NBC.com

Legend has it that in the early 1980s, NBC Entertainment Chief Brandon Tartikoff brainstormed a series with two words - MTV cops - charging Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer/producer for "Hill Street Blues" with its creation. Originally entitled "Gold Coast," the two-hour pilot met its match in Executive Producer Michael Mann, now recognized as the contemporary master of neo-noir. Premiering in 1984, and garnering an unprecedented 15 Emmy Award nominations that year, "Miami Vice" would become one of the most revolutionary and influential television series of all time. People magazine hailed "Miami Vice" as "the first show to look really new and different since color TV was invented."

After a string of disappointing roles, Don Johnson rocketed to international stardom as vice cop Sonny Crockett. Partner Rico Tubbs was portrayed by Philip Michael Thomas, and Edward James Olmos' distinguished acting career saw its inception in the role of Lieutenant Michael Talbott. The show's action followed Rico and Tubbs' often futile efforts to battle drug trafficking and prostitution, dealing with complex themes of politics and corruption, all underscored by noirish cynicism. Most of the series was shot on location in Miami, prompting a revitalization of the city, and scripts were often based on actual crimes that occurred in Miami during the five seasons of the show's production.

The show took full advantage of its status as one of the first American network television programs to be broadcast in stereophonic sound, incorporating popular music and the musicians that made it. Along with Jan Hammer's distinctive synthesizer themes, the soundtrack included the most popular music of the time, and musicians such as Phil Collins, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Ted Nugent and Sheena Easton [who played Crockett's second wife] were frequent guest stars.

The show also had a huge impact on men's fashion, popularizing Ray-Ban sunglasses, T-shirts worn under suit jackets, and five o’clock shadow. A trend towards pastel colors and European fashion spread through America like wildfire. Designers like Gianni Versace and Hugo Boss kept Crockett and Tubbs wardrobe on the cutting edge, as they generally appeared in up to eight different outfits on each episode.