Homicide: Life on the Street 

A police homicide investigation unit investigates violent crimes in the city of Baltimore.

Creator:

Paul Attanasio

Stars:

Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto

Top Rated TV #153 | Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 21 wins & 82 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Belzer	...	John Munch 122 episodes, 1993-1999
Clark Johnson	...	Meldrick Lewis 122 episodes, 1993-1999
Yaphet Kotto	...	Al Giardello 122 episodes, 1993-1999
Kyle Secor	...	Tim Bayliss 122 episodes, 1993-1999
Andre Braugher	...	Frank Pembleton 100 episodes, 1993-1998
Melissa Leo	...	Kay Howard / ... 77 episodes, 1993-1997
Reed Diamond	...	Mike Kellerman 69 episodes, 1995-1998
Sharon Ziman	...	Naomi 51 episodes, 1993-1999

Storyline

A one-hour drama inspired by David Simon's acclaimed non-fiction book "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets." It is at once a mundane yet compelling look in and around a Homicide unit of the Baltimore Police Department, a group of determined individuals who are committed to their grim job at hand.

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Plot Keywords:

social commentary | justice | violence | police station | based on real people | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Homicide

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltimore Pictures, Fatima Productions, MCEG/Sterling Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (122 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1988, a Baltimore Sun reporter named David Simon joined the Baltimore Police Homicide Unit as a civilian assistant, in order to chronicle a year in the life of a big city homicide squad. His extensive notes, interviews, and observations were eventually published as the book, "Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets." This book served as the inspiration for the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993). Much of the first and second seasons are taken from actual events recounted in the book.

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Goofs

In a number of episodes, in-vehicle shots with a "back seat" perspective often show that the vehicle being filmed in is in fact a Chrysler-produced sedan. Note the older star-in-pentagon emblem on the steering wheel instead of the Chevy Cavaliers that the detectives drive. This is likely due to the lower headroom in the Cavalier, making it difficult to film that perspective.

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Quotes

Det. Meldrick Lewis: Baltimore, home of the misdemeanor homicide.

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Connections

Referenced in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Scourge (2001)

User Reviews

Best show I've seen

This is the best show ever. It even beats "The West Wing" which I think is superb. I wish they would show the reruns on some other channel than Court TV at 1AM.

Audrey Braugher delivered one of the greatest and intense performances on TV or anywhere else for that matter as Detective Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton. The supporting cast, which included Kyle Secor, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, and Callie Thorne (to name a few) were also great. Tom Fontana is one of the best TV writers ever. "Three Men and Adena" is one of the most intense and compelling episodes I've seen. This series has had more famous guest stars on it than any other show, except "The Simpsons." They included Robin Williams, Lili Tomlin, James Earl Jones, Steve Buscemi, Vincent D'Onofrio, and David Morse among others.

Braugher and Fontana won Emmys. The show also received The Humanitas Prize and The Peabody (which has only gone to two other drama series, "St. Elsewhere" and "The West Wing").