Homicide: Life on the Street: A Reunion with Cast and Creators on Developing the Show

At the Paley Center in NY on May 24, 2018, the panelists discuss the origins of the book, "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets," on which the series was based, the challenges of sticking to the show's understated "no car chases" tone, and their proudest moments from the series' run.

[@allsystemsgo8678]

One of the greatest shows ever. Criminally underrated. No pun intended.

[@stellarocquie7957]

Practically seemed REAL!

[@cordelianoelle3644]

Yes, it was a killer show. Pun intended.

[@Mamlishways]

One of? The best!

[@porgyt7177]

Whole-heartedly agree!

[@levertige1]

@@Mamlishways The first 3 seasons are the best! Then they changed men's company to something ... well, I don't like the others seasons((

[@annedwyer797]

How lucky we were to have this series on network TV 30 yrs ago!! It's a testament to the superb writing and cast that it didn't need the language and graphic violence that would have prevented it from being aired on prime time network TV. RIP to Andre Braugher, Richard Belzer and other cast members that are no longer with us. Great thanks to YTube posters that have made full episodes available to us!

[@jmw23]

The Wire gets a lot of credit, and it's fantastic, but everyone forgets about Homicide. The book is amazing too.

[@kendallrivers1119]

Imo Homicide and Hill Street Blues are so much better and made it to where shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Sopranos etc could even be made.

[@BrandonCWilliams]

There is no The Wire without Homicide: Life on the Street.

[@mattb6369]

Homicide is an iconic masterpiece of pure gripping artistry! The character evolution was so epic the show even gave the Law & Order characters more development in three crossovers than half a dozen of its own seasons.

[@theeric]

Before the Wire, there was Homicide: Life on the Street. A brilliant show from start to finish. I enjoyed every well-written episode. R.I.P. Richard Belzer. R.I.P. Andre Braugher.

[@septiawoman2911]

"This is the BEST cop show since television was invented."

[@kendallrivers1119]

Well, we can't overlook Hill Street Blues. For me it's Hill Street and Homicide as my top 2 cop shows ever.

[@kendallrivers1119]

@Stephen Lindsay haven't seen that show. I know everyone hypes it up tho lol.

[@jacobjones5269]

Hill Street Blues is the greatest television drama in the history of the medium.. I watched both, and Homicide is close… Real close..

[@KitKatLMFAO]

@@jacobjones5269 hill street blues sucks ass

[@cathalsurfs]

They don't make 'em like this show no more.

[@HPmob420]

Homicide is easily one of the most underrated tv shows of the 1990's

[@kendallrivers1119]

Or Hunter, Walker Texas Ranger, New York Undercover, In The Heat of The Night, The Equalizer, Spenser for Hire, Lincoln Heights, Magnum PI, Rockford Files etc. Lots of great drama shows we don't see now. Now it's all just dry procedurals or pretentious over the top dark overly complex stuff.

[@monadonut7705]

I loved this show. Underrated 😱

[@angelachicken4141]

Re-watching it now after decades. Stands up well. Love the writing and acting.

[@Scott__C]

One of the finest shows ever made. The writing and stories were top notch of course, but to me the acting was so superb from everyone. True acting masterclass with that show.

[@jmjfanss]

The best shows of the 1990's and one of the best shows of all time.

[@Stiglr]

I loved the wonderful acknowledgment of the sublime nature of Andre Braugher's Pembleton: "You became my Ulysses!"

[@markgriffin65]

I'm not sure if this is a compliment or not but I literally cannot watch these actors in anything else..so for me Homicide Life on the Street is right up there with Hill Street Blues, both masterclasses in character driven drama. Pity the series never really got the recognition it deserved. Loved the writing directing and just the whole look of the show.

[@mattb6369]

I can watch Richard in Law & Order SVU but to be fair he's still playing Munch there!

[@kendallrivers1119]

I can understand that but I highly recommend you check out Andre in Men of a Certain Age a short lived brilliant show. He was phenomenal as well Scott Bakula and Ray Romano.

[@xdmaster7888]

Um, if you liked the late Richard Belzer playing Det. John Munch here, does that mean you didn't like him playing Munch on any of the other 11 shows (especially SVU) where he did so? And you're missing out on Andre Braugher in everything else he's done but especially BROOKLYN 9-9, which basically took Frank Pembleton and made him both proudly gay and flat-out hilarious.

[@kendallrivers1119]

​​@@xdmaster7888Brooklyn 99 I have never seen but Andre was great in Men of a Certain Age and other things he's done but Frank Pembleton will always be his best and most memorable character.

[@rosedevault9301]

I'm born and raised in Baltimore City, Maryland. Grew up in the SeWeBo neighborhood. On the corner of Lombard St. and Arlington Ave. Hollins Market, Tom Thumb, Gypsy Cafe and The Cultured Pearl. I meet both Michael Simon and Barry Levinson. Michael signed my copy of Homicide: A year on the killing streets. I loved the show. I'd love to see a new remake of the series. Baltimore with all it's crime, drugs and uglyness is still a city full of decent, hard working caring people. I pray for my city and it's people. I truly wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[@t3r080]

You mean David Simon?

[@kendallrivers1119]

Don't wish for a reboot you'll regret that lol. They tend to suck.

[@anastasia-camillemiller7363]

Clark Johnson's sittin' there in the middle but he barely gets to talk! I adored him, he was so cute back in the 90s.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

What's funny is, being a commercial director, he probably earned more money than all the rest of those people....

[@musiqsoundsproductions]

Bingewatched this series last three weeks. Mannnn I wished I had knew about this as a kid. The stars that it had launched, the music, it all got gradually better each episode. Rip detective Munch.

[@jtclaf]

I'll say it again and again, Best damn cop show ever...........

[@1Momofthree3]

My favorite show ever! The writing was superb. The camera shots/angles were unique. I just love it

[@davsaltego]

RIP, Andre and Richard 😢😢

[@thomaslefebre2340]

the best cop drama ever- even with no car chases and almost no gun fights!

[@lonbarnes3395]

My all time favorite dramatic television show.

[@rayray725]

“You became my Ulysses…” Indeed. Rest In Paradise Andre Braugher. You will always be Homicde Detective Frank Pembeleton. Outstanding career. Thank you.

[@septiawoman7687]

Bring this show back! I enjoy it so much that I purchased the box set!

[@drivenbydemons6537]

Which box set? I looked on Amazon for this and the reviews said the quality was horrible. Almost implying they were bootleg copies. I will pay top dollar for a high quality box set of this series. It's unbelievable to me the greatest network TV show ever has no streaming presence, no HQ release, nothing.

[@mikekling7144]

@@drivenbydemons6537 Shout factory

[@annedwyer797]

Bravo Clark Johnson! I love me some Andre Braugher and Richard Belzer, but I also loved Clark Johnson as Lewis on "Homicide". He was the calm "center" sandwiched between Munch and Pembleton. I always liked his understated presence.

[@cordelianoelle3644]

RIP Ned Beatty AKA Staley Bolander. What did Munch call him? Little Man, Fat Man? UGH! I guess I need to rewatch the series, again.

[@juliedavis7445]

I'm here because of Ned. Had no idea there was a panel. One of my favorite tv shows ever

[@NormAppleton]

BIG MAN

[@cordelianoelle3644]

@@NormAppleton Thanks!

[@richardcook6884]

THE BIG MAN!!!!!

[@MArk-yn4sp]

Andre Braugher (Frank Pembleton) is the hero.

[@richardcook6884]

He's the most underrated actor ever.

[@kendallrivers1119]

I was never the biggest fan of straight cop shows in the past besides New York Undercover and the first 12 seasons of SVU. But ever since I found Homicide and Hill Street Blues this past year I have become a huge fan and think they're the number 1 and 2 greatest cop shows and greatest tv dramas ever made! And for anyone who loves shows like The Wire, The Sheild, Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Nypd Blue etc. Wouldn't be there without those two originators! On the behalf of all involved with those two classics: You're welcome lol.

[@uconnapharm]

IT IS a SHAME ; that one cannot purchase a Quality , legitimate , DVD / Blu Ray Boxed Set of what is universally regarded as one of the greatest tv series of all time

[@kimberlyrobinson7853]

We got it from Amazon.

[@quailie5]

I got mine from Amazon too

[@uconnapharm]

​@@kimberlyrobinson7853 quite a few 2018 and 2019 Amazon reviews that cite low qualitry dvd discs with poor visual quality , poor audio , no closed captioning

[@uconnapharm]

@@quailie5 quite a few 2018 and 2019 Amazon reviews that cite low qualitry dvd discs with poor visual quality , poor audio , no closed captioning - how was your set ?

[@quailie5]

@kimberly robinson: I bought my set 10 years ago. I agree you can't get captioning. I've since bought a newer DVD player and a newer tv set. The quality of the pictures sometimes looks grainy but I wonder if it's because of the high definition tvs nowadays

[@yaaraamozig4862]

Great show. Great actors

[@Stewbular]

The absolutely best fucking show ever

[@rgg2112]

Finally coming to streaming Aug. 19 on Peacock

[@Overlorddz]

what a great series! and so much used again later on the Wire

[@christinealling272]

Best show ever! Remember when Vince Vaughn was killed in the subway? When Frank had a stroke in the box??? Gives me chills!

[@purplemonkeydishwasher4241]

The actor from the Subway episode was Vincent D'Onofrio.

[@mrwill1779]

This show cured me of my miami vice blues

[@TheSpookyDuke]

My fav tv show of all times.

[@hrdcpy]

I'm looking forward to finally watching this show after finishing The Wire series for the third time over the weekend. ✌️

[@kwizzeh]

While I love The Wire and currently watching through We Own This City, Homicide: LotS is still impressionable and captivating on me to this day as it did 20+ years ago. And it's not a knock on the other two series either, but Homicide caught lightning in a bottle that very few cop shows to this day have come close too.

[@kendallrivers1119]

The only other cop show on these days that's anywhere close to Hill Street and Homicide is Blue Bloods.

[@jeffzaborowski6879]

How about this for an ensemble interview. The creator of the Wire meets the creator of Power. Ms.Courtney A. Kemp is a genius. David Simon and Lev did their thing too with homicide which turned into the corner then led to the infamous series The Wire. Damn

[@tracypolselli1464]

He of the all time greatest and not available to watch anywhere.

[@SharpwithanE]

For the algo and the most underrated drama of all time.

[@lawrencejones737]

Where the hell is Melissa Leo

[@christinealling272]

Polishing her Oscar.

[@ricksf1]

None of the female actors. Not even one!

[@NormAppleton]

Winning Oscars last I checked.

[@codenamescarletfox]

Why isn't this longer?

[@WithoutRemorse12]

Robert Targaryen These events stream live on the app. You can also see the full version on the app.

[@harrymurphy9122]

That’s what she said.

[@marijamartinovic4404]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHbNgJ2GqLB6l5o

[@gk_knight]

I would’ve liked to hear from the writers what happened from season 6-7 when there was a real drop in the writing & the show became much more commercial. Network pressure? And where is Kyle Secor & Reed Diamond?

[@gmshadowtraders]

Exactly! And what the heck happened with ANDRE BRAUGHER? He didn't even say anything. This show was the FRIGGIN BEST EVER.

[@HPmob420]

I think season 6 was influenced hard by NBC but there was some still awesome episodes and with awesome writing and acting

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

They had network pressure every single season, because the series was threatened to be cancelled after every one of the seasons.

[@levertige1]

Actually, I loved only 3 seasons. Then phhh .... no, thanks. They lost their originality when Crassetti was gone ...

[@WhocaresWhy44]

A lot more texture and depth than other police genre. Dialogue rich, substance first optics second.

[@marianoardilesveron5283]

alta serie!!, la veia de chico buenisima

[@BaltoD60]

I considered this as kind of a prequel to The Wire.

[@joemckim1183]

Glad that they didn't wait too long to do this roundtable, otherwise Braugher and Belzer wouldn't have been able to participate in this.

[@JStorm13]

They need to seriously reboot this for current day more and bring it back.

[@kendallrivers1119]

And ruin it? No thanks. Can't beat the magic of the 1990's.

[@irenefriedman3529]

I watched the show every week and I do not recognize the two women. Who are they? Andre Braugher has appeared a few times as an attorney on Law and Order SVU--I wish he would become a regular on the show. I miss the John Munch character.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

They are writers, so not part af the acting cast.

[@starcycle1]

Best cop show ever, maybe the best tv series ever. It just doesn't get better than HLOTS.

[@ricksf1]

Paley Center. You might want to tell us viewers the names of the people we are watching. Other than Belzer and Braugher, we do not know who these folks are. Thank you.

[@ladychocolateice]

Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire are Great, but too real for them to rebroadcast. I don't care, BRING THEM BACK.

[@thomaslefebre2340]

the writing was the best

[@TENNESSEETRACKHAWK]

Thats a reunion? Aint no reunion without G!

[@kendallrivers1119]

Or Kay, Bayliss and Kellerman! :)

[@TENNESSEETRACKHAWK]

@@kendallrivers1119 for sure!

[@NormAppleton]

G is dead

[@TENNESSEETRACKHAWK]

@@NormAppleton im aware

[@LadyChaneLNo5]

RIP Frank Pembleton 😢😢😢

[@homeworld1765]

Is Richard Belzer okay? He doesn't seem to be well, I hope he's doing okay...

[@homeworld1765]

@FinanzFerdinand Beta He looks worse here

[@homeworld1765]

@FinanzFerdinand Beta He's walking with a cane afterall

[@t3r080]

He's 75, come on! It's been 30 years since Munch of Homicide. You are allowed to get older and look older, especially when you closer to 80 than 30.

[@johnashton4776]

The greatest sho of the 1990s when Miami Vice stopped Homicide took over pleas bring back a new version long before woke.

[@kendallrivers1119]

Actually New York Undercover took over for Miami Vice. It was very much the Miami Vice of the 90s and brought hip hop to television the way Vice brought pop.

[@FR-kb1fc]

Frank Pembleton was the best TV detective ever. I would like to know why the show decide to give him a stroke. From there on the show went downhill fast. Melissa Leo had already left the show. Eventually, they filled the show with bad actor supermodels. Did Andre Braugher get tired of playing his superman character? If so, it was a selfish decision. The original Pembleton was so exciting to watch. And he was the first highly intelligent African American character on TV. I looked forward to seeing the show on Friday night. It was pretty much the last TV series that I watched until Breaking Bad. Why was Pembleton given a stroke?

[@AnthonyL0401]

RIP Andre Braugher, too bad he did not speak much during this

[@darwinkilledgod]

I loved Homicide, but it's a depressing descent from glorious original realistic cop drama into Hollywood Shlock. You can actually see it. The credits start adding color. The buildings get painted brighter. The old ugly white guys leave and are replaced by handsome and gorgeous young badasses. The story lines about people's child hood molestation creep in... Pembelton starts struggling with his sexuality. Super criminals pop up to challenge the brave heroes... It's a damn shame what they did to that show by the end.

[@levertige1]

Yeahh, same here! A great disappointment! Frankly speaking, stopped watching it after the season 4.

[@hedjanc.s.9214]

Gordon Pratt não gostou desse vídeo.

[@monadonut7705]

Who

[@bbmcrae]

I understood that reference.

[@juliolopez6289]

R.I.P. Andre,Jon and Richard.

[@youstinktv]

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