This police show from NBC was noted for its gritty depiction of life in the densely populated, less privileged streets of Baltimore, Maryland.
Episodes followed an individual murder case from report to resolution (sometimes), although catching criminals often played second-fiddle to the inter-relationships of the detectives in the squad room, headed by black Italian Lieutenant Giardello (Yaphet Kotto from the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die).
Mostly shot at actual locations in Baltimore, the show had the look of a documentary that was reporting events as they happened, mainly due to the 16mm handheld film cameras which were used.
Over the show’s seven seasons, a number of actors came and went and there was a long list of guest stars, including Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, and many others who seldom worked on television.
Perhaps the best-known regular cast member was the intense Pembleton, whose questioning of suspects helped Andre Braugher win an Emmy for best acting in a drama.
Belzer’s quirky Munch character moved to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and other shows after Homicide‘s demise.
In an unusual move, Homicide: Life on the Street aired a two-hour television movie in May 1999, wrapping up the show’s loose ends.
Based on Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the television series was produced by Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana.
Detective Stanley Bolander
Ned Beatty
Detective John Munch
Richard Belzer
Lt. Al Giardello
Yaphet Kotto
Detective Kay Howard
Melissa Lee
Detective Beau Felton
Daniel Baldwin
Detective Frank Pembleton
Andre Braugher
Detective Meldrick Lewis
Clark Johnson
Detective Steve Crosetti
John Polito
