Rating: 
Summary: One of THE BEST cop shows ever!
Review: I remember stumbling upon the show sometime around 1993 during what is ultimately one of its truly classic episodes ("Three Men and Adena", an episode solely regarding an interview with a suspect in a horrible murder), and stuck around up until it's eventual cancellation years later. The fact that it survived for as long as it did, despite being rather unconvential in its execution (a cop show not revolving around car chases and gun fights) is a credit indeed. The first 13 episodes (which make up the first two seasons it was on the air) boast some truly powerful stories. As impressive is the cast, boasting Yaphet Kotto as Al Giardello, the tough but level-headed Lieuteant of the unit, Richard Belzer as the manic John Munch, who drives his elder partner (played by Ned Beatty) completely nuts. Then there's the twisted partnership between rookie detective Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and the often volatile Pembleton (Andre Braugher), which creates some of the series' truly chilling moments (such as the aforementioned "3 Men and Adena"). And there's more that plays into the intersting tapestry that is "Homicide: Life On The Street." To say it influenced many of the cop shows today would be more than true. In its genre, the show still stands as one of the best of the best, period.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent series and DVD set
Review: Homicide is not your typical cop show. There aren't any car chases, and there aren't 'endings with a twist' like "Law and Order." Instead this show was based upon the real-life exploits of the Baltimore PD Homicide unit, and what we get is the best cop show on TV. We see Ned Beatty as Detective Stan "The Big Man" Bolander acting as conscience to get his partner John Munch (played by Richard Belzer) to finally close a case. We see the rookie, Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) barely get his feet wet before being the primary on the murder of a little girl found in the backyard of a rowhouse, an investigation which spans the first season and is never forgotten. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The characters are well-developed, the scripts excellent and the directors do a great job making the series look realistic without being too gritty. The DVDs look and sound great, with some extra featurettes like commentary for the first episode and a documentary or two thrown in for good measure. It isn't as jam-packed as it could have been, but honestly the show speaks for itself.
Rating:
Summary: Arguably the best cop show ever made
Review: This was a great series, and it was at top form in its first two years, so this is the box set to get. While not the first cop shows to get under the skin of its protagonists (remember Hill Street Blues?) it had a style all its own, with a literary flair that made this one of the most heady shows on television. Like Hill Street Blues, Homicide had characters that played extremely well off each other -- Pembleton and Bayliss for example. One got an intimate sense of the street, and each episode was fraught with tension without devolving into standard pot-boilers which was all too often the case with TV cop shows. The characters evolved, coming and going over the life of the series. The most important thing that can be said for Homicide is that it was never static.
Rating:
Summary: Homicide Life on the Street......Seasons 1 &2
Review: At last!!!!! The best ... cop show ever on DVD!!!!! Been following the exploits of Gee's squad since 1996; now enjoying the re-runs on Hallmark TV's UK channel! Based on the award winning book written by David Simon, who spent a year on the killing streets of Baltimore with the Homicide Squad, this innovative series explores the routine investigative hard work rather than the sensational car chases prevalent in other Cop shows, this combines the friction and interaction between partners, and of the victims of Homicide......this is sensational TV !!!!! First picked this up in Series 5 , before the re-runs, and made me eager to see how the characters developed in earlier series! from the Bayliss-Pembleton partnership to the shooting of Luther Mahoney, the untouchable drugs overlord, the conspiracy theorists Munch and Crosetti, the explosive pairing of Lewis & Kellerman, the insecurity of Howard, the female homicide detective with the best clearance rate in the entire unit, this series explores previously uncharted territory in the lives of the Baltimore Homicide Squad! The main focal point is Lieutenant Giardello known as Gee to his squad who rules with an iron but fair hand over his detectives.....the focal point of the whole show is the whiteboard which displays the state of play of ongoing (red), and solved crimes (black); according to the different detectives! Gee likes a predominance of black to dominate the board.........
This series post dates ER yet pre dates Oz the series, written by Tom Fontana..........if you only purchase 1 cop show then this is 'a must buy'!!!!! Absolutely brilliant!!! Allan Dawkins Leeds England !!!!!
Rating:
Summary: the greatest television show ever made
Review: Finally Homicide makes it to DVD. This was the greatest television show ever made simple as that.. from the revolutionary camera work(which would soon be copied by every show on tv) to the brilliant writing, amazing characters, and performances by some of the finest actors we've ever seen on the tv screen. What a joy to relive the experience on dvd, they better release season 3 soon! the characters were so complex and their relationships.. Pembleton and Bayliss being the standout.. the 1st 2 series of the tv show probably was some of their best work.. because it was so groundbreaking.. from the jump cuts..to a cop show where it wasnt all about car chases and gun fights..but intense interrogations in the box..i could talk about this show forever..but i'll say this.. It's simply a MUST OWN DVD.. relive or discover this classic piece of tv history which was sadly overlooked for most of its run on NBC
Rating: 
Summary: You want THE SHIELD -- you DO NOT want THIS ONE
Review: Police dramas are a hobby of mine, both British and American. So many of them over the years have been anywhere from outstanding to poor, and this one is nothing but a yawner and money lost. The Sheild had something to say and a talented cast saying it, to the extent I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. With Homicide, by contrast, I couldn't take my eyes off the DVD player's time reader, to determine whether I had seen enough to make a fair judgment. We might be friends now, because I just saved you $200. Avoid Ned Beatty's Homicide series. Consider instead The Sheild, A Touch of Frost (British) and Foyle's War (British) which I have also reviewed. Cheers.
Rating:
Summary: Best Drama of Television History
Review: Homicide: Life on the Street is hands down the best television drama of all time. Whereas The West Wing shows the struggles at the highest level of American political life, Homicide got to the heart of the lowest reaches of life, using investigations of death as a touchstone. Andre Braugher is quite simply the best dramatic actor of our time, and this was his peak. You know it when you see it: This is the real thing. Even NBC execs recognized this fact, keeping it on the air far longer than its low ratings ever seemed to justify. If you like the idea of art and intelligence in television, you will absolutely love this series.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest cop shows ever!
Review: If you love cop shows as I do, you already know how great this series was. It really had it all. The first thing that must be said is that it was probably the best ensemble cast ever assembled for a cop show, and the strength of the casting was that ever actor was perfect for the role. There really was not a weak link in the bunch, and everyone carried his or her weight. My favorites were Jon Polito as Det. Steve Crosetti. Polito has done a lot of screen work for the Coen Brothers (Miller's Crossing, The Man Who Wasn't There), and he brought his unique combination of humor and intensity to the role. Andre Braugher is terrific as the terminally eager Det. Frank Pembleton, and to watch him question a suspect is to feel the heat of the interrogation room come right off the TV screen. Whoever thought to cast ex comedian, almost-has-been Richard Belzer as Det. John munch deserves an Emmy for that decision alone. Belzer is simply great as John Munch, creating one of the most unique and surprising characters in the history of television, and one of the most important cop characters of them all - right up there with Det. Joe Friday or Det. Lonnie Briscoe. Lastly, Yaphet Kotto brings his dominant presence as the steady powerhouse, Lt. Gee Giardello. The show was also a colossal trailblazer - often imitated, never duplicated. The writing was top-notch throughout, the directing was always tight, but the thing to note was the style of the production. Gritty close ups, shifting camera angles, little or now background music, and the depiction of cops as at times willing to break the law to get the guilty - all set a tone and style that was very influential. If you are a fan of The Shield (as I am), watch this series to see where it comes from. No kidding, this stuff is the shot.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece and the most underrated program of all time
Review: Homicide: Life on the Street is still one of the absolute best programs of all time. Highly critically acclaimed, but it never got the public praise it deserved. No glitz, glamor, or explosive special effects here, just some of the best dramatic acting and script writing to ever make it onto a television program. Although the show has not been on the air for a while, the age does not show here. This is a true classic and a must-own set for anyone interested in crime dramas. In a world of action-saturated police shows that are short on character development and story, Homicide, (like the Law and Orders) is a gem. This show will shock you with its clever storylines, and give you something to think about when it flirts with life philosophy. It's gritty, realistic, and thought-provoking. Do not miss out on this treasure!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best shows on television
Review: This series is sorely missed. Largely ignored by everyone, with the possible exception of the critics, every episode was clever and well scripted. It is simply one of the best written programs on televesion. It is also superbly acted - how in the world did Andre Braugher go so long without due recognition (he won the emmy in his last season and while the rest of the excellent cast was largely ignored!)?
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