Homicide: Life On The Street: The Complete Season 6

The penultimate season of "Homicide" finds Howard, Brodie, and Cox out of the picture with Gharty, Falsone, and Ballard joining the detectives. In my opinion, this is one of the best seasons of the show, featuring the oft-acclaimed "The Subway" episode and the conclusion to the Luther Mahoney arc that began in Season Four.

Episodes include:

Blood Ties, I, II, & III

Birthday

Baby, it's You (Part II; Part I is a "Law & Order" episode)

Saigon Rose

The Subway (with director's commentary)

All is Bright

Closet Cases

Sins of the Father

Shaggy Dog, City Goat

Something Sacred I & II

Lies & Other Truths

Pit Bull Sessions

Mercy

Abduction

Full Court Press

Strangled, Not Stirred

Secrets

Finnegan's Wake

Fallen Hero's I & II

This is a standout season, and with only one additional release to look forward to, this is the best way to remember a television show which will stand as a cultural icon for years to come.

Also on the release is "Anatomy of Homicide: A Life on the Street," a PBS documentary narrated by Richard Belzer that offers a great look into the making of the show. Though it was originally aired to coincide with Season Seven, this is a welcome addition to the set.

And, for those who are disappointed that the music listings are no longer a "special feature," visit http://members.aol.com/hlots98/episodes.html as it contains an episode-by-episode list of all songs.

While it's difficult to call Homicide: The Complete Sixth Season the best season of this Peabody Award winning series, it comes pretty darn close with a three episode story arc that ranks among the best and the classic episode The Subway featuring guest star Vincent D'Onofrio (Men in Black, Law and Order). Kellerman (Reed Diamond) exits this season amid allegations that his killing of a prominent drug lord wasn't "clean" and, ultimately, his colleagues turn away from him including his partner Lewis (Clark Johnson). The bloody shoot out of the grand finale ends the sixth season with a bang. While we once again have the departures of many cast members (including the superb Andre Braugher and Michelle Forbes) at the conclusion of this season, we also have many new and interesting characters introduced.

Like the previous sets, the sixth season looks very good on DVD. Keep in mind that this series was shot on 16 mm film and that the grainy look of the series was, indeed, intended. That said, A&E have done a marvelous job of transferring this classic series last great season to DVD. The sound has solid presence as well.

We get the full length PBS documentary Anatomy of a Homicide which highlights the making of the classic episode The Subway. One of the best stand-alone episodes the series produced, we get behind-the-scenes footage of the shooting, interviews with cast and crew members and a discussion of how the episode was structured. It's one of the best extras that A&E has licensed for this series.

There's a single commentary track but it's a great one; we get feedback from both director Gary Fleder and writer James Yoshimura on The Subway. Sure, there could have been more commentary tracks but what's provided (along with the documentary) makes this an outstanding set. I would have liked to have a commentary on the final episode of season six but clearly A&E stretched its marketing budget as far as it could to provide interesting extras for this season.

The last great and essential season of the series has two deluxe extras in the form of the full length documentary and commentary track on The Subway. The image and sound quality are truly exceptional given the source material and the packaging shows the great care A&E has shown on previous sets.

I just want to say, don't worry about extras and widescreen this and that. Homicide was a tv series that once aired and now does not. Changes were made at the time to scripts and scenes etc. due to pressure from the network and cast changes - but what it all boiled down to was what aired, and those of us buying these dvd sets loved it and still do love it. All I want from the season 6 dvd is what I wanted and got from the first five: The episodes, as they aired, in the proper order. A commentary here and there is just a bonus. The first four seasons were best. Season five was fantastic, and the last season wasn't quite as good but was still the best show on television. Why fret over deleted scenes and widescreen? This collection will have the complete season six, that's what's important.

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