It’s been stuck in copyright limbo for 25 years, but one of the greatest TV shows in history is finally streaming.
NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” makes its streaming premiere on Peacock on Monday, depicting a realistic (fictional) account of the Baltimore Police Department’s Homicide Unit.
Created by two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter Paul Attanasio (“Quiz Show,” “Donnie Brasco”), “Homicide” ran on NBC from 1993 to 1999. It was based on the 1991 book “Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets” by former Baltimore Sun crime reporter David Simon, who famously went on to create HBO’s “The Wire” (2002-2008).
It’s the perfect way to honor a pair of TV legends who both died last year: the late Andre Braugher, who won an Emmy for his memorable role as Detective Frank Pembleton long before his comedic turn on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and the late Richard Belzer, who played Detective John Munch years before his run on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
The supporting cast includes Ned Beatty (“Network”), Daniel Baldwin (“Mulholland Falls”), Yaphet Kotto (“Alien”), Jon Polito (“Miller’s Crossing”), Clark Johnson (“The Wire”) and Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”).
Viewers will enjoy award-winning episodes directed by Oscar winners Barbara Kopple (“Harlan County, USA”) and Barry Levinson (“Rain Man”), a Baltimore native who graduated from American University in D.C. Together, the deep directing bench films gritty scenes of cops picking crabs and driving streets in famous Baltimore locations.
For all this, “Homicide” became the first TV drama to win three Peabody Awards in 1993, 1995 and 1997.
Sadly, its brilliance has been lost on an entire generation, as the show remained stuck in copyright hell for a quarter century since its 1999 finale. This summer, Simon excitedly announced on social media that the show’s creators had finally secured the music rights, allowing the series to make its streaming premiere this week.
Newly remastered in 4K for the first time on Peacock, it’s your chance to stream all seven seasons for a total of 122 episodes to see why it not only rivaled “NYPD Blue” as the best cop drama since “Hill Street Blues” at the time, but also why it remains the OG Baltimore precursor to “The Wire,” arguably the greatest show ever made.
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