Season 7 – Homicide: Life on the Street

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Emm C @EmmCee 01/21/2024 The seventh and final season was a dud. But seasons 1 thru 6 are outstanding, the gold standard of a Cop Show. See more Hemant S @RT50421404 03/02/2023 Before "The Wire" besotted audiences on TV and then on HBO and Hotstar as a raw drama that came from the mind of David Simon, based on his experiences as a journalist in Baltimore, there was another show that was based on his book, "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets" and created by Paul Attanasio. Although it never came into the current wave of OTT streamers, it still stays one of the top quality crime shows of all time. "Homicide: Life on the Street" was telecast between 1993 and 2000 over seven seasons and a television movie. It was based in the crime infested streets of Baltimore, Maryland and those who have been through "The Wire" will find it familiar territory, though the times and premises were different. The show was committed to being inside the police department in Baltimore and stays consistent with it's prime characters and actors, with appearances from others who would later on break-out like Paul Giamatti, J.K. Simmons, Steve Buscemi, young guns like Elijah Wood, Jake Gylenhaal, Neil Patrick Harris and Jenna Malone who were teenagers and even old favorites like Robin Williams, Bruce Campbell, Vincent D'Onofrio and so many other faces that show off their talents in the best way. The main cast of course is equally shining, and many of whom also broke out – especially Andre Braugher who would be fondly familiar for "Brookly Ninety-Nine" fans, Clark Johnson who made frequent appearances later in "The Wire", Yaphet Kotto, the immovable force as the Lieutenant and leader and can be recollected for his appearance in Ridley Scott's "Alien", and Kyle Secor, who joins the team as a rookie but sticks around till the end in one of the most layered roles in the series. Peter Gerety, Callie Thorne and Jon Seda along with Reed Diamond are prominent with their acts in the last 2-3 seasons and best not to forget Richard Belzer as a pivotal, cynical and debatedly annoying team member who also made a blink and miss appearance in a "The Wire" episode. Melissa Leo and Giancarlo Esposito are two names at least I can think of, who have made their presence felt in movies and streamers respectively after they shone out here. It was pleasant irony to watch Esposito and Diamond mingle in that "Better Call Saul" episode after so many years, in a different setting and environment. There are so many other names in the main and recurring caste that can be mentioned, but as you go through the episodes one by one, you will end up belonging in the squad room with the phones constantly ringing. The plot cannot be described simply because it springs out from real cases in almost each episode, but there are some stories and cases that flow through episodes, seasons, even the unmissable TV film "Homicide: The Movie" and sometimes other popular shows like "Law & Order". Lead by a team of directors that included Barry Levinson, Martin Campbell, Alan Taylor, Kathryn Bigelow and even Matt Reeves, one of the beautiful aspects of the series was the perfect blending of songs into the stories at the right moments from well known artistes like Jimi Hendrix, Metallica and Garbage. This old gem is one of the few stories like "The Sopranos", "The Wire" and those from the early millennium and prior, that remind us about the fine and simple little details that made the good TV shows stand out. See more 02/26/2021 With Pembleton gone, and the shot-up Homicide office completely redecorated and painted a deeper shade of blue along with plush furniture and a rushed opening credit sequence, it is quite clear the show had finally run out of steam! Most of the episodes are unmemorable, bland, predictable and devoid of soul. The young & beautiful characters on show seem to be straight out of LA Law, Law and Order or NYPD. And just like the new office they add absolutely nothing other than window-dressing. Even Bayliss looks confused and constantly in some kind of philosophical, existentialism, wandering around crime scenes and the Homicide office spouting Yoda-like observations while musing over his sexual preferences. Which brings me onto another criticism of this season: seems that the heart of the show - the crime investigations - has been put on the backburner to be replaced by dumbed down romantic teasings between the detectives. Admittedly this was prevalent in the earlier seasons but was done with subtly, coupled with good writing and not constantly smacking you in the face with a brick! Basically season 7 is like a car running on 3 wheels, the handbrake on and in 2nd gear trying to reach 70mph. See more Read all reviews

Homicide: Life on the Street — Season 7

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