum but it builds a huge level of tension and excitement and re-watching them back to back made it seem more like a six hour movie rather than just five episodes of a TV Show and like I said the tension never let up until the credits rolled at the end of the fifth episode.

 

Season 2: Some episodes I still am not much of a fan of like Florence, Italy and Junk Love, some episodes I used to dislike such as The Dutch Oven I've found some appreciation for (in that episodes' case, it would be the Abel Ferraras' direction and how it fits into his overall body of work which is another thing I've been going through lately), and one in particular I liked a long time ago I just felt indifferent to this time around ("The Fix", that montage with P-Machinery was great and loved seeing Michael Richards but just ... meh). I don't think the amount of quality episodes is quite as good as the first season but it has tremendous moments such as Castillo turning into the ultimate weapon against the Russians in Bushido and delving into Crockett's past in Back in the World. I now rank this season above the first because it really defines what Miami Vice is like Goldfinger defines James Bond and it has a fair number of the best episodes in the series.

 

Season 3: This season was up and down for me this time around, started out strong enough with the first four episodes (although with the exception of Stone's War not as masterful as some of the best episodes of the previous season) but then the melodrama sets in with The Good Collar, we have the strange Manhunter type episode Shadow in the Dark, a bunch of meh until Down for the Count (although I did get to see a young Steve Buscemi in something before Mystery Train) and I don't know how I feel overall about that set of episodes. The show picks back up with some good episodes until By Hooker by Crook which .. sorry, not a Melanie Griffith fan. Then Knock, Knock, Who's There which was sadly my first Miami Vice episode ever (think I'll hop in the Delorean and go back in time to make sure he catches the show a few days earlier) and I was surprised that I really enjoyed another episode I hated before, Viking Bikers from Hell, it's an oddball in the pantheon of Vice for sure but it does make a nice addition to my '80's action collection. The next two were just ... this is what they ended the third season on? Overall can't say this season is a favorite.

 

Season 4: My favorite season ... when I was young. Think I might consider sending Robert Patrick back in time with the Delorean for picking this season as a favorite. Weak opening episode, two good ones followed by The Big Thaw, A mix of ugh and meh until Rising Sun of Death which had more Castillo awesomeness to spare and R. Lee Ermey. Back to meh and ugh until Baseballs of Death which was like a point where Miami Vice stumbled into my doorway reeking of scotch, shame and the Cows of October and broke down in tears telling me how sorry it was for Missing Hours. I forgave it and told it has to pull itself together, so it gave me Indian Wars and despite some heavy-handedness was back to awesome Vice. Then Vice raided the liquor cabinet again and we got stuck with Hell Hath No Fury and Badge of Dishonor before sobering up for Blood and Roses and then passing out for A Bullet for Crockett giving me time to remininse on the past. Woke up and told me this dream it called "Deliver us from Evil" which I was like "Meh, didn't care for either Caitlin or Hackman but the ending is great" but then Vice had this great idea for a cliffhanger.

 

Season 5: Which concluded in the best three episode story arc you'll witness in your whole existence. Three episodes where an entire series is turned on it's ear for a second and we see that we are definitely in that final stretch. The first two episodes as mentioned are true masterworks, the next few episodes were pretty good and it seemed like Vice is back on course then Asian Cuts brings back weird Vice followed by some episodes that just didn't really engage me, weird Vice then came back again with The Cell Within (although John P. Ryan does make a great villain here like he did in Death Wish 4), The Lost Madonna and Miracle Man, I'm still running on VHS for this season so I don't have access to Leap of Faith which I've heard I'm fortunate enough to be missing, as well as Too Much, Too Late but Freefall is still a sad episode to watch, it's nice that the series did have an ending as that was rare at the time. Overall it just didn't click for me but the first two episodes and the finale are great.

 

So to rank, I'd say it would be from best to worst (IMO): 2, 1, 3, 4, 5 (4 had more awesome moments than 5 did which kind of lost my excitement after the first two)

 

 

[Vincent Hanna]

Thanks for participating in the thread!  I really like season 5 because, among seasons 3-5, it has the most in common thematically with the first two seasons.  Obviously the look is different for the most part, though Crockett does at times return to his white and pastels.  But, more importantly, C&T are back to being Vice cops dealing with traditional Vice crimes.  Starting in season 3 and especially in season 4 the material strays too far from home.  I agree that the execution is off sometimes but not enough to prevent us from enjoying the season as a whole.  Give it another shot.

 

Okey i'll give it to you that the subject matter in S5 is more relevant to Vice than Bull semen and Frozen Rastafarians are.(never thought i'd say that in a sentence xD).

 

And there are a few good episodes like Line of fire and Over the Line. But for the rest of it's comically bad. The show turned into a parody of itself with the corny villains, bad music. El Gato was so bad i just skip every scene he's in. And the english guy from miami Squeeze is just >.< wth where they thinking.

 

Tubbs wears some of the most ugly suits and sunglasses i've ever seen. lol

 

You just get a strong sense that the show is already over. Nobody cares about quality anymore. The first 3 seasons worked because they hired talented up and comer writers and directors or seasoned pros like David soul and Glaser. When you take away showmanship you're left with a shoddy 80s cop show that pales in comparison to it's former self.

[Matt5]

I used to say my favorite was between Season 1 and 4, after a recent viewing I have to say my views on changed a bit:

 

Season 1: It's funny that Season 3 is credited as where the series gets dark and gritty because I felt this one started out off that way, episodes might have humorous moments but they turn dark pretty fast like Cool Runnin' or Calderone's Return. A lot of episodes have aged even better than I last saw them such as Heart of Darkness especially thanks to Ed O'Neill's performance. Can't say I truly dislike any of the episodes in this season anymore and the first five episodes represent an incredible stretch of TV which is rare as often you'll get a dud in there to break up momentum but it builds a huge level of tension and excitement and re-watching them back to back made it seem more like a six hour movie rather than just five episodes of a TV Show and like I said the tension never let up until the credits rolled at the end of the fifth episode.

 

Season 2: Some episodes I still am not much of a fan of like Florence, Italy and Junk Love, some episodes I used to dislike such as The Dutch Oven I've found some appreciation for (in that episodes' case, it would be the Abel Ferraras' direction and how it fits into his overall body of work which is another thing I've been going through lately), and one in particular I liked a long time ago I just felt indifferent to this time around ("The Fix", that montage with P-Machinery was great and loved seeing Michael Richards but just ... meh). I don't think the amount of quality episodes is quite as good as the first season but it has tremendous moments such as Castillo turning into the ultimate weapon against the Russians in Bushido and delving into Crockett's past in Back in the World. I now rank this season above the first because it really defines what Miami Vice is like Goldfinger defines James Bond and it has a fair number of the best episodes in the series.

 

Season 3: This season was up and down for me this time around, started out strong enough with the first four episodes (although with the exception of Stone's War not as masterful as some of the best episodes of the previous season) but then the melodrama sets in with The Good Collar, we have the strange Manhunter type episode Shadow in the Dark, a bunch of meh until Down for the Count (although I did get to see a young Steve Buscemi in something before Mystery Train) and I don't know how I feel overall about that set of episodes. The show picks back up with some good episodes until By Hooker by Crook which .. sorry, not a Melanie Griffith fan. Then Knock, Knock, Who's There which was sadly my first Miami Vice episode ever (think I'll hop in the Delorean and go back in time to make sure he catches the show a few days earlier) and I was surprised that I really enjoyed another episode I hated before, Viking Bikers from Hell, it's an oddball in the pantheon of Vice for sure but it does make a nice addition to my '80's action collection. The next two were just ... this is what they ended the third season on? Overall can't say this season is a favorite.

 

Season 4: My favorite season ... when I was young. Think I might consider sending Robert Patrick back in time with the Delorean for picking this season as a favorite. Weak opening episode, two good ones followed by The Big Thaw, A mix of ugh and meh until Rising Sun of Death which had more Castillo awesomeness to spare and R. Lee Ermey. Back to meh and ugh until Baseballs of Death which was like a point where Miami Vice stumbled into my doorway reeking of scotch, shame and the Cows of October and broke down in tears telling me how sorry it was for Missing Hours. I forgave it and told it has to pull itself together, so it gave me Indian Wars and despite some heavy-handedness was back to awesome Vice. Then Vice raided the liquor cabinet again and we got stuck with Hell Hath No Fury and Badge of Dishonor before sobering up for Blood and Roses and then passing out for A Bullet for Crockett giving me time to remininse on the past. Woke up and told me this dream it called "Deliver us from Evil" which I was like "Meh, didn't care for either Caitlin or Hackman but the ending is great" but then Vice had this great idea for a cliffhanger.

 

Season 5: Which concluded in the best three episode story arc you'll witness in your whole existence. Three episodes where an entire series is turned on it's ear for a second and we see that we are definitely in that final stretch. The first two episodes as mentioned are true masterworks, the next few episodes were pretty good and it seemed like Vice is back on course then Asian Cuts brings back weird Vice followed by some episodes that just didn't really engage me, weird Vice then came back again with The Cell Within (although John P. Ryan does make a great villain here like he did in Death Wish 4), The Lost Madonna and Miracle Man, I'm still running on VHS for this season so I don't have access to Leap of Faith which I've heard I'm fortunate enough to be missing, as well as Too Much, Too Late but Freefall is still a sad episode to watch, it's nice that the series did have an ending as that was rare at the time. Overall it just didn't click for me but the first two episodes and the finale are great.

 

So to rank, I'd say it would be from best to worst (IMO): 2, 1, 3, 4, 5 (4 had more awesome moments than 5 did which kind of lost my excitement after the first two)

 

I love all 5 Seasons it was a journey and the show evolved . Ok there were some bad episodes in Season 4 and 5 but still some great episodes and scenes. 

Season 1 to me was Vice . Season 2 was great but some terrible acting from guest stars in "Florence Italy" and "The Fix" . 

 

Season 3 particularly early episodes looked the best I have seen in the whole show's run - the cinematography , the directing , the look of Crocketts dark suits etc. Ok it got a bit of the track by mid Season - but "Stone's War" , "Walk Alone" , "The Good Collar" and "Streetwise" some of those episodes look so good today and have certainly aged better than some of the earlier seasons. The cinematography and editing is so great.

 

Season 4 was certainly a mixed bag - ratings had fallen and the comedy episodes didnt really work - to raise ratings producers had the idea to marry off Crockett and this sparked a huge rise in the ratings for a short period .

 

Season 5 was the burnt out / anything goes season which brought in seasoned directors such as Colin Bucksey and Vern Gillum - with Leon Ichaso and Jim Johnstone from Season 2 returning. I liked Season 5 as no bones about it - it didnt try to resort back to the "glory" days but made C&T more human , cynical and burnt out.  The Burnett Saga from the end of Season 4 and early Season 5 were some of the best episodes of the entire series.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Matt5

[Vincent Hanna]

Season 3 is awesome, It feels alot more relaxed and like they aren't under pressure to be innovative 100% of the time. So some of the episodes feel a little low key a times but they are well written so it works. It's just S4 and 5 that are horrible 

 

And one of my favourite shots in the whole series is from Streetwise. C&T are with Bill paxton and the hooker chick in a hotel and their looking through a window at the Miami Tower and you can see their reflection. Looks like something out of mann's "Thief"

 

http://www.miamiviceonline.com/screenshots/street20.jpg

[Spyder]

The first three seasons were all solid. I thought Season 3 was still as innovative as the first two; you still had the fast editing, the fashion, the music, the tension and no happy endings. The only difference was the "ripped from the headlines" stories.

 

Seasons 4 and 5 was where everything went downhill. Don gained weight and just looked tired and grizzled throughout. Tubbs was reduced to a minor character, and the Sonny/Caitlin marriage was a forced storyline to garner better ratings. Combine that with the dumb stories about UFOs, cows and frozen reggae singers, and it started turning into a comedy.

 

I think if they had to redo the show now, the Burnett arc would take up an entire season, kind of like what Breaking Bad did -- it took a whole season and a half to finally dispatch a villain. Three episodes isn't enough to build enough momentum and make Sonny's descent into a malicious drug kingpin seem believable. It should have been a cat-and-mouse game, where they chased him for at least 12-13 episodes. He shot Tubbs, and killed Hagovitch, but a better cliffhanger would have been to kill someone in Vice, and truly shock the audience.

 

The rest of Season 5 is embarrassing are reminds me a lot of Starsky and Hutch's final season. C&T are separated far too much, and the cinematography was bland. The wardrobes looked cheap and tacky, and the villains, laughable. Watch any episode of Magnum. P.I. from this period and you can see how that show, which started out mostly lighthearted and breezy, turned darker thanks to MV's influence. (MPI even had a Genesis song or two as proof.) But Vice was becoming a parody of itself; there was no more Scarface-type menace or danger to the proceedings. (Then there was the episode with that silly toy gun that immobilized police cars and weapons.) By the end, it was obvious that a ridiculous attempt at making a spin-off of the show was a veiled admission that 21 Jump Street was the hipper show of the time, and that Crockett and Tubbs were just a pair of tired old men, even though neither guy was even 40 years old yet.

 

Michael Mann returning to helm a sixth season for 1989-1990 would have been the best repair job to send the show out on top. Keep the current leather-and-denim styles, give Crockett a new car, and write a few Golden Triangle-esque episodes for good measure, and Vice could have signed off with some more dignity.

 

You know what would have been best? Don't kill off Calderone by episode 4 of the series. Keep it like The Fugitive -- Kimble waits four years to find the one-armed man. Make it so Tubbs and Crockett don't track down Calderone till the last two-parter of an aborted Season 6, and his demise topples the Miami drug empire as we knew it at the time.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Spyder

[Noggie]

Season 1 & 2 are tops for me. One is better because I honestly can watch every single episode. Season 2 is great & it defines a lot of what Vice was about but it also could be pretty empty. All style & no substance episodes that end with the bad guy killing themselves. Seriously, how many episodes ended like that? I remember watching it at the time & thinking "again?".

Season 3 has some really solid stories but the style change was too much. I enjoy the season though.

I haven't watched 4 & 5 in awhile. Portraying the characters as so tired & burnt out, while realistic, really robbed the show of some energy to me. Maybe now that I'm older I'll appreciate these seasons but as a teen, I lost interest in the show. It's just another cop show. The balance between the Crockett & Tubbs characters was lost. I liked Tubbs & he just wasn't given enough focus.

Also, the wardrobe didn't grab me any longer. Tubbs looked like a banker at times. He didn't need to wear a tie all the time. It's tough when style is such a part of a show to keep things rolling.

1 2 3 4 & 5 for me.

[Vincent Hanna]

Season 1 & 2 are tops for me. One is better because I honestly can watch every single episode. Season 2 is great & it defines a lot of what Vice was about but it also could be pretty empty. All style & no substance episodes that end with the bad guy killing themselves. Seriously, how many episodes ended like that? I remember watching it at the time & thinking "again?".

Pretty much sums up season 2 xD.

 

The only problem with season 1 is that it takes awhile to get going, they needed to tie up the caldrone and crockett's ex-wife story lines before they could get into the random weekly crime format. And there's a few weak episodes where they're trying to establish the style and failing. But the most are great.

 

Season 2 there's way too much weird stuff happening. Voodoo, Santameria priestesses, Bushido, C&Ts babying sitting annoying people(free verse and French twist).