Homicide differs from most crime shows out there because it doesn't conform to the usual drama that most others in the genre carry. There are no high-speed chases, no shock value love affairs, no extended action scenes, no nerdy book and film trivia scattered in for no reason. Homicide is as close to reality as fiction can get. The characters, not played by the usual glamorous celebrities, look and act like ordinary working joes dedicated to their grim job, "speaking for the dead" as they put it. And viewers connect with the characters, whether it's Giardello's speeches, Munch's cynical but well-placed comments, or Pembleton juggling work and family all at once. The show might've been dark, but it worked extremely well.
Around Season 6, it began to decline noticeably. Kay Howard, the "woman doing a man's job", whom viewers come to admire, is out of the picture, replaced by two new detectives who have supermodel looks but nothing outstanding or memorable about them. Brodie, the geeky but ambitious young videographer, is sent away just as he starts to become part of the Homicide "family". Pembleton and Kellerman, major characters, resign and are replaced by Gharty, a watery-eyed, often-drunk, middle-aged detective who mostly just mopes around and makes passes at younger women. Munch, once a sardonic jerk but a great detective and a surprisingly kind person and great friend when he wants to be, becomes lazy, a gossip, overly crass and annoying and is hardly ever in Season 7 anymore, spending all his time working the Waterfront Bar with Billie Lou, an eccentric barmaid who looks more like his daughter than his girlfriend. Their relationship, which is supposed to appear comical and cute, just comes off as extremely creepy, as they frequently discuss their sex life in front of other characters. Watching them carry on that way just makes me cringe. It looks so weird! Billie Lou isn't exactly devoted either, as she often flirts with Gharty (Gharty is even older than Munch). The FBI arrives in later seasons, expanding the usual small Baltimore homicide unit unnecessarily and throwing in extra drama. Bayliss becomes a "zen detective" and starts reciting proverbs and claims to be bisexual, again throwing more drama into the mix. The trademark camera angles and 16mm film look of grainy browns and grays change to an unoriginal appearance with bright blue paint and a renovated office.
The good thing about Homicide is that the first five seasons are something you can watch over and over again, while still being impressed every time. This show isn't afraid to leave questions unanswered and mysteries unsolved, just like real-life. What drove Crosetti to suicide? Did Munch turn vigilante and shoot Gordon Pratt in the night? Who killed Adena Watson? What makes Homicide unique is that sometimes, things aren't easy, things aren't cheerful, but hope still prevails even in the darkest times, and this show does an excellent job at portraying that. Personally I like it far more than The Wire or Law & Order, and I was really sad to see it go when it did, although, with the direction it was going, maybe it's for the best that it still got to die with dignity.
Around Season 6, it began to decline noticeably. Kay Howard, the "woman doing a man's job", whom viewers come to admire, is out of the picture, replaced by two new detectives who have supermodel looks but nothing outstanding or memorable about them. Brodie, the geeky but ambitious young videographer, is sent away just as he starts to become part of the Homicide "family". Pembleton and Kellerman, major characters, resign and are replaced by Gharty, a watery-eyed, often-drunk, middle-aged detective who mostly just mopes around and makes passes at younger women. Munch, once a sardonic jerk but a great detective and a surprisingly kind person and great friend when he wants to be, becomes lazy, a gossip, overly crass and annoying and is hardly ever in Season 7 anymore, spending all his time working the Waterfront Bar with Billie Lou, an eccentric barmaid who looks more like his daughter than his girlfriend. Their relationship, which is supposed to appear comical and cute, just comes off as extremely creepy, as they frequently discuss their sex life in front of other characters. Watching them carry on that way just makes me cringe. It looks so weird! Billie Lou isn't exactly devoted either, as she often flirts with Gharty (Gharty is even older than Munch). The FBI arrives in later seasons, expanding the usual small Baltimore homicide unit unnecessarily and throwing in extra drama. Bayliss becomes a "zen detective" and starts reciting proverbs and claims to be bisexual, again throwing more drama into the mix. The trademark camera angles and 16mm film look of grainy browns and grays change to an unoriginal appearance with bright blue paint and a renovated office.
The good thing about Homicide is that the first five seasons are something you can watch over and over again, while still being impressed every time. This show isn't afraid to leave questions unanswered and mysteries unsolved, just like real-life. What drove Crosetti to suicide? Did Munch turn vigilante and shoot Gordon Pratt in the night? Who killed Adena Watson? What makes Homicide unique is that sometimes, things aren't easy, things aren't cheerful, but hope still prevails even in the darkest times, and this show does an excellent job at portraying that. Personally I like it far more than The Wire or Law & Order, and I was really sad to see it go when it did, although, with the direction it was going, maybe it's for the best that it still got to die with dignity.