Anyone remember the MV rip-offs?

[Dadrian]

Anybody mention “Silk Stalkings” yet? 

 

[timm525]

I never watched that show either. Don't know why?

[James]

7 hours ago, Dadrian said:

Anybody mention “Silk Stalkings” yet? 

 

Judging by the intro, I can't figure out whether this is supposed to be a bad cop show or bad soap opera... 

[Bren10]

True Riptide was along those lines, but you're selling Jumpstreet short.  Of course it was for kids at first but it skewed older as it went on (5 seasons ) and the stars aged.  As a full-grown adult I can still watch that show and enjoy it, especially the later seasons.  Like MV it was an undercover show with hip music, styles etc. with tight interrelationships amongst the main cast.  Jumpstreet also did "ripped from the headlines topics".  It is not a direct ripoff (which is a good thing) but I certainly see MV's influence and spirit in it.  Jumpstreet was FOX's first real bid for serrious original programming so it makes total sense they would emulate some of the successful MV formula, and I feel they did.  I think we all agree Miami Vice was nothing if not influential and 21JSt is but one example of that.

[Ferrariman]

I actually liked "Silk Stalkings"  After a few seasons they changed the 2 main characters and I never went back.

[pahonu]

17 hours ago, timm525 said:

I disagree. neither in my opinion was close to MV.

Riptide was more along the lines of Magnum PI or Simon and Simon. Just another detective/PI show at the same time as the others. I vaguely remember Riptide, I didn't like it so I never watched it. 

21 Jumpstreet was just a middle / high school cop show for kids. I did like this show and watched it often.

I agree with you Timm.  Riptide is light-hearted for the most part.  Very unlike MV, and I was thinking it came out earlier until it was confirmed.  Jumpstreet was more intense, but was obviously centered around high school kids and very young adults.  I liked them both when I was younger and they first aired, but forgot all about them for the next 25+ years.  A few years ago, incredibly, I spotted the Riptide boat at the long dock in our marina here in Long Beach and went to talk to the owner.  It was indeed the boat.  It was there for a wooden boat cruise, normally being slipped in Wilmington.  He had done a ton of work and she looked beautiful.  I've since heard it's now somewhere in Puget Sound.  Long story short, I purchased the series online and watched it.  It held up better than I expected.  The earlier episodes were generally better, but there were a few from season 3 I really enjoyed.  I still haven't seen a Jumpstreet since the original airing.

Edited October 14, 2018 by pahonu

[Bren10]

Then you should clearly define what you mean by "ripoffs" because if you're going for absolute  specifics it's going to be a short list.  But if you'r talking in terms of influence and imitation then that's a larger spectrum.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Bren10

[Vicefan7777]

I too will admit I enjoyed Silk Stalkings for the first two seasons.  It had the Miami Vice vibe. 

[Jeff_Cooper]

Silk Stalkings I recall, did not like it, at all.

Stingray on the other hand was really good.

Hollowood Beat was ok, but never had MV vibe methinks. Just another cop show

-J

[airtommy]

Coop's scrapbook has some info on "The Insiders":

http://miamiviceonline.com/index.php?/topic/2028-miami-vice-rip-off-series

I vaguely recall an episode about people diverting ambulances to different hospitals in exchange for kickbacks or something.  And the Genesis theme song.

 

[Afi Keita James]

On 8/2/2012 at 6:13 PM, Lar said:

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love old TV commercials. Indeed, collecting old VHS and Beta tapes and rescuing not only the old ads but various (sometimes quite rare) broadcasts is one of my main hobbies. I do come across the occasional MV promo, not as many as I'd like, but, whatever. I added a spot for "Indian Wars" just the other night, in fact.However, it's not the MV promos but something else I found that got me thinking. Literally just minutes ago I found an ad for the premiere of ABC's The Insiders, their 1985 rip-off of MV featuring photojournalists (they even had the guts to use a Phil Collins song during the spot!). From everything I've heard, The Insiders was really, really bad. Also recently, I found (another) one for CBS' Houston Knights, from 1987, and apparently this show actually wasn't too bad. That bumps my collection of HK ads up to a big 2 (the first was for the series premiere). As I recall, there were more MV rip-offs, which makes sense, hugely popular shows always get ripped-off, and you'd expect no less with MV, considering it was instantly iconic. Heck, even established shows such as Magnum, P.I. eventually tried their hand at the MV 'look' (I'd never, ever call Magnum an MV rip-off, but during the last two seasons there moments that were clearly patterned after MV; Believe it or not, Magnum pulled it off quite well).SO, my question is, does anyone here remember watching any of these MV knock-offs back in the day? Were they an entertaining diversion? Huge embarassment? Were they even aired outside of the U.S.? Something tells me we won't be seeing DVD releases of any of these any time soon, but I still find these rip-offs highly interesting.(I remember old reviews for these shows posted on .org long, long ago. Were those yours, C&B?)EDIT: ABC's Hollywood Beat, from '85! That's another one that went to bed praying it woke up as Miami Vice in the morning!

Although Magnum P.I. and houston knights were pretty cool.

[Afi Keita James]

Don't forget this one.

 

new york undercover from the 90's, is like miami vice with even more urban rap and hip-hop intensity.

 

 

 

 

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

Yeah, I liked "New York Undercover", although I don't believe I ever viewed an episode with the Season 4 cast. A couple of Vice visitors in the principle cast too, like Michael DeLorenzo and Patti D'Abanville. I wasn't that aware of Lauren Velez at the time, but I'm a huge "Dexter" fan (Vice, "Dexter", and "Batman: The Animated Series" are my all-time favorite shows: 3-way tie, although half my brain is Vice, similar what happened to William Hurt's character due to his experiment in "Altered states":-) and then I later viewed the 1994 film "I Like It like That" (and I did!), so I'm definitely more familiar with her now.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

On 10/14/2018 at 12:08 PM, Bren10 said:

True Riptide was along those lines, but you're selling Jumpstreet short.  Of course it was for kids at first but it skewed older as it went on (5 seasons ) and the stars aged.  As a full-grown adult I can still watch that show and enjoy it, especially the later seasons.  Like MV it was an undercover show with hip music, styles etc. with tight interrelationships amongst the main cast.  Jumpstreet also did "ripped from the headlines topics".  It is not a direct ripoff (which is a good thing) but I certainly see MV's influence and spirit in it.  Jumpstreet was FOX's first real bid for serrious original programming so it makes total sense they would emulate some of the successful MV formula, and I feel they did.  I think we all agree Miami Vice was nothing if not influential and 21JSt is but one example of that.

I agree with you that "21 Jump Street" was good on its own and was influenced by Vice, but in the best way possible. To me (especially in their broadcasting era) it was like they were the same genre but tailored towards different audiences, although I believe if a viewer likes either show they can easily like the other.

[Tom]

21 Jump street was the better epigone than that new young cop series that "Leap of Faith" was supposed to introduce (we all know that it went wrong). And it was the best VICE spin off that I know.

The others were strange to mediocre to say the least. 

I remember that I saw two or three episodes from the "Insiders" in the late 80s, but it was cheap crap for me.

First, the main actors had as much charisma as a hydrant and the whole plot was simply as "Missing hours" but as a whole series. They tried to copy everything, just worse. One scene I remember specifically. One guy was shot and they speeded him to hospital and during that medivac speeding they played "Shock the monkey" by Peter Gabriel. Don´t get me wrong - great song (no pun intended), but why they chose exactly that song for that scene? I think even the guy who did it could not have answered that question. Even if he wanted to. The series was canned after the first season as far as I recall.

 

[sdiegolo78]

On 8/3/2012 at 5:59 AM, Kavinsky said:

Quote

Kavinsky. I remember this show and it was a favorite and loved the stingray and the theme music

still though it is a knock off in away, mind you seems to be one of the better ones but still that doesnt change what inspired it. and well Stephen J Cannell's A team also seemed to follow the same setup too with the whole helping someone with there plight setup with someone also chasing them as I think this also had. and I gotta be honest I'm starting to see why it died after about 3 1/2 seasons (it lasted 5 but it felt like it died in the middle) when it comes to the A team while watching the repeats of it.they never change up the status quoe or do arcs it seems like or really have the characters change from there actions, basically we never really see them grow. outside of maybe an episode per character setting up there backstory but after that its back to business as usual with the A team and the fact that despite using so many damn rounds they never actually are shown killing anyone, just blowing up cars and stuff, it was bloody ridiculious, entertaining but only so many times you can be entertained by that before it gets stale.and stingray just from the pilot seemed to follow the same A team formula mixed in with a miami vice style and car, plus the sideshot of the C2's side there in the intro next to the rear tire is a direct knock off of the side shot used in Florence Italy.and I can see bubling in the paint around the door handle, wouldnt be the first time a car was hasitly resprayed for a show, they had that on the Cuda and the burn notice charger which was originally white with a blue interior juding by the trunk area and the original blue seeping through the white interior paint.plus while I understand it sort of gives it a mean street machine look with the C2 there it just seems wrong to black out EVERYTHING on it complete with tinted out windows.so I would clasify it as a knock off using the A team formula as the basis made in 85' and running till may 87 while the A team had been running since 83' to march 87'probably just another victim of doing something too soon after a big show had ended or was loosing popularity when people were sick of the formula in a way. sort of like what they tried to do with vice with in the line of fire I think if I'm getting that episode name right.

The A-Team was very episodic in nature, no story arks

Edited April 18, 2021 by sdiegolo78

[sdiegolo78]

On 8/4/2012 at 3:35 AM, hahaguy43 said:

Kavinsky, you got me interested in stingray now lol. thanks for posting those videos.

Stingray was a great show with potential...too bad it was short. Nick Mancuso is great actor.

[fakespyder]

There was a show in the early nineties called Hat Squad. It had some definite MV influences. Wasn't particularly great but had some nice music.

[Mr. Vigilante]

I remember watching Silk Stalkings late at night on USA network.  For a teenager it seemed pretty risque.  By today's standards I'm not sure.  I do remember the male detective having some crazy colored suits!

[Crockettt]

1993 Short-lived show created by Dick Wolf & Robert DeLaurentis. Many guest stars known from Miami Vice like John Glover, Patti D'Arbanville or Roger Pretto and nice Vice locations as well.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Crockettt

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

22 hours ago, sdiegolo78 said:

Stingray was a great show with potential...too bad it was short. Nick Mancuso is great actor.

Yeah, I like Nick Mancuso; ever view 1984's "Blame it on the Night" (released in an era when there were a lot of films by musicians or performers playing musician: "Streets of Fire", "The Slugger's Wife", "Hard to Hold" are some examples)? I like that one, I think it has a good heart.

[sdiegolo78]

2 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

Yeah, I like Nick Mancuso; ever view 1984's "Blame it on the Night" (released in an era when there were a lot of films by musicians or performers playing musician: "Streets of Fire", "The Slugger's Wife", "Hard to Hold" are some examples)? I like that one, I think it has a good heart.

He's one of the actors i would have liked to see in MV. And I've always dreamed of a cross over MV-Stingray. His character would be someone who had met Lt.Castillo in Asia before.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

1 minute ago, sdiegolo78 said:

He's one of the actors i would have liked to see in MV. And I've always dreamed of a cross over MV-Stingray. His character would be someone who had met Lt.Castillo in Asia before.

I mentioned Roddy McDowall, but I also would've liked Mancuso being worked in there myself. The man can really brood, he'd fit right in Vice!

I love most of what Stephen J. Cannell came up with, including his books ("I thought "Final Victim" was excellent).

[sdiegolo78]

15 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

but I also would've liked Mancuso being worked in there myself. The man can really brood, he'd fit right in Vice!

Stingray bumping into Castillo would have been nice! Some episode a la Bushido!

Edited April 19, 2021 by sdiegolo78

[pahonu]

17 hours ago, Crockettt said:

1993 Short-lived show created by Dick Wolf & Robert DeLaurentis. Many guest stars known from Miami Vice like John Glover, Patti D'Arbanville or Roger Pretto and nice Vice locations as well.

 

 

Duddy 2020:

Edited April 19, 2021 by pahonu