DVD

  1. Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Third Season [6 Discs] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Third Season [6 Discs] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  2. Cecil B. DeMille's Manslaughter/The Cheat (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Cecil B. DeMille's Manslaughter/The Cheat (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  3. Salmonberries (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Salmonberries (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  4. My House in Umbria [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    My House in Umbria [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  5. Spriggan [2001]
    Spriggan [2001]

  6. L.I.E. [Unrated] [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    L.I.E. [Unrated] [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  7. Privates On Parade [1983]
    Privates On Parade [1983]

  8. Shadows Run Black [1983]
    Shadows Run Black [1983]

  9. Le Fate Ignoranti [2003]
    Le Fate Ignoranti [2003]

  10. Diary of Anne Frank (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Diary of Anne Frank (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  11. The Pact [2002]
    The Pact [2002]

  12. The Stepfather 2 [1989]
    The Stepfather 2 [1989]

  13. The Man From Elysian Fields [2001]
    The Man From Elysian Fields [2001]

  14. Midnight Clear (Sub Dts) (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Midnight Clear (Sub Dts) (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  15. Legend of Boggy Creek: A True Story (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Legend of Boggy Creek: A True Story (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  16. Widows - Series 1 [1983]
    Widows - Series 1 [1983]

  17. Just Ask My Children [2001]
    Just Ask My Children [2001]

  18. Sheik/Son of the Sheik (REGION 1) (NTSC)
    Sheik/Son of the Sheik (REGION 1) (NTSC)

  19. Nightwatch [1998]
    Nightwatch [1998]

  20. The Grass Harp [1998]
    The Grass Harp [1998]

  21. The Leading Man [1997]
    The Leading Man [1997]

  22. Deep Freeze
    Deep Freeze

  23. P.O.W.
    P.O.W.

  24. Hard Cash [2002]
    Hard Cash [2002]

  25. Suzhou River [2000]
    Suzhou River [2000]

Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 4
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • "Reality" TV
  • A five star season - but not quite as good as the first three seasons
  • It only gets better...
  • Homicide at Zenith
  • The Original Police Drama Show !!!
Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 4
Starring: Homicide
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 5
  2. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 3
  3. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 6
  4. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 7
  5. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

ASIN: B00018YCJ6
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Product Description

With gallows humor and dogged determination, the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Division race to keep pace with the killers who haunt their city. But with 250 murders a year, the ominous "Board" tracking their progress remains full.

Executive Produced by Barry Levinson("Rain Man," "Diner") and Tom Fontana ("OZ," "St. Elsewhere"), and created by Paul Attanasio ("Gideon s Crossing," "Quiz Show"), HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET plunged viewers into the gritty, uncompromising reality of solving murders. Filmed entirely on location in Baltimore s Fells Point district with hand-held cameras, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET featured an extraordinary cast highlighted by Yaphet Kotto ("Roots"), Richard Belzer ("Law & Order: SVU"), and Emmy winner Andre Braugher ("Gideon s Crossing"). This collection includes all 22 episodes from the fourth season of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning series, available on DVD for the first time.

System Requirements:
  • Running Time 1034 Min

    Format: DVD MOVIE

    Amazon.com

    Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) was the rookie during Homicide's first season. By the fourth, he's an experienced vet with a bad back (a degenerative disc, to be precise). Stan Bolander (Ned Beatty) and Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin) are gone, leaving Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) without partners. Someone needs to come along to shake things up. Enter brash detective Mike Kellerman (Reed Diamond) from the arson unit. After impressing Lieutenant Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) with his sly interrogation of a shifty arson suspect in "Fire (Part One)," he's invited to join Maryland's finest. The loquacious Lewis, on his own since the third-season departure of Steve Crosetti (Jon Polito), has finally found the perfect sparring partner, while Kellerman would add some redheaded sex appeal to the acclaimed drama (hey, it worked for NYPD Blue).

    Another new character, naive crime-scene videographer James Brodie (Max Perlich), makes his (somewhat shambolic) entrance in "Autofocus." All the other old favorites are back: Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and wife Mary (Braugher's real-life spouse Ami Brabson), for instance, are expecting a baby, and the much-married John Munch (Richard Beltzer) is dating the new medical examiner. Interesting developments are in store for the rest of the unit, as well, including a change in location (due to a gas leak) and command (Howard is promoted, but Isabella Hofman's Captain Russert is demoted).

    Notable episodes include "A Doll's Eyes," a look at a murder case from the perspective of the victim's family (with Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden); "Heartbeat," inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart"; and "Thrill of the Kill," an eerie tale about a spree killer with a split personality. And keep an eye out for those always-surprising cameos, like Jay Leno in "Sniper (Part One)" and Reverend Horton Heat in "Full Moon." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars "Reality" TV.......2007-05-05

    David Simon, the creator of HBO's "The Wire" and one of the brains behind "Homicide: Life on the Street", was asked recently why the "The Wire" has never had high ratings in the USA, despite getting mad love from the critics. His response was blunt. He put the show's poor ratings down to the fact that "The Wire" has a predominantly black cast, the unglamorous Baltimore setting and the fact that The Wire "requires thought and commitment to watch and absorb complex plotlines and subtleties. Television in America is by and large a vegetative medium."

    I believe "Homicide: Life on the Street" was similarly affected. With all due respect to its citizens, the Fells Point district of Baltimore where this series is shot is not a particularly pretty part of the city and, with a sizable black population, it's inevitable that the vast majority of people the Baltimore murder police are likely to come across are going to be African American. I find it sad but can totally understand why that might not be what most people want to tune in on an evening to see - or indeed, later pay money to see on DVD. When you look at "CSI: Miami" for instance, (reportedly the most popular TV series in the world at the moment), you can immediately see the vast disparity between the two. Everything about that show is about glamour: the city settings, the big houses and big fast cars and everyone totally buff and beautiful. It's escapism at its best in that it bears little or no resemblance to reality. But in this age of superficiality and celebrity mania, I'm guessing this is what most folks are up for.

    But I believe such folks are missing out. If "Homicide" is anything, it's realistic. This season was the first to have a full 22 episodes. The storylines are tense, gripping and real. The hand-held camerawork gives it the feel of a documentary. Even though the producers dropped Daniel Baldwin and Ned Beatty, brought in Reed Diamond and had Isabelle Hoffman's character demoted back to detective to, presumably, up the 'babe' factor of the cast, this is still by and large a collection of very ordinary looking but incredibly talented actors. I think that's one of the main reasons why it works for me. It's a completely rewarding experience and, after watching an entire season, I can very easily start again from the first episode and still get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

    I don't wish to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but we have fires, snipers, a wife who kills her husband (and the woman he was cheating on her with), drug wars, a "thrill killer" working his way up the I-95, a homophobic hate crime gone wrong, a child killed by a paedophile and any manner of murder mayhem. There are star appearances from people like Lily Tomlin, Chris Rock, Jay Leno, Marcia Gay Harden and Gary Basaraba. And in a slick crossover with Season 6 of "Law & Order", we get an appearance from members of the cast, including Jerry Orbach, Benjamin Bratt, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston and Jill Hennesy. The brilliant Max Perlich also guest stars as the squads new video man, Brodie.

    Andre Braugher's wife Abi Brabson (who plays detective Pembleton's wife Mary in the show) gives birth to their baby towards the end of the season and to give Braugher time to spend with his newborn child, the producers cleverly decide to give him a stroke. It works in another way: Pembleton is easily the most accomplished detective on the squad, (a fact he makes sure everyone around him is acutely aware of), and it will be interesting in the coming season/s to see him have to work his way back up to any practical level of competency.

    DVD extras include commentary on "The Hat", the episode starring Lily Tomlin, scene selection, interactive menus, song listings (a tool I've found very useful indeed) and a short documentary, "Homicide: Life in Season 4" narrated by Isabella Hoffman and featuring interviews with Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Henry Bromwell, David Simon and James Yoshimura.

    The only thing I would've really liked that wasn't included was subtitles. Some of the terminologies go right over my head and it sometimes helps to see them in writing.

    Still, I've bought Seasons 1 - 4 so far and am looking to getting Season 5 soon. I can barely wait.

    5 out of 5 stars A five star season - but not quite as good as the first three seasons.......2006-09-30

    Season 4 of "Homicide" is truly great television, but it is missing two things that season three had - detectives Beau Felton and Stan Bolander. Unlike Detective Crosetti's character, whose death is the subject of an entire episode that was arguably the best of the entire series, Beau and Stan are merely mentioned to have caused an embarrassing episode at a convention and given 22 week suspensions because of this. In fact, the last chance the series would have had to write the characters out of the show properly would have been the last episode of season three. However, it is obvious from that episode - "The Gas Man" - that the show's creators thought that the series would not be renewed for a fourth season and just decided to write a very good off-beat episode for that finale. Thus, this omission can be somewhat forgiven.

    Given that now three detectives are missing from the original cast, the season opener is a two-parter that introduces the audience to Mike Kellerman. Bayliss and Pembleton are called out to investigate an arson-related homicide when a dead body is found in a burned warehouse and wind up working with detective Kellerman of arson. We soon learn beneath the boyish, fun-loving exterior is a cagey and complex detective. We will also see that Reed Diamond, the actor who plays Kellerman, has real depth and emotion to him as well. We soon learn that Kellerman is good at his job when he beats the homicide detectives to both the medical examiner and Missing Persons. When he manages to trick a confession out of the murderer at the conclusion of the two parter, he is offered a job in homicide and is partnered with Lewis. The complexity of Kellerman's character is meant to be part of the "new Homicide" with more storyline given to the personal lives of the characters from this point forward in the series.

    Another character, Brodie, is added to the cast in "Autofocus". In this episode, the detectives get help from news cameraman J.H. Brodie, who has the killer of an elderly woman on tape entirely by accident and then spends a good deal of the episode trying to convince the detectives that he has something worth watching. Naturally, he has a price--he wants an exclusive on the arrest of the killers. Eventually he does get this but it is not enough to save his job. The higher-ups at his TV station are far more focused on getting an exclusive than they are on solving a crime. When Brodie gives this up he is promptly fired. It's pretty clear that Brodie was meant to be a version of David Simon, the man who spent a year on the killing streets and wrote the original book. But where Simon stayed outside of the story in his book, Brodie keeps stepping into it on the series. It is impossible to pretend (like the detectives do) that he isn't there but we're never sure what to make of him.

    Another major change that occurs in `Autofocus' is Howard is being promoted to Sergeant. Unfortunately, in the book, it was made very clear that a sergeant's role was mostly office work, although they are allowed to go out on cases. This is the reason that the sergeants were written out of the series when the show premiered. And since there is already one office bound leader (Giardello) there would seem to be less for Howard to do. Howard gets squeezed between these two extremes and as a result would have almost no presence on the show for the next two years- not being called out on cases, or allowed to supervise. It's a great pity, because as this episode illustrates there was a lot that could have been done exploring Howard's character as she dealt with the challenges of her new job - how she deals with it and how others deal working with a former friend. Instead, Howard was all but eliminated, a sad fate for Melissa Leo who was such a vital part of the show for its first three years on the air.

    "Sniper" is an excellent two parter in which someone is randomly picking off citizens of Baltimore and using the game of hangman to clue in the police. Throughout this "red ball" case, the detectives are worn down to the nub working around the clock. This case sounds formulaic now, but remember that this was seven years before the DC sniper case. In the beginning of that actual case some people speculated that the snipers were imitating this episode of Homicide. Ultimately, Russert makes the decision to send Bayliss in to talk to the sniper rather than sending in the SWAT team, once the sniper is identified through the brand of chalk he is using, and this leads to the sniper killing himself. The solving of the case is somewhat formulaic, but the fallout of the case leads to Russert's demotion to regular detective, setting up some good moments in the rest of the season where Isabella Hoffman is finally given something to do.

    "Stakeout" is a series classic that is somewhat like season one's "Night of the Dead Living" where we see that detective work can often be very dull. In the space of twenty four hours we find the identity of a serial killer from one of the thickest criminals on the show. Arrested for narcotic possession and stolen property, he confesses that he was involved with ten murders. He thinks that because he didn't actually kill any of the victims he is less liable which proves as Bayliss puts it "Crime makes you stupid" The killer is en route from a trip back to Baltimore, so the Homicide unit sets up a stakeout in the house next door. So two detectives go there. And they wait. Three hours later the shift changes. And they wait. Every three hours, they change partners until twenty-four hours later when the killer is arrested in his driveway without incident. During the course of that time, they identify several of the dead bodies, arrest an accomplice who agrees to testify against the killer and build-up an air-tight case. So the investigation is actually the least interesting part of the show. What makes `Stakeout' one of the highlights of the season is the emotional baggage that some of the detectives are carrying and that they unload while they try to pass the time. Part of this is expressed very well in the characters of George and Cathy Buxton, the people who own the house the detectives are using for surveillance. During the stakeout, the Buxtons argue, the husband storms out, the two make up, and their marriage returns to what passes for normal.

    The season finale, "Work Related", has a very unexpected ending as Pembleton almost dies while interrogating a suspect in the box in what for the first half of the episode seems like a very ordinary hour of TV. He is almost felled by a silent killer that he doesn't even know is on his trail. His fate is left up in the air waiting for the next year's season opener.

    In conclusion, I think that this fourth season of "Homicide" is still a five-star season, but it is just not up to the six star genius of the first three seasons. There are many brilliant individual episodes I haven't mentioned, and the acting and writing are still top-notch, but the "NYPD-Blueing" of the series is beginning to creep in at this point ever so faintly. Gone are the less physically attractive members of the original cast who probably didn't have personal lives that would attract younger viewers, and more and more personal elements of the detectives' lives are being incorporated into the storyline. However, the series is still must-see TV until the departure of Andre Braugher - the heart of the cast - at the end of season six and the redecoration of the squad room with soft pastels at the beginning of season seven that leaves it looking like a travel agency.

    5 out of 5 stars It only gets better..........2006-03-13

    I can't imagine anyone watching the first three seasons of this show and needing a review to urge them onward, but in case you do I'll be brief. This is a show that has stopped worrying about whether or not they're going to get cancelled next week. The ratings haven't been exceptional, but they have been exceptionally consistent, and the producers have put the pedal down to see what this puppy can do. Man, is it fun to watch. This is a network TV production at its finest and most creative. Homicide showed studio and network executives that there was money to made off edgy shows. Without visionary producers Fontana and Levinson, we might never have had The Shield, Rescue Me and a dozen other high-quality, small audience cable dramas. So put it in your cart already and savor a piece of TV history.

    5 out of 5 stars Homicide at Zenith.......2004-06-24

    The quality here is almost indescribable. So many great episodes, so much fine acting from the entire cast to match the top-notch writing and production. Fortunately, much of the quality is sustained through Season 5, so I'm waiting for the DVD release of it and Season 6 (which was still better than 99.99% of the other stuff on US TV at the time).

    5 out of 5 stars The Original Police Drama Show !!!.......2004-04-10

    What can I say? I'm watching Season 4 of HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS and am amazed how the show keeps its high quality of characters and storylines consistent with the previous 3 seasons. Even with the absense of Bolander and Felton (they were suspended by Captain Barnfather) the other cast members carry the show just as well, and with the introduction of Detective Kellerman, is a further positive addition to the cast. I've heard rumors that this may be the last good season of HOMICIDE and the show begins to slide downhill with the start of Season 5. I believe this may be the case, but Season 4 is a MUST BUY for any and all HOMICIDE fans out there!!! Without this show, others like NYPD BLUE, LAW & ORDER, and CSI would never have been produced!
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 7
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • The least compelling of the seven seasons
    • Is the price keeping people from buying?
    • One of the BEST 2 Seasons of this Show!!
    • "Homicide, the best that ever was"
    • Homicide's Fall From Grace
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 7
    Starring: Homicide-Life on the Street
    Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    Similar Items:
    1. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 6
    2. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 5
    3. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 4
    4. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 3
    5. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

    ASIN: B0007XG4GE
    Release Date: 2005-06-28

    Product Description

    Crime and punishment direct from the streets of Baltimore. Powerful, darkly humorous, and always original, this final season brings an explosive end to one of the edgiest police dramas ever to hit television--Homicide: Life On The Street. A critical darling during its groundbreaking run, Homicide: Life On The Street features authentic Maryland locations, storylines based on real-life cases, and a caliber of acting and camerawork rarely found on the small screen. Top-notch guest directors like Brad Anderson (The Machinist), Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon), and Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) deliver consistently riveting episodes, and the killer soundtrack features contemporary music's most creative artists (Beck, Ani DiFranco, John Hiatt, and Missy Elliott). Executive produced by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Diner) and Tom Fontana (OZ, St. Elsewhere) and created by Paul Attanasio (Gideon's Crossing, Quiz Show), the seventh season of Homicide: Life On The Street won the Humanitas Prize and International Monitor Award. On DVD for the first time, this collection features all 22 episodes from the final season of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning series.

    SPECIAL FEATURES Commentary with Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, and Julie Martin on the episode "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"; VSDA Panel and Live DVD Commentary with Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, James Yoshimura and David Simon; Barry Levinson's Acceptance Speech for the 2004 VSDA Career Achievement Award; Cast Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection


    System Requirements:
  • Running Time 156 Min

    Format: DVD MOVIE

    Amazon.com

    Homicide's seventh season was surely its riskiest. Could they go on without Andre Braugher--should they even try? Fortunately, the answer is yes. As good as Braugher was, Homicide wasn't a star vehicle and the ensemble remained strong. Of course, there were a few cast changes, but that was nothing unusual. In season premiere "Famiglia," two new characters are introduced: Det. Renée Sheppard (Michael Michele, Ali) and Sgt. Giardello's FBI agent son, Mike (Giancarlo Esposito, Do the Right Thing), visiting from Arizona. In the follow-up "Brotherly Love," Mike decides to stay and becomes special liaison to the Baltimore PD. In addition, Austin Pendleton (Oz) would appear frequently as Chief ME George Griscom.

    As ever, a variety of charismatic performers dropped by during 1998-1999. They include Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: SVU), Jena Malone (Donnie Darko), Wallace Shawn (My Dinner With André), and Reed Diamond (Judging Amy), reprising his role as Mike Kellerman. In addition, a crossover with Law & Order ("Sideshow") brought Benjamin Bratt, Jerry Orbach, and Sam Waterston into the fold. Notable seventh season directors include Lisa Cholodenko (High Art), Miguel Arteta (Chuck and Buck), Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost), and Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark).

    The general consensus is that Homicide's seventh season was its weakest. Even at its worst, however, it was still the smartest crime drama on network television. Although year seven would turn out to be the last, the show didn't really end until broadcast of Homicide: The Movie the following year. In it, the surviving cast members reunite to solve the attempted assassination of mayoral candidate Giardello. The TV movie also ties up loose ends from series finale "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" (like whether Kyle Secor's Tim Bayliss killed a murder suspect). Unfortunately, it isn't included with this 22-episode set. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars The least compelling of the seven seasons.......2006-10-01

    At the end of season six, Bayliss has taken a bullet for his partner Frank Pembleton, and the resulting trauma has caused Frank to resign from the force, although I am never completely satisfied with his reasonings. Also at the end of season six, while being drilled in "the box", Mike Kellerman is finally tripped up over the issue of drug dealer Luther Mahoney's shooting having been on the level - it wasn't. Giardello, not wanting Kellerman to go to jail and to have the other two detectives involved (Stivers and Lewis) see their careers ended, gives Mike a way out - resign from the force. He takes this option, and two fine Homicide castmembers have exited stage left.

    For the first time, the squad room has been redecorated. I guess the network suits thought that the show's abysmal ratings were because of ambience versus the abysmal time slot (Friday 10pm) that the show was stuck in plus changes in scripting and casting that the network itself had insisted upon. At any rate, sporting soft pastels and potted plants, the squad room now resembles a travel agency more than a suitable home for the murder police.

    While the network suits were prettying up the place, they decided to bring in Michael Michele as ex-beauty queen/detective Rene Sheppard, who proceeds to do as good a job of helping this show jump the shark as Ted McGinley could have ever hoped to do. Batting her eyes, and even losing her gun to a suspect at one point in the season, she goes around pouting about how nobody wants to work with her. A more solid addition to the cast is Giancarlo Esposito as Al Giardello's son, Mike, who is liason between the Baltimore PD and the FBI, for whom he works. Esposito is a good actor, but the age separation is just not there between Al and Mike, and neither is any semblance of a believable family connection. The two come across more as brothers with a wide age separation and years of estrangement between them than father and son.

    Notable individual episodes include those that wrap up Mike Kellerman's story after his exile at the end of season six - the two-parter "Kellerman P.I". Kellerman, now a private investigator, becomes involved with his coworkers again as they clash over the investigation of the murder of an infant at a motel. Another interesting episode is "The Twenty Percent Solution", in which Clark Johnson is given an opportunity to direct. That episode involves a man naming the person who killed him on videotape, the problem is that there is no body and no crime scene. The final of the Law & Order cross-overs, "Sideshow", is the least enjoyable and preachiest of the bunch. It is basically a heavy-handed message about the abuse of power of independent prosecuters and a thinly disguised statement on what was going on with the President at the time (remember this was the 1998-1999 season) more than it was a homicide investigation. In "Lines of Fire," a father is holding his son and stepdaughter hostage and will only speak to Mike Giardello. The scenes between the father and Mike Giardello have the tension and tight scripting that is reminiscent of previous and better seasons.

    Tim Bayliss, the character featured in the very first episode of the series, is the one to bring everything to a close. Bayliss has converted to Buddhism following his brush with death in season six, and becomes "The Zen Detective". This ushers in some episodes that further his character development where he is forced to shoot the killer of a Buddhist monk in self defense in "Zen and the Art of Murder". The other storyline concerning him involve episodes on the Internet killer, who is released on a technicality but vows to Bayliss that he will kill again. These two storylines - the Internet killer being freed and Tim discovering that he can kill if he has to - collide in the excellent series finale "Forgive Us Our Trespasses". This sets everything up for the Homicide movie that airs in February 2000.

    Season seven of this once great TV show is largely forgettable. Although Homicide had some excellent actors that worked well together, even during this final season, it could just not recover from losing the glue that held it all together - Frank Pembleton. He was the squad's best detective and the thinker of the group, famous for his Shakespearean musings. For better or worse, he was the star of this show, and when he left "Homicide" was living on borrowed time.

    As an aside, if you are thinking about purchasing any season of "Homicide", you might want to purchase the "Homicide Life on the Street - Complete Series Megaset" that has all seven seasons, the Law and Order cross-over episodes, and the movie. I am just doing my review of season seven here because it affords me more room.

    4 out of 5 stars Is the price keeping people from buying?.......2006-05-22

    There aren't a lot of reviews here compared to other tv dvds. I think the high price has affected sales. It doesn't help that you can't see the show on tv now. Law and Order gained viewers after cable started showing repeats and more people got interested in the show. It must affect dvd sales.
    Season 7 has it's weaknesses but it's hard to let go after seeing the other seasons. As others have mentioned, Michael Michele is not very good, to put it mildly. And if you've seen her in ER she also continues her wooden, stiff acting. However the show's other actors do a great job as do the guest actors. I suggest renting before you buy.

    5 out of 5 stars One of the BEST 2 Seasons of this Show!!.......2005-08-27

    I have to strongly, STRONGLY disagree with those who have said that Season 7, "was a shadow of the show's former brilliance", or that people "will buy this set, if only to recall how far this show fell from greatness", or that "in terms of the series itself, it's a sad end to what is the greatest television show ever made".

    Although I have not yet bought Season 7 on DVD, ( I watched this season, and Season 6 when it aired on TV (although I may have seen Season 6 episodes in reruns on Court TV, I don't remember) and I have checked the Homicide DVD's - up to the end of Season 6 from the library, and I have to say, out of all the seasons of this show, Season 6 & 7 were my FAVORITES, and the ONLY ones I really liked.

    I LOVED Ballard, and Falsone, and incidentally I think that they made an ADORABLE couple. I loved the addition of Michael Michele, and Giancarlo Esposito in Season 7. I think the addition of Det. Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele) was a great infusion of an aggressive yet sometimes vulnerable female character, and the character of Mike Giardello, was a nice addition to show the kind of alliances that occur in real life between federal and local police.

    Seriously, in my book, Season 6 and 7 are the only ones worth watching. When I rented the other seasons fromt the library, I could barely force myself to sit there and watch it. I did, because I wanted to see what the earlier episodes were about, but I returned them FIRST chance I got.

    I could not stand the characters in the earlier seasons. Even though I liked Pembleton post-stroke, before it he was bossy, cocky, and downright irritating. I didn't like Kay Howard, or Felton, or Bolander. Bayliss was okay, but like Pembleton, I liked him much better later on. Russert was okay too. I would not have minded if she had stayed on for Seasons 5, 6, and 7. I would have liked to seen how she got along with my fave characters like Ballard, Falsone, Sheppard and Stivers.

    Season 6 & 7 are the BEST. Ballard and Falsone ROCK!!

    5 out of 5 stars "Homicide, the best that ever was".......2005-08-02

    Homicide was the best TV show to air on network TV since the so called "Golden Age".

    NBC in their infinite stupidy never supported it as they should have. Thank God the producers and the cast remained loyal to the fan base. I rarely buy full price DVDs since they are over priced, but I have the entire series, seasons 1 thru 7 and the movie.

    3 out of 5 stars Homicide's Fall From Grace.......2005-07-31

    There is nothing worse for a diehard fan of a truly great television series than to see their favorite work spiral from top quality to bottom-of-the-barrel. Many reviewers have already said it and it is very true; Homicide's final season was, by far, its weakest. The most obvious reason was, of course, due to the departure of Emmy winner Andre Braugher as the moralistic and intense centerpiece of the show, Frank Pembleton, but one also can't overlook the damage done by Reed Diamond's exit as the turbulent Mike Kellerman. The absence of these two genuine characters, succeeding the departures of other greats like Kay Howard, Stan Bolander, Juliana Cox, Beau Felton and Megan Russert, was just too much for the series to take.

    But its not only the lack of decent characters that hurt the show; bad writing and gimmicky plots further drove Homicide downward. There is no better evidence of this than the introduction of Lt. Al Giardello's son Mike (Giancarlo Esposito) as an FBI liaison to the Baltimore police department. The conflict between father and son is supposed to be compelling, but the two actors and characters are so different and share so little chemistry that its impossible to regard their ongoing struggle to reconnect as little more than a bad soap opera subplot, not worthy of Homicide's past creative achievements. The other new face is Det. Renee Sheppard (Michael Michele.) She is little more than just a new face. She has no personality and adds nothing to the group dynamic of the show. Other players from the previous year (Gharty, Falsone and Ballard) take center stage in this season. They were tolerable before, but their personal relationships and watery portrayals only show why a good ensemble drama needs good actors and authentic characters to be successful. There's a third and final crossover with Law & Order, but it tries to press too many political buttons in the midst of the Lewinsky/Starr scandal and comes off as too heavy-handed and manipulative for its own good.

    Despite the final season's many obvious flaws, there's just enough to bring diehard fans like me back for the finish. The two-part "Kellerman, P.I." gives us some closure to Mike Kellerman's character that we won't find in the subsequent movie. Several other noteworthy episodes include "Lines of Fire," "The Same Coin," "Homicide.com," "Self-defense," and "Truth Will Out." Old Homicide veterans like Munch, Lewis and Giardello Sr. still put in quality performances, though they aren't as effective when they're not given good stories and actors off which to play. Tim Bayliss is one of the few compelling characters that remains, though he is a mixed bag for much of the season. After returning from his near-fatal shooting in the sixth season finale, he seems to be adrift without Pembleton and clings to Buddhism for comfort. This comes off as cliché and cornie for much of the season, but his strange trip is worth the pay-off in the excellent series finale, "Forgive Us Our Trespasses," when Bayliss ends his series arc in a dark and disturbing fashion. Viewers left hanging can find some answers in the Homicide movie, though it too suffers from its own problems.

    The extras are sparse in this set, though not necessarily as bare as previous offerings. The panel interview is insightful and the commentary is pretty good. This DVD set may not be worth 100 bucks, but its really necessary to complete the collection of an otherwise excellent and vastly under-rated network series. If the price tag puts you off, just do what I did and buy it used. Enjoy the great series finale and the few other gems in this season and thank David Simon, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson for bringing us this truly outstanding television program.
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 6
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • fine series continues well
    • " the subway "
    • content is perfect but dvd navigation isn't good
    • Gotta ask:
    • Show is perfect but this box set is ridiculous...
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 6
    Starring: Homicide-Life on the Streets
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    1. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 7
    2. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 5
    3. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 4
    4. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 3
    5. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

    ASIN: B00061QJYE
    Release Date: 2005-01-25

    Product Description

    "The show that multiple cop dramas have tried--and continue to try--to emulate is back on DVD. Homicide: Life On The Street is simply good television."--The San Francisco Examiner
    Day to day, the officers of the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Division face one of the nation's worst crime rates--not to mention the pressures of their personal lives. Some days, justice isn't blind--it flat-out doesn't exist. Edgy and hyper-realistic, Homicide: Life On The Street elevated the art of the police drama to new heights. Shot on location with in-your-face camera action, deft writing, and a stellar ensemble cast, this first-time-on-DVD collection features all 23 episodes from the sixth season of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning series, highlighted by the celebrated "The Subway" episode. From the creator of Gideon's Crossing and Quiz Show (Paul Attanasio) and Executive Produced by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Diner) and Tom Fontana (OZ, St. Elsewhere), the sixth complete season of Homicide: Life On The Street is one of television's toughest and sharpest shows.

    SPECIAL FEATURES
    Feature-Length Documentary Anatomy of a Homicide; Commentary with Writer James Yoshimura and Director Gary Fleder on The Subway ; Cast and Crew Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

    System Requirements:
  • Running Time 1,080 Min

    Format: DVD MOVIE

    Amazon.com

    Homicide's sixth season begins with a bang. Three-part premiere "Blood Ties" represents the Peabody Award-winning drama at its best. The ambitious story arc introduces a case that will pit the detectives against a prominent Maryland family--and each other. The Wilson family includes Lt. Giardello's friend, Felix (James Earl Jones), his loyal wife (Lynne Thigpen), and his wayward son (Jeffrey Wright). By the time the case is put to rest, everyone involved will have lost more than they've gained. On the plus side, Pembleton (Andre Braugher) has another baby on the way and Bayliss (Kyle Secor) is about to embark on a relationship--with Dr. Cox (Michelle Forbes).

    More changes are on the way. Characters introduced in season 5 will become regulars in season 6: Laura Ballard (Callie Thorne), Stuart Gharty (Peter Gerety), and Paul Falsone (Jon Seda). Culture clashes will commence the moment they step into the squad room. But some things never change and Homicide will continue to boast some of the best acting, writing, and directing on network television. Another standout episode, "The Subway," featuring Vincent D'Onofrio, would even become the focus of a PBS special, Anatomy of a Homicide, which is included with this collection.

    The biggest story arc will last the entire season. The squad may have thought that the shooting of Luther Mahoney marked the end of his reign, but they were wrong. Luther had followers, like his steely sister, Georgia Rae (Hazelle Goodman), and her loose-cannon son, Junior (Mekhi Phifer). Kellerman (Reed Diamond) will continue to be dogged by rumors that the shoot wasn't "clean," and the other detectives will start to abandon him, even former flame Cox and ex-partner Lewis (Clark Johnson). The sixth season of Homicide would turn out to be the last for Forbes, Diamond, and Emmy Award-winner Braugher. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars fine series continues well.......2007-01-09

    new characters but same gripping situations -with an amazing final couple of episodes at the end of the series. Recommended if you like crisp cops shows that are intelligently written and that generally avoid the obvious excitments of car chases and shoot-outs.

    5 out of 5 stars " the subway ".......2006-07-16

    Love this series...it has a different flavor than the first three. If for nothing else get it for the Subway episode.

    4 out of 5 stars content is perfect but dvd navigation isn't good.......2006-05-22

    Too bad about a number of things which may have brought more viewers to see this great series. First the price is outrageous. I would love to get all seasons but I can't see paying that much for each season. Second the navigation itself should be better. That is something that could have been easily fixed if someone was paying attention. I can't find the show on any tv station so I will rent what I can unless the price drops. Oh and of course the acting, stories, and characters are the best.

    4 out of 5 stars Gotta ask:.......2006-02-16

    Why the hell are the Homicide DVD's so expensive when you see what NYPD Blue, Law & Order, and the eagerly awaited Hill Street Blues are going for?

    1 out of 5 stars Show is perfect but this box set is ridiculous..........2005-07-12

    Note: This review is not about the show but about the product A&E is delivering to us Homicide Fans. Season Six is--and always will be--my absolute favorite.

    First off, NO SUBTITLES or CAPTIONING for the hearing impaired. Second, the sound quality is less than perfect as is the picture quality which shows its age with muddy colors, faded backgrounds.

    To add insult to injury, the selection menus are not user friendly. Once you've completed watching an episode, the menu does not go back to the main but to the menu from which you selected the episode in the first place.

    Lastly, THE EPISODES ARE SHOWN OUT OF ORDER!!!! Blood Ties 1, 2, and 3 and Subway are on the first disc when actually three other episodes came after Blood Ties 3.

    Boo on A&E for releasing such junk. I foolishly bought Homicide Seasons 1&2 for my collection but have rented the rest from Netflix!
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 3
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • I love this show!
    • Needs captions, more extras, but great, great show
    • Best season of TV's best crime drama ever
    • Absolutely incredible.
    • Excellent, but not quite as good as you remember
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 3

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    1. Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 4
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    ASIN: B0000C5RPV
    Release Date: 2003-10-28

    Product Description

    Created by Barry Levinson (Diner, Tin Men), and Tom Fontana (St. Elsewhere, OZ), Homicide: Life On The Street defied the staid conventions of the typical police show, forgoing sensationalized violence and overwrought melodrama in favor of a gripping, unflinching focus on the day-to-day work of solving cases.

    Powered by deft writing and an extraordinary ensemble cast highlighted by Yaphet Kotto (Alien), Ned Beatty (Deliverance), and Emmy® winner Andre Braugher (Frequency), Homicide: Life On The Street consistently delivered what The Wall Street Journal called "simply the best one hour on television."

    This collector's set includes 20 episodes from the third season, available on DVD for the first time.

    System Requirements:
    Starring: Yaphet Kotto, Ned Beatty, Andre Braugher
    Running Time: 16 Hrs., 40 Min., Color
    Copyright A & E Home Video 2003.

    Format: DVD MOVIE

    Amazon.com

    If the first two seasons introduced one of the great television crime dramas, Homicide really came into its own during the third. Instead of the mere 13 episodes scattered between 1993 and 1994, NBC ordered up a full 20 for the 1994-1995 season. The entire terrific cast is back, with the exception of Jon Polito, whose absence is explained in the fourth episode ("Crosetti"). There are other changes, like the addition of Megan Russert (Isabella Hofmann) as shift commander. Aside from the fact that the mostly male staff now has a woman to report to (alongside Yaphet Kotto's Lt. Giardello), it turns out that Russert has a "history" with one of the detectives. Homicide always excelled in its exploration of racial and office politics; now sexual politics would become a bigger issue. Religion also comes to the fore as Pembleton (Andre Braugher) is finally forced to confront the loss of his faith while working on a case ("The White Glove Murders") involving several aid workers (episodes 1-3). Meanwhile, his partner, Bayliss (Kyle Secor), is coming to resemble the naive young rookie of the first two seasons less and less by the second... while getting to enjoy a little more romance than the rest of the squad--especially the hapless Meldrick (Clark Johnson). But all is not sturm and drang. Humor still finds a place in each episode and Munch (Richard Belzer) still gets many of the best lines. In the season premiere ("Nearer My God to Thee"), for instance, he tells Bolander (Ned Beatty), "There is no such thing as gratuitous sex. Gratuitous violence, yes... Sex cannot and will not ever be gratuitous." He could be describing Homicide itself, in which nothing is ever gratuitous, especially the sudden loss of human life, which is never--and should never be--treated lightly. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars I love this show!.......2007-01-16

    Season 3 was better than I tought it was going to be. I'm just upset that this show isn't on the air anymore because it's so good!

    4 out of 5 stars Needs captions, more extras, but great, great show.......2006-06-11

    Excellent series. Many terrific episodes in this season. I'd've given it five stars, but it hasn't any captions and the extras seem rather paltry. Lots of great characters and nice storylines. Good story arcs with the detective shootings, the bar opening, etc. Two of the stand-out episodes are "Every Mother's Son" and "Gas Man."

    5 out of 5 stars Best season of TV's best crime drama ever.......2006-03-13

    In my opinion, season three, the first full season of Homicide, was the best. The ratings had been anemic in seasons one and two, so that it was often called during that time "the best TV show you're not watching". Hoping to improve ratings, NBC insisted on a number of changes, both cosmetic and thematic. Unfortunately, talented but unphotogenic veteran actor Jon Polito was ordered dropped from the cast as the network clamored for more on-screen romance and violence. In order to have episodes the network considered more sensational air during "sweeps" periods, NBC sometimes aired episodes out of order, often to the detriment of story arcs that had developed over several episodes. Probably the most infamous of such gaffes during this season was NBC's decision to broadcast an episode featuring the program's first sex scene ("A Model Citizen") prior to the airing of the much acclaimed episode, "Crosetti"; it was in this latter hour that the death of Detective Steve Crosetti, Jon Polito's character, was revealed and explained. The detective had been in Atlantic City on vacation since the end of the second season's four episodes. For reasons never fully explained or understood, especially considering Crosetti's deep religious beliefs mentioned on the show during the first two seasons, he returns to Baltimore and kills himself rather than return to his job. As a result of this deviation from the producers' intended order, viewers of "A Model Citizen" found out from a comment made by his ex-partner, detective Meldrick Lewis, merely that Crosetti had died but not how or when. Fortunately, the DVD set remedies this and has the episodes in the order they were intended to be aired.
    This season also featured a trilogy of episodes ("The City That Bleeds," "Dead End," and "End Game") in which three detectives are seriously wounded as a result of a gunman's ambush, two of them almost fatally; meanwhile, the rest of the unit grapples with this reminder of their own mortality as they hunt for the perpetrator. What makes it even worse - if that is possible - is that the detectives were at a completely wrong address at the time of the shooting due to an administrative typo on the arrest warrant. These "cliffhanger" episodes were intended to cause the network execs to decide to let Homicide finish out its season, in spite of its ratings, and they did the trick.
    Isabella Hoffmann is added to the cast this year as the new night shift commander, Megan Russert. Although she was added by the network for all the wrong reasons - to "pretty up" the cast - she is an outstanding actress and a welcome addition throughout her tenure. Russert misses detective work, though, and in the Christmas episode "All Through the House" she joins Meldrick on an investigation into the murder of a material witness when she discovers she knows something about the victim's case. During this same episode Munch and Bolander investigate the death of a man in a Santa Claus suit and Munch spends the evening with a child they believe is the victim's son. Munch is trying to hide from the boy what he believes is his father's fate, but is finally about to tell him what he thinks has happened when Bolander returns with the boy's father, bruised but OK. It turns out that the murder victim had mugged the boy's father and stolen his Santa suit only to be mugged and murdered himself later that night.
    In one of the series' best season finales, "Gas Man", Bruno Kirby stars as a recently released ex-con who is out to kill detective Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) because he had helped lock him up years ago. Kirby plays a loser who, years ago, had falsely claimed to be a qualified repairman so that he could earn a few quick bucks by repairing a gas heater. His faulty repair work causes an explosion and the death of the family whose heater he repaired, and he is angry that he was made a "test case" and tried and convicted of the family's deaths. At the end of the show his plan of revenge has seemed to work out, and he is ready to murder Frank, but ultimately he is all talk and cannot go through with it. The final line of the episode, delivered by Pembleton, is typical of his Shakespearean musings. He is told that he is lucky that the ex-con did not kill him. He responds by saying "Luck had nothing to do with it. God reached down and graced a fool with wisdom." Ultimately, we never know if Frank is talking about himself-for how he handles himself in the situation, or the ex-con for realizing that killing Frank will solve nothing.
    These episodes are typical of the high quality drama, often with a sense of irony, you'll experience in this third season of Homicide. So, if you liked seasons one and two, I know you'll love this one too. Highly recommended.
    P.S. I am reviewing season three here because I have the room to go into details. However, if you already know you like the entire series, seasons 1-7 are now selling as a package set on Amazon for about $350. This will give you considerable savings over buying the seasons one at a time.

    5 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible. .......2005-10-01

    I really don't have terms glowing enough to describe this season of Homicide. Smart, funny, heartwrenching and thought-provoking, this season is television at its absolute best. Of all the shows I've seen over the years, nothing is better than this.

    4 out of 5 stars Excellent, but not quite as good as you remember.......2005-03-06

    When I first caught the season 3 episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, I thought it was the second coming of the drama series, unlike anything I'd seen. Now, more than a decade after its airing, I'm not so sure that's true - it's far more conventional than I ever gave it credit for. Plotlines like Russert's discovery of her ex-partner's spousal abuse ("Partners"), the watering-down of dark/light-skinned African American racism a la Spike Lee's School Daze ("Nothing Personal") or the lame Frank-vs.-beauracracy plotline ("Cradle to Grave") all seem to come out of the affecting-social-melodrama handbook. It means, I think, that Homicide hadn't quite come into its own yet, not in the sure and galvanizing way it did in seasons 4-6. Perhaps it was still unsure of what to do with the fact that it had accidnetally stumbled onto one of the best performances in the history of television in Andre Braugher, and felt the need to set him off as much as possible. Or perhaps it was a need to give their most recognizable face, Daniel Baldwin, more screentime (who could care about the Beth-kids debacle plotline?). Some episodes are rightly considered classics - like the devastating "Every Mother's Son" and the gorgeous send-off "Crosseti," which features work of magestic grief and strength by both Ned Beatty and Clark Johnson. Those episodes prove that Homicide was on the right track, but I disagree with most fans that think it had already entered its glory days - the best were ahead.
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 5
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Loved the series
    • Homicide Life On The Street Season 5
    • The downhill slide begins in earnest
    • What A Season...
    • darkest emotional road for the series
    Homicide Life on the Street - The Complete Season 5
    Starring: Homicide-Life on the Streets
    Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
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    ASIN: B0002NY830
    Release Date: 2004-09-28

    Amazon.com

    Big changes were afoot for Baltimore's finest during the fifth season of Homicide. The fourth season ended with a shocker--Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) suffering a stroke while interrogating a suspect. In season premiere "Hostage," directed by the late Ted Demme, Pembleton is back on the job, but he's a changed man. His reflexes aren't what they used to be and his pride has taken a beating. Meanwhile, Megan Russert, who had been demoted the previous year, has moved abroad. Never fear, two strong women will join the squad in the form of detective Teri Stivers (Toni Lewis), on loan from narcotics, and medical examiner Julianna Cox (Michelle Forbes, just as formidable as she was on Star Trek: The Next Generation). This is especially good news for Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Kellerman (Reed Diamond). Alas, Lewis is married and Kellerman has just been accused of police corruption.

    Standout episodes include "Documentary", directed by Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple, and "Prison Riot," with Charles S. Dutton and Dean Winters, a precursor to Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana's Oz. (Scott Winters, who appears in the last two episodes, would join brother Dean on that show.) But "Bad Medicine," in which drug kingpin Luther Mahoney (Erik Todd Dellums) makes his first appearance, is the most significant. With the introduction of Mahoney, Homicide would begin to deal with the drug war in earnest. Author David Simon would continue to explore the issue in his HBO series The Wire.

    Aside from the brilliant acting, writing, and directing, Homicide was known for its savvy song selections, such as Tom Waits's "Cold, Cold Ground" and "Till the Money Runs Out" in "Bad Medicine." In addition, the episode "The Heart of a Saturday Night", directed by Whit Stillman, was titled after--and inspired by--Waits's composition of the same name. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

    Description

    With dark humor and edgy determination, the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Division battle a murder rate near tops in the nation. Too bad death doesn't follow a schedule. Executive Produced by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Diner) and Tom Fontana (OZ, St. Elsewhere), and created by Paul Attanasio (Gideon's Crossing, Quiz Show), HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET plunged viewers into the uncompromising reality of solving murders. Filmed with hand-held cameras, originality, and verve on the gritty streets of Baltimore, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET featured a sharp soundtrack and an extraordinary cast highlighted by Yaphet Kotto (Roots), Richard Belzer (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), and Emmy winner Andre Braugher (Gideon's Crossing). This collection includes all 22 episodes from the fifth season of the Emmy and Peabody award-winning series, available on DVD for the first time, featuring the episode TV Guide named "one of the greatest episodes in TV history." "Now for the First Time" WATCH THE EPISODES IN THE ORDER INTENDED BY THE SERIES' PRODUCERS

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Loved the series.......2007-04-12

    Know that anytime with nothing to do or read that is the time for an episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets. Great cast and great stories. Almost always a good watch. Glad to have it and in a timely fashion.

    5 out of 5 stars Homicide Life On The Street Season 5.......2006-01-16

    Homicide Life On The Street has got to be the best police TV drama ever made. It is fantastic to be able to buy the whole series on DVD as it is released. Seasons one through seven are now available and all are definetely worth buying. The acting is superb in this series. If you like police work and true to life police drama then Homicide is for you. I give it a 5 plus rating.

    2 out of 5 stars The downhill slide begins in earnest.......2005-12-30

    If season four saw Homicide:LOTS lose its footing, season five was the one in which it slipped and began sliding downhill in a hurry. Everything that was so brilliant about the first few seasons gets tossed aside here.

    Gone are so many of the brilliant characters like Crosetti, Felton, Bolander, and Russert. The strongest characters who remain (Giardello, Pembleton, and Howard) are largely relegated to the background. In their places are the one-note Kellerman, the obnoxious Brody, and the grating Cox.

    Before this season, the show was largely about the interpersonal dynamics of the squad room and how that added up to a functional police unit; in season five, each character is isolated by ever-more contrived personal crises. The newer actors bring hystrionics and annoying acting tics to a show in which subtlety and wry nuance used to take center stage.

    Gone too this season are some of the best writers on the show, and their replacements show only the most superficial understanding of what make these characters tick. Bayliss, Lewis and Munch are caricatures of themselves in these episodes, and Giardello is pushed so far into the shadows it's suprising that Yaphet Kotto isn't just given a guest starring credit.

    Oh, and the original, brilliant opening credit montage--with it's overexposed, gritty urban scenes and unsettling percussion--is replaced with a CSI-esque montage of forensic gobbledegook and bleating sound effects. The original perfectly encapsulated the mood of the show; the new one completely misses the point.

    By all means, get the first four seasons. More perfect television has never been made. But only get season five if you can't sleep at night without knowing how Andre Braugher plays a person recovering from a stroke. Six and seven you can skip altogether.

    5 out of 5 stars What A Season..........2005-03-29

    I agree with most that Season 5 was the best for this outstanding series. What's terrific is that these episodes hold up and can be viewed multiple times. I can't believe no reviewer has mentioned the "Deception" episode...where Mahoney gets scammed by the delivery of bad drugs, Munch leads a "to be murderer" to his victim, and the critical Mahoney meeting, which leads to a scramble to his apartment, which leads to his shooting and death.
    That scene when Mahoney smiles and the tension builds with all three detectives at bay,and then he is shot when he starts to lift his arm,is classic TV, and led to the major storyline in Season 6, where all the big guns came in to resolve this plotline.
    Speaking of music, does anyone know the name of the song played as a background for the drug distribution mid-way thru the episode, and again at the end, when the depositions for Mahoney's murder are taking place? What a powerful soundtrack!(Just found out:"Evidence", by Faith No More).
    Kudos to the "Homicide" team for a great Season and series....

    5 out of 5 stars darkest emotional road for the series.......2004-10-28

    The first season saw changes in the cast. Gone were Ned Betty and Daniel Baldwin, to depart at the end of the years Isabella Hufmann and Melissa Leo. For the "characters", this season was a rough one personally.

    Frank Pembleton, who was now partnered with Bayliss, sees their partnership coming apart for two reasons. Pembleton has suffered a stroke and chaffs at the medication, chaffs at the desk duty. While Bayliss is once more haunted to the point of obsession over a child murder case. To add to the strain, Pembleton stroke is destroying his marriage. Mike Kellerman, who joined in the 4th season, is hounded by an old nemesis, Luther Mahoney, and threatened by Internal Affairs over problems that occurred when he was on an arson squad. A corruptions investigation looms and Kellerman feels he is being made to take the fall, pushing him to consider suicide. Lewis' recent marriage is going through a tough period and this is amplified as he is attracted to a new female cop assigned to help bring down Mahoney. Michelle Forbes (ST:NG) starts a two year run as the new Medical Examiner, who has a problem with the bottle and getting involved with Kellerman. The end of these episodes has Melissa Leo faces solving the murder of her former partner (Baldwin), and you meet the new members Seda and Gerety. They have a touch of humor with Brodie dashing about with his camera filming everyone (he leaves at the end of the year, too.)

    Some of the changes were good; some - in many eyes - thought them brought about the decline in the show. I cannot say I agree with. Things change. If you stay the same you stagnate. Homicide brought forth strong drama, that was gritty, powers and above anything else you'd see on telly.
    Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 5
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      Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 5

      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD
      ASIN: B000SSS07Y

      Product Description

      Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 5
      Homicide Life on the Street Collector's Edition
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Homicide Life on the Street Collector's Edition

        Manufacturer: NBC HOME VIDEO
        ProductGroup: Video
        Binding: VHS Tape

        VHSVHS | Video | Actors & Actresses | Directors | Featured Categories | Features | Formats | Genres | Special Features | Specialty Stores | Stores
        ASIN: B0009XVZU2

        Product Description

        THIS COLLECTOR'S EDITION INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH BARRY LEVINSON,TOM FONTANNA,DAVID SIMON AND CAST MEMBERS. INCLUDES THE PILOT EPISODE GONE FOR GOODE EVERY MOTHER'S SON FROM SEASON 3 A DOLL'S EYES FROM SEASON 4
        Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc # 3
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          Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc # 3

          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD
          ASIN: B000SSRY3U

          Product Description

          SEASON 4 DISC 3 BRAND NEW SEALED
          Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc # 4
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc # 4

            ProductGroup: DVD
            Binding: DVD
            ASIN: B000SSRZMU

            Product Description

            Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 4
            Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 2
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Homicide - Life on the Street Season 4 Disc 2

              ProductGroup: DVD
              Binding: DVD
              ASIN: B000SSS0UQ

              DVD:

              1. Harem - The Loss Of Innocence [1986]
              2. Three Lives of Thomasina (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              3. Rosamunde Pilcher's Nancherrow [2 Discs] [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              4. Fall Into Darkness [1996]
              5. Esther and the King [1961] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              6. Sling Blade [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              7. North Dallas Forty (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              8. Homicide: Life on the Street - The Complete Third Season [6 Discs] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              9. Gone, But Not Forgotten (REGION 1) (NTSC)
              10. Empress Dowager (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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