Rating: 
Summary: Working Class Cops
Review: Now don't get me wrong I love Law & Order but Homicide is the one for me. These are working class people who claw for every inch of ground they get. I know everyone laments on the lack of Closed Captioning but still since this series is not on the air anywhere this is the best we will get (except for third generation VCR tapes that are on their last legs).
Rating:
Summary: A universe of talent in Baltimore
Review: The technical complaints about the "Homicide: Seasons 1 & 2" DVD box set are 100% accurate. The typos on the package, and the lack of English captioning (for one of the most dialogue-intensive shows on TV), betray a lack of planning behind this long-awaited (and relatively expensive) release. However, watching the first 13 episodes of the series removes all other qualms about the set. It's important just to get these shows on DVD and put them back into the public eye. Here's a cop show with no gunfights and no car chases. Although "Law & Order" mostly followed the same rules, here the cops themselves are the attraction, played by a terrific ensemble cast of character actors. Obviously there's Richard Belzer, whose Detective Munch has been used everywhere else from two "Law & Order" series, "The X-Files", and the film epic "A Very Brady Sequel" (!). And Munch is just a minor character in this box set. More prominent cast members (who sadly didn't make it to the show's later, full-season runs) include Ned Beatty as the worn-out Stan Bolander, Daniel Baldwin as good-old-boy Beau Felton, and Jon Polito's Lincoln assassination conspiracy theorist Frank Crosetti. You may remember Polito from his current role as California lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante. A good way to judge the quality of a TV show is to scan the cast and production credits and see what became of the team a decade later. Apart from big-name directors Barry Levinson and Bruce Paltrow, two Season 1 episodes were directed by Martin Campbell, who revived the James Bond franchise with "GoldenEye" a few years later. Familiar names in the guest cast include Edie Falco (recurring as the wife of an injured patrolman), Julianna Margulies (as Bolander's second-season love interest), the always welcome Luis Guzman as a doomed coffin maker, and Jake Gyllenhaal, playing Robin Williams' kid in the second-season opener. The glue that holds the show together is the Season 1 story arc revolving around the murder of schoolgirl Adena Watson. We trace the investigation through the eyes of nervous rookie detective Tim Bayliss (the underrated Kyle Secor) and his partner Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher, given to mesmerizing fits of Shakespearean fury). Yaphet Kotto ("Koto", as per the box) takes the cliched role of the minority squad leader and turns in a joyful, fiery performance that equals Braugher's at every turn. Also standing out is the episode with Williams, which deftly turns from an examination of victim's rage to a (somewhat sympathetic) look at the killer's mind. By definition, most other cop shows don't go within a thousand miles of that approach. The commentary by Levinson and Tom Fontana on the pilot episode is above average; however, that's all we get. There's a useless episode from some A&E true crime series; however, the song list, episode trailers, and casting featurette are decent additions. Season 3 is on its way, and none too soon. In the meantime, watch these episodes again.
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: Great show and interesting characters. Three things that A&E DVD need to fix: 1)the sound was very poor. I had to crank up the volume on my tv, it was too low. 2)A&E DVD tend to be on the high side as far as price so you better be a big fan of any tv show they put out on DVD. 3)no close captions...! My hearing is fine but once in a while I will look at a caption because of something that was unintelligible and believe me it happens a lot on Homicide and to make it worse, turning up the volume didn't help at all. The extras are ok even though the 10 minute interview was flawed(at least on my dvd)..the sound and picture did not match while they were talking. The packaging was a nice touch. Each dvd had their own slimline plastic case, something ER should have done with their "flip disc" and cardboard package. Looking forward to getting future seasons of Homicide...AFTER the price comes down(wake up A&E, dvds are getting cheaper)
Rating: 
Summary: ***NO CLOSED CAPTIONING WHATSOEVER***
Review: Content-wise the show deserves 5 stars. In terms of picture and sound quality, this set deserves no less than 4 stars. However, the biggest disappointment as it turns out is that there is not even closed captioning, much less subtitles. I discussed this issue at length with a few fans who happened to be hearing-impaired, and indeed they voiced their frustration. Those fans were deeply disappointed and felt like they were ignored/abandoned. While my own hearing is fine, I would hope A&E would be more sensitive towards the needs of hearing-impaired fans and proceed to add closed captioning to future releases.
Rating: 
Summary: This set is proof...Homicide is the best TV series ever...
Review: Yes, I'm sure that is probably subjective, but this DVD set is proof that Homicide was one of the best shows ever put on Television. The acting, the writing, the camerawork all went into creating a show that was years ahead of its time. Homicide is what good television should be, something you not only marvel at, but something that makes you think. How this show got on network TV still amazes me. I'm just thankful that someone at NBC took the chance on it. Say what you will, but without Homicide, we wouldn't have the Sopranos, The Shield, The Wire, Oz, or any number of shows that copied Homicide's style. As far as the DVD's go, they are excellent. Highly recommend to any fan or anyone looking for quality televion.
Rating: 
Summary: Homocide of a crime drama as this is a bad soap opera.
Review: Homocide life on the street has no life and very little street. Most episodes have a group of unattractive policemen sitting around a dingy office smoking cigarettes,drinking coffee,talking about their dull personal lives rather than discussing any crime theories pertaining to arresting or motive after arrests have been made,no talk of potential suspects or anything pertaining to a crime. This badly written soap opera is a boring drama with unattractive actors mumbling their lines & trying for comedy that has nothing to do with police work. It also has out-dated things like an electric typewriter, NO computer at all,no flashbacks,no re-enactments of crimes to understand what may have happened,no forensics,no visual effects to help the viewer understand anything. The camera work is amateurish & choppy.The acting is bad.The actors are not pretty so they should at least have good dialogue and good stories but they don't.The stories are very badly written. Most episodes are 30 minutes of this sitting in the office or sitting in a patrol car or sitting at a restaurant discusing how their dating lives are going,how the food tastes,how they are not feeling well because their personal lives are unfulfilling. Where is the crime and where is the drama ? There are only 13 episodes total for both seasons 1 and 2 with very Good reason that there are only about 6 episodes per season-because it was not a good program at all ! On the upside, out of the 13 episodes there are 2 decent ones: 1 episode has a grueling all-night grilling session of a suspect that we all know killed the child yet no matter what never will say anything
more than "I didn't kill her"- the other episode is the last episode of season 2 which guest starred Academy Award Winner Robin Williams ( Good Will Hunting ) as a grieving husband who's wife was killed in a robbery with the killer confessed & apologetic yet he won't have any of it.There were a few guest stars wasted on this show: Edie Falco ( Tony's wife on "The Sopranos"),Julianna Margoyles ( ER ),Luis Guzman ( Carlito's Way )& Jake Gyllenhaal ( The Good Girl ). The 2 episodes that were decent were a welcome surprise. This program doesn't hold interest at all. The dialogue is predictable.The acting & writing is sloppy & the assembly of scenes are badly constructed by the patchy camera work- obviously throwing one take in with another to put together a 'credible' performance-well it didn't work. Don't make the same mistake I made in purchasing this horrible program as you will feel completely ripped off as this is nothing like "Law and Order", "N.Y.P.D. Blue", "24","The Shield",or the best of all in up-to-date-forensics "CSI: CRime Investigation"- now those are crime dramas worth purchasing to watch thorougly enjoying them as they are excellent ! The best crime dramas there are on television are : All Seasons of the supreme crime series: "CSI:Crime Scene Investigation",the 1st 5 seasons of "Law & Order"-when Chris Noth was on it as well as the rest of the original cast that were the touchstone to a wonderful ensemble. Better to watch the 1st season of "N.Y.P.D.Blue"(David Caruso made that show so much better & should never have left ) The only 2 good things about this program on dvd is 1)it has an A & E Biography called "How to Catch a Killer" an 2)it ends ! This is homocide of a crime drama !
Rating:
Summary: On picture and sound...
Review: I noticed a few people complaining about the picture and sound quality and wanted to address those complaints. A few people have noted that the colors are dull or washed-out. The early seasons of Homicide were filmed on a special film stock to create this gritty look. It's called impressionistic cinematography and is somewhat analagous to an impressionistic painting; it is a distortion of reality. Also a few have complained that the show isn't widescreen. Well, it wasn't widescreen on television. They didn't shoot or edit in widescreen, so why would it be widescreen now? Similarly, why would it have 5.1 surround sound when the original show was broadcast in stereo? Of course, the show is fabulous, no contest best drama show ever aired. Now we just need seasons 3-5. My vote for best episode: Kellerman's near suicide. Favorite detective pairing (for comedic value): Pembleton and Lewis.
Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets!
Review: As a fan of the show on the air, I was very pleased with the quality of the DVD. They certainly did justice to an excellent program.
Rating:
Summary: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Review: This DVD collection of the first two seasons of "Homicide: Life on the Street" captures what is probably the best two seasons of any TV series --- ever. As many fan of the show have remarked, the first episode of "Homicide" is nearly a perfect starting point. All of the characters are well-defined, the actors seem comfortable in their roles, and the plot points all set the stage for the kinds of complex storylines we will come to expect and admire from this exceptional series. The end of episode one introduces us to the Adena Watson murder case, which will come to rest over the first season as a shroud of depression and anxiety for the squad, and especially for the case's primary detective: Tim Bayliss. It was a nice touch to begin "Homicide" with a detective new to the unit (Bayliss). He represents the viewer, though not in a heavy-handed way, being introduced to his new surroundings. His obsession with solving the Adena Watson murder encompasses most of the first season, and is a nice story arc. Bayliss is partnered with Frank Pembleton, as played by Andre Braugher. Braugher is amazing. He brings a depth, complexity, and intensity to his character that has rarely been matched elsewhere in television. The scene where he elicits a false confession from a suspect, in the episode "Black and Blue", is one of the most powerful moments in television I have ever witnessed. "Homicide" is definitely an ensemble piece. Every single one of the main characters are interesting. I have always liked the raw realism of Melissa Leo's performance as Kay Howard. She does a great job balancing squad room toughness with personal softness. Richard Belzer as John Munch is the perfect foil for Ned Beatty's Stanley Bolander. Bolander's first season romance with Dr. Carol Blythe is so very sweet in its awkwardness. It is a truly engaging storyline. Clark Johnson, Daniel Baldwin, and Jon Polito round out the remaining detectives. Yaphet Kotto is excellent as their gruff, overbearing, yet soft-hearted boss. If ever you knew someone was there to back you up on the job, Lt. Al Giardello is that person. While season one may very well be the most perfectly crafted television season ever, season two carries on the tradition of excellence fairly well, even if it is not *quite* as good. The enhancement of the video quality is noticeable. The colors seem more vibrant, and this takes away somewhat from the 'real' look apparent in the first season. Where the previous season often times took a slower, more subtle approach to things, season two frequently drives the point home a lot more obviously. Perhaps this is due to the shortened, four episode time frame in which they had to work in? Regardless, both seasons compliment each other well, and make an excellent collection to own and experience. The extras for this DVD set are good. There is a new interview with series creators Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, and they both provide audio commentary for the first episode. There is an episode from an unrelated television show, which deals with real-life homicide detectives. It was interesting, but as I said, not directly related to the series at hand. And there's also a nice little directory which lists the music played in each episode. "Homicide" is well-known for its inclusion of non-incidental music, so this was nice. "Homicide: Life on the Street" is the best cop show that ever aired. It ran for seven seasons, and it was never stronger (content-wise) than in its first few seasons. This is an excellent place to start your journey with the most interesting group of detectives and crime cases in TV history. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: more please!
Review: Simply the best! ... Now if they'll only release the subsequent seasons, life would be beautiful!
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