When “Homicide: Life on the Streets” first aired on NBC in 1993, most police dramas on network TV followed predictable patterns, were neatly filmed, and had well-defined lines between good and evil. “Homicide” broke that mold. While it featured police officers, the distinction between heroes and villains was often blurred; its writers experimented with traditional episode structures, and its scenes were filmed on location using handheld cameras for a more authentic feel. Although TV enthusiasts have long regarded the series as a classic, it did not garner much attention or appreciation from audiences during its original run. “Homicide” faced low viewership, interference from NBC executives, and was frequently on the brink of cancellation. Now, “Homicide” has finally become available for streaming on Peacock. Its innovative visuals and daring writing paved the way for modern 21st-century television shows, often referred to as the golden age of programming, known as Platinum TV or Peak TV. Paul Attanasio created “Homicide,” basing the show on David Simon’s 1991 book, “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.”
David Simon, then a journalist for The Baltimore Sun, wrote the book about his experiences embedded with the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Unit. However, it was executive producer Barry Levinson who orchestrated the show’s raw style. Levinson, a Baltimore native, aimed to portray the city in all its gritty splendor, filled with swirling cigarette smoke, dilapidated rowhouses, and the minute details of everyday police life. He accomplished this by filming on 16 mm film, favored by documentary filmmakers for preserving the film’s natural grain and imperfections. Editors used jump cuts, which, according to showrunner Tom Fontana, added “energy and surprise” to the episodes. Meanwhile, writers avoided glamorous car chases, choosing instead to delve into the thankless and morally complex aspects of police work—subject matter that often leads to cynicism among officers and about their profession as a whole. Many scenes were shot multiple times, from different perspectives and with varying focal points.
Numerous scenes featured extreme close-ups to encourage viewers to explore the mental states of either the officers or the criminals, giving the show a cinéma vérité or documentary-like atmosphere. Consider “The Box,” a windowless room where officers challenge and interrogate suspects that appears in multiple episodes. The creators wanted it to authentically feel and look like a real interrogation room. One of the series’ most notable episodes, “Three Men and Adena,” centers around the investigation of the rape and murder of 11-year-old Adena Watson, taking place almost entirely in The Box. The unique visual style of “Homicide” complemented its innovative approach to storytelling, mirroring real police work rhythms. Most police procedural shows follow a formula: a murder is discovered during the cold open, and by the episode’s conclusion, the criminal is caught. However, real life is not so neat, and neither was “Homicide.” In the series, crimes might occur at the beginning, middle, end of an episode, or not appear at all.
Murder investigations could last one episode or, as a precursor to serialized storytelling, span several episodes. For example, a Season Six episode, “The Subway,” begins with a man pushed off a subway platform, pinned between a train and the platform with a severed spine. The detectives have the length of the episode to determine his assailant and motive. In contrast, several Season One episodes investigated the rape and murder of Adena Watson, with the police closing in on her attacker but failing to gather enough evidence for conviction. A recurring element, “the board,” is a whiteboard in the precinct displaying case statuses—black for “closed” and red for “open.” Since murder investigations could extend over multiple episodes, the board helped officers and viewers track the progress of cases. Often, not every case turned from red to black by the end of an episode, and many murders remained unsolved. This broke the standard 60-minute TV episode’s conclusion and highlighted the often fruitless nature of police work. Two decades later, “Battlestar Galactica” used a similar tally system to track the surviving human population as robots tried to annihilate them. Despite being canceled in 1999 due to low ratings, “Homicide” launched the careers of its cast and crew as well as the prestige shows we see today.
Its standout actor, Andre Braugher, went on to become renowned for playing Raymond Holt in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The show also featured Richard Belzer, who enjoyed a long stint on “Law & Order: SVU.” Both Robin Williams and a young Jake Gyllenhaal made appearances in the same episode. “Homicide” served as a precursor to critically acclaimed TV shows such as “The Sopranos,” “The Shield,” and “Breaking Bad.” Members of its cast and crew later created “The Wire,” a series widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest ever. Despite conflicts over music rights and the costs of reformatting the show to HD and 4K, “Homicide” was stuck in streaming limbo even as popular 90s series found new streaming homes. The memories of “Homicide” faded, eclipsed by its successor, “The Wire.”