TV: Miami Vice S1, Disc 1

Original series title: Gator Cop

Miami Vice stands as one of the most enduring sensation shows, existing as much as a time capsule as entertainment.  Its sensation cred hangs very much on the surface elements: Miami locations, shot with MTV-derived visual vocabulary and soundtrack,* all populated by the definitive mid-80s look.

Novel visuals alone rarely keep the viewers tuned in; Vice's viewer retention came entirely from its solid fundamentals.  While the name of reputed auteur EP Michael Mann is synonymous with the series, the show's creator, Anthony Yerkovich, is more important to the longevity of the series, having brought a resume full of Hill Street Blues credits to Miami.  Yerkovich's presence makes the ensemble of vice cops a capable foundation on which to hang all of the zeitgeist-snaring speedboats, ferraris, and perpetual five o'clock shadow.  This helped the series easily endure annual batches of new cop shows that mimicked its surface, but never grasped its substance.