What If Miami Vice Was On HBO?

[AndrewRemington]

I’m pretty sure “Tales from the Crypt” was HBO’s first original TV show. It debuted in 1989 and it was a bit of a game-changer as it could say or do anything. Violence, gore, nudity, profanity, etc.

But what if MV debuted on HBO in 1984? How would it be different? Would Sonny pepper every sentence with the F bomb? More explicit violence? Nudity and sex scenes?

Edited July 29, 2020 by AndrewRemington

[Dadrian]

I personally like the balance of adult content that was allowed on network TV for MIiami Vice at the time. It lends to the innocence of my childhood (I was 6 through 10 years old when I watched the original broadcasts), and somehow adds to the heroism of the protagonists. 

That said, I’m certainly not “against” shows like the The Shield (TV) or The Sopranos (HBO), though. Those, for example, were really great!

[AndrewRemington]

16 minutes ago, Dadrian said:

I personally like the balance of adult content that was allowed on network TV for MIiami Vice at the time. It lends to the innocence of my childhood (I was 6 through 10 years old when I watched the original broadcasts), and somehow adds to the heroism of the protagonists. 

That said, I’m certainly not “against” shows like the The Shield (TV) or The Sopranos (HBO), though. Those, for example, were really great!

I like it as is myself, too. I’m still not a big fan of movies/TV with excessive “adult content”. I think of it as kind of “degenerate”.

“The Sopranos” was/is a great show! I’m not going to dislike a show just because it has loads of profanity, violence and sex. But it’s not because of those things why I like it. I think it still would have been a great show if they cut down the content to TV-14 standards.

[Ferrariman]

Just about what you'd expect from HBO. Nudity, language, etc.  Probably more explicit scenes of drug usage.  I'm not opposed to any of this but I like my "Vice" just the way it is thanks. 

[pahonu]

Interesting question!  We’re all fans of Vice as we know it and probably struggle to envision it any other way.  If I had to comment on the differences, I would agree with many here and say it definitely would include far more graphic language, sex, and drug use.  My argument, however, would be that this isn’t gratuitous, but rather reflective of that reality.  
 

The activities and behaviors of the criminal underworld are obviously not the same as those of the general society most of us live in.  Organized crime adds an extra level of rationalization about these types of behaviors as they become normalized when constantly surrounded by them.  Greater society might view these behaviors as degenerate but inside that world, they become normalized, as I said.   When shows depict this kind of behavior, it is shocking to many, but I believe, it is a more accurate representation of that reality.

Miami Vice without these restrictions would certainly be different but likely more accurate and realistic.  If you think about it, young children really shouldn’t be exposed to any of these concepts.  The fact that the show was “sanitized” to some extent to be shown on network television allowed younger viewers to learn about these things, right or wrong.  

[Robbie C.]

5 hours ago, Dadrian said:

I personally like the balance of adult content that was allowed on network TV for MIiami Vice at the time. It lends to the innocence of my childhood (I was 6 through 10 years old when I watched the original broadcasts), and somehow adds to the heroism of the protagonists. 

That said, I’m certainly not “against” shows like the The Shield (TV) or The Sopranos (HBO), though. Those, for example, were really great!

The Shield was actually on FX, as was Justified. It's also worth remembering that Vice made its fame on style more than substance, so I don't know if it mattered much where it appeared. If it went with content over style, it would have been a very different show in my opinion.

[Dadrian]

13 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

The Shield was actually on FX

 

13 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

The Shield (TV)

Is FX not “TV”?

[Robbie C.]

Yeah. Long day. VERY long day. 

[Dadrian]

6 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

Yeah. Long day. VERY long day. 

Likewise, my friend. 

[timm525]

6 hours ago, Ferrariman said:

Just about what you'd expect from HBO. Nudity, language, etc.  Probably more explicit scenes of drug usage.  I'm not opposed to any of this but I like my "Vice" just the way it is thanks. 

Maybe a “director’s cut” version. 

[vicegirl85]

1 hour ago, Dadrian said:

Is FX not “TV”?

LOL!  Although I *think* perhaps Robbie was thinking of "broadcast TV" like NBC, rather than a cable/ pay network like FX.

Several interesting points here.  I especially like Ferrariman's point about enjoying shows that aren't filled with profanity, explicit violence, blood, nudity and sex--while appreciating very much Pahonu's comments:

3 hours ago, pahonu said:

Interesting question!  We’re all fans of Vice as we know it and probably struggle to envision it any other way.  If I had to comment on the differences, I would agree with many here and say it definitely would include far more graphic language, sex, and drug use.  My argument, however, would be that this isn’t gratuitous, but rather reflective of that reality.  
 

The activities and behaviors of the criminal underworld are obviously not the same as those of the general society most of us live in.  Organized crime adds an extra level of rationalization about these types of behaviors as they become normalized when constantly surrounded by them.  Greater society might view these behaviors as degenerate but inside that world, they become normalized, as I said.   When shows depict this kind of behavior, it is shocking to many, but I believe, it is a more accurate representation of that reality.

Miami Vice without these restrictions would certainly be different but likely more accurate and realistic.  If you think about it, young children really shouldn’t be exposed to any of these concepts.  The fact that the show was “sanitized” to some extent to be shown on network television allowed younger viewers to learn about these things, right or wrong.  

Certainly it's true that network TV, supported by advertising, sanitized many elements of the criminal and police activity depicted on Miami Vice.  But a show that aired at 10 p.m. (as it was for at least S1-2) was never geared to children, regardless of the fact that children apparently watched it, even early-on.  Later as it was syndicated and shown at different times, I"m sure more younger people watched.

The potential income from syndication no doubt was another factor (besides network rules on language, violence and nudity) that motivated some of the sanitization.  Cable provides so much more competition today, and niche audiences are OK for cable shows.  If MV had been aired first in today's climate, I'm sure it would have been much more graphic, athough perhaps not as much of a widespread pop cultural influence.

[AndrewRemington]

One other thing that came to me is budget. MV definitely had a big budget for a TV show, especially at the time. But if it was on HBO there would probably be an even bigger budget. With that you’d get more explosions, more music, and probably more big name actors/directors. MV had loads of great guest stars and directors, but HBO’s “Tales From The Crypt” definitely had big, big name actors and directors.

Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill, Richard Donner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore, Tom Hanks, William Friedkin, and etc. Big names, right? Tom Hanks directed an episode and had a cameo. Tom Hanks! Tom Hanks gets bold letters because he’s kind of a Big deal!

Imagine someone like Brian De Palma directing an episode, or Eddie Murphy guest starring. I know Eddie Murphy was very exclusive with Paramount in the 80s, so that may not have worked out... But we can imagine!

I don’t know, just a thought. With all this in mind, I still love MV just the way it is!  It’s just fun to imagine.

Edited July 31, 2020 by AndrewRemington

[RedDragon86]

On 7/31/2020 at 11:24 PM, AndrewRemington said:

One other thing that came to me is budget. MV definitely had a big budget for a TV show, especially at the time. But if it was on HBO there would probably be an even bigger budget. With that you’d get more explosions, more music, and probably more big name actors/directors. MV had loads of great guest stars and directors, but HBO’s “Tales From The Crypt” definitely had big, big name actors and directors.

Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill, Richard Donner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore, Tom Hanks, William Friedkin, and etc. Big names, right? Tom Hanks directed an episode and had a cameo. Tom Hanks! Tom Hanks gets bold letters because he’s kind of a Big deal!

Imagine someone like Brian De Palma directing an episode, or Eddie Murphy guest starring. I know Eddie Murphy was very exclusive with Paramount in the 80s, so that may not have worked out... But we can imagine!

I don’t know, just a thought. With all this in mind, I still love MV just the way it is!  It’s just fun to imagine.

That's true about a bigger names and budget, but one of things I appreciate about the show is gives unknown actors a chance to shine on their debut, and it also gives unknown bands a chance to be heard on the biggest show at the time. I personally wouldn't like explicit sex scenes, it would ruin the flow of a episode and be awkward to say the least. The profanity would make it feel ugly imo as well.

[blondman69]

On 7/31/2020 at 11:24 PM, AndrewRemington said:

One other thing that came to me is budget. MV definitely had a big budget for a TV show, especially at the time. But if it was on HBO there would probably be an even bigger budget. With that you’d get more explosions, more music, and probably more big name actors/directors. MV had loads of great guest stars and directors, but HBO’s “Tales From The Crypt” definitely had big, big name actors and directors.

Robert Zemeckis, Walter Hill, Richard Donner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael J. Fox, Demi Moore, Tom Hanks, William Friedkin, and etc. Big names, right? Tom Hanks directed an episode and had a cameo. Tom Hanks! Tom Hanks gets bold letters because he’s kind of a Big deal!

Imagine someone like Brian De Palma directing an episode, or Eddie Murphy guest starring. I know Eddie Murphy was very exclusive with Paramount in the 80s, so that may not have worked out... But we can imagine!

I don’t know, just a thought. With all this in mind, I still love MV just the way it is!  It’s just fun to imagine.

And Paul Michael Glasier wasn't a big deal directing???

[AndrewRemington]

15 hours ago, blondman69 said:

And Paul Michael Glasier wasn't a big deal directing???

He definitely did a great job directing MV, as well as “The Running Man”... But to be honest, I had no idea who that was. I just looked him up now and apparently he was Starsky from “Starsky & Hutch” but I’ve never seen that show. I’ve heard it was a really big deal in the 70s, though.