Customer Reviews

Homicide: Life on Street-The Beginning

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Typically if I want to get a friend's reaction to my favorite drama ever, I'll have them sit down and watch these three episodes with me. They represent some of the finest acting and cinematography I've seen in quite some time.

1) The Pilot: "Gone for Goode" - It's Tim Bayliss' (Kyle Secor) first day on the Homicide Unit commanded by Al Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) and the introduction to the cast of characters begins: John Munch (Richard Belzer), the cynical jaded but dedicated cop partnered with the "close to retirement" Stan Bolander (Ned Beatty), Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson) is partnered with Steve Crosetti (Jon Polito) and Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) is partnered with Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin). The wildcard in the unit is Frank Pembleton, the unit's best detective who likes to work alone. Lewis and Crosetti investigate a shooting that might lead to solving 5 more murders (and making them look like heros), Munch is coerced into opening up an accidental death that Bolander thinks was a murder. And Bayliss gets paired up with Pembleton during a murder of an older guy in a hotel and learns firsthand that what he's taught in the classroom doesn't hold up in the real world.

Some famous lines:
Bolander: "She was murdered John, you have to speak for her"
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Howard: "Homicide? We work for God"
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Munch: "I've been murder police for ten years. If you're going to lie to me, you lie to me with respect."
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Crosetti: "That's the problem with this job. It's got nothin' to do with life."

2) "Every Mother's Son" - Bayliss and Pembleton investigate the murder of a 14 year old boy at a bowling alley to find out another 14 year old boy shot him. The shooter thinks he should go because he killed the wrong guy. The mother's killer and the mother of the victim unknowingly meet up and talk for a long period of time in the squad room. Pembleton gets disillusioned about ever having children if they grow up in a world like this.

3) "A Doll's Eye" - Bayliss and Pembleton get involved in a shooting of a boy at a mall. The boy ends up brain dead and the parents struggle with taking the boy off of life support and placing his organs in the organ donor registry to save other children's lives. Marcia Gay Hayden's portrayal of the little boy's mom will have you in tears. It's a quiet episode that focuses on the victims and the struggles that they have to face.

Homicide: Life On The Street is hands down the best television series ever. It is the Lord of the Rings of TV. Feature-film levels of scripting, acting and directing. The stories are intense, sad, funny, and gripping. The characters shame any others on TV, and stand with the best of fictional characters in any medium. Get it, watch it, love it.

Anyone that has ever seen this top quality crime drama would agree that there has never been anything else like HOMICIDE on television or the big screen!

This show, in reruns, is as powerful, moving, thought provoking, and at times humorous, as it was during its first run on NBC during the 90's.

EVERY...and I do mean EVERY character leaps off the page with realism and charisma, thanks in part to those who put pen to paper and wrote the lines, and also to the amazing actor who breathed life into the well written scripts.

The early shows are by far the best! And that you will see on this video. Pembelton and Balis, Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor, were televisions definitive dynamic duo. I believe that they, and the other cast members, set a standard for ensemble casts that will never be beat. (A few of the cast members that joined the show towards the end of its run were not as powerful as the original actors, but that didn't stop the show from delivering quality episodes.)

Others have suggested NBC release all of the episodes on DVD and I agree! This was truly MUST SEE TV and for what ever reason the network couldn't see it. (This show is timeless and I would love to see it resurrected, perhaps on cable TV! Are you listening HBO?)

HOMICIDE - Life On The Street is without a doubt is the best television show to date! Kudos to all responsible for bridging it to life, to Court TV for airing it in reruns, and to Amazon.com for bring the series to its fan via VHS and DVD!

I moved to Baltimore by about Homicide's 3rd season. I had seen a few episodes and was annoyed by the jittery camera work. After living in Baltimore for a few months, and after being forced to watch a few episodes, I was entranced by both the show and the city. Homicide transcends the typical "place-less" show (TV or cinema--is Frasier really a Seattle show? I think not) because it weaves people, events, and emotions in a solid geography. I believe people were--and are still--hooked on this show because it has so much personality and charisma. Baltimore is a town with history, charm, quirks, character, meloncholy, cynicism, evil, joy, and warmth. Homicide captured that and slowly spoon fed it to viewers episode by episode. I don't think most viewers were aware of it, but it happened and it was addictive. To me, the drama, joy, and pain of Homicide is the drama, joy, and pain of the City of Baltimore and its citizens. Only one question remains: where are the Homicide DVDs??

After HILL STREET BLUES and ST ELSEWARE I thought network TV had lost it, the came HOMICIDE:LIFE ON THE STREET. It is the best of the best, my only regret is that ther aren't more of the episodes available. Someone tell NBC that they are missing out on a gold mine.

Homicide was and is the best show ever aired on US television. Even with the more pedestrian seventh season, Homicide was a cut above the rest. The show was criminally ignored, barely escaped cancelation several times and was given a bad time slot, but still it survived on the quality of acting and writing in it. What other show has had guest stars such as Robin Williams, Steve Buschemi, Lily Tomlin and James Earl Jones?

This box set puts together three of the best episodes of a wonderful series. Gone For Goode introduces us to the detectives, Every Mother's Son is heartbreaking and wonderfully acted with some of the most moving scenes done by extras and A Doll's Eyes, another sad yet brilliant episode.

Catch it on CourtTV, it is worth watching.

I became hooked to Homicide: Life on the Streets and the first episode I saw was "Homicide.com" in one of my classes. I was upset when it was cancelled from NBC because it is such a riveting and powerful show. I'm glad that Court TV picked the show up and I watch it every night. I agree that we should have access to the entire collection. "Homicide.com" is my personal favorite and would love to see it put on VHS so I can purchase it. I love all of the characthers on the show; they portray the harsh reality of homicide detectives. I sure hope that more episodes get released on VHS so they can be available to us diehard Homicide fans. Thanks!

I have been on 'The Job' for over nine years, prior to that eleven years of firefighting. This series won (while aired and even now in re-run) the hearts, minds and respect (due to its complicating balance of realities) of myself and my partners. Watching made you wish you were there, through all of the trials and tribulations; knowing that even though not as busy as where we work the job is just as complicating and filled just as full of the same ideas and emotions. A job well done. An accurate measure, even mirror, of reality!

This show was a hit from the very beginning. In the pilot episode Rookie Detc. Time Bayliss(Kyle Secor)walks into the Homicide Unit looking confused and lost. No sooner has he been there but one day and partnered up with the stubborn Frank Pembleton who has no need for a naive partner, he gets bombarded with his first case. The rape and murder of 12 year old Adena Watson. This case will haunt the troubled Detective throughout the series of the show.

This episode also introduces the other characters of the show and explores the troubles of each and everyone of them. In all honesty, after seeing this episode you will be hooked and learn that even though it is no longer aired: this show will never die.

When is this show coming on DVD? I agree with the reviewer that said that Court TV is a good start, but I too want this series available at my fingertips (they've done it for X-Files, The Sopranos, Sex And The City). This show is simply one of the best shows ever, and if the fans dont deserve a dvd then the show itself certainly does. And, by the way, so does Mr. Fontana's OZ!!!!!!!!!!!!