[1] The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami, Florida.

Unlike standard police procedurals, the show drew heavily upon 1980s New Wave culture and is noted for its integration of contemporary pop and rock music, and stylish or stylized visuals.

One version of events states that the head of NBC's Entertainment Division, Brandon Tartikoff, wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read "MTV cops",[2][3][4][5] and later presented it to series creator Anthony Yerkovich, formerly a writer and producer for Hill Street Blues.

[4] Yerkovich, however, has indicated he devised the concept after learning about asset forfeiture statutes allowing law enforcement agencies to confiscate the property of drug dealers for official use.

Co-executive producer Yerkovich explained: Even when I was on Hill Street Blues, I was collecting information on Miami, I thought of it as a sort of a modern-day American Casablanca.

It seemed to be an interesting socio-economic tide pool: the incredible number of refugees from Central America and Cuba, the already extensive Cuban-American community, and on top of all that the drug trade.

In a few scenes, particularly in earlier episodes, Greenwich Studios' rear loading dock is repeatedly used as the back room of the Gold Coast Shipping building, where the offices of the vice squad are located.

[24] Among the many well-known bands and artists, as well as underground or 'new wave' associated acts, who contributed their music to the show were: Several artists guest-star in episodes, including Leonard Cohen, Phil Collins,[25] Miles Davis,[26] the Power Station,[27] Glenn Frey,[28] Suicidal Tendencies, Willie Nelson,[29] Ted Nugent,[30] Frank Zappa,[31] the Fat Boys,[32] Sheena Easton, Gloria Estefan, and[33] Gene Simmons.

[4] Don Johnson's typical attire of Italian sport coat, T-shirt, white linen pants, and slip-on sockless loafers became a hit.

Similarly, Crockett's perpetually unshaven appearance sparked a minor fashion trend, inspiring men to wear designer stubble at all times.

[40] In an average episode, Crockett and Tubbs wore five to eight outfits,[2][4] appearing in shades of pink, blue, green, peach, fuchsia, and the show's other "approved" colors.

[2][4] Costume designer Bambi Breakstone, who traveled to Milan, Paris, and London in search of new clothes, said that, "The concept of the show is to be on top of all the latest fashion trends in Europe.

[44] Many of the styles popularized by the TV show, such as the T-shirt under pastel suits, no socks, rolled up sleeves, and Ray-Ban sunglasses, have become the standard image of 1980s culture.

[50][52] Neither the kit car nor its backup were actually destroyed, as the production company simply blew up a small, plastic model for both cost and safety reasons.

[56][57] Other notable vehicles that appear in Miami Vice include Lamborghinis,[57] AMG Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs, Maseratis, Lotuses, DeLoreans, Porsches, and Corvettes.

Tubbs had a running, partly personal vendetta with the Calderone family, a member of which ordered the death of his brother Rafael, a New York City Police detective.

[76] In the first seasons[vague] the tone was lighter, especially when comical characters such as police informants Noogie Lamont (Charlie Barnett) and Izzy Moreno (Martin Ferrero) appeared.

This began the show's decline, and in March, 1987, TV Guide ran a cover story entitled, "Dallas Drubs the Cops: Why Miami Vice Seems to be Slipping.

True to Dick Wolf's "grabbed from the headlines" approach which he later employed in TV series like Law & Order, storylines focused more on the serious human aspect of crime than on glamorizing the tropical lifestyles of drug dealers and other high-profile criminals.

The cast started wearing pronouncedly dark clothing and even earthtones, which had famously been avoided by executive producer Michael Mann in seasons one and two.

Hopes by the producers of propitiating former and remaining fans this way only materializing very mutedly, and reception was lukewarm, as evidenced by the show's still declining ratings during season four.

[86] Some of the lack of script quality could be attributed to the Writers Guild strike throughout spring and summer of 1988, which ended just before filming of season 5 began, but greatly impacted its preparation.

Tim Truman took over scoring the episodes for the remainder of the series' run and brought with him a style of instrumental synthesizer music that was markedly different from Jan Hammer's.

Musicians include Sheena Easton, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Willie Nelson,[29] Gene Simmons,[33] and Ted Nugent[30] Additionally Glenn Frey,[28] Frank Zappa,[31] Phil Collins,[25] Miles Davis,[26][92] Frankie Valli,[93] Little Richard,[94] James Brown,[95] Leonard Cohen,[96] the Power Station,[27] Coati Mundi,[28][97] and Eartha Kitt.

[99][100][101] Athletes include Boston Celtics center Bill Russell, Bernard King,[102] racecar driver Danny Sullivan,[32] and boxers Roberto Durán,[31] and Randall "Tex" Cobb.

[109] The show frequently features guest appearances from up-and-coming actors and actresses, including: Laurence Fishburne, Viggo Mortensen, Dennis Farina,[110][111][112] Stanley Tucci,[113][114][115] Jimmy Smits,[116] Bruce McGill,[94] David Strathairn,[94] Ving Rhames,[56][117] Liam Neeson,[71] Lou Diamond Phillips,[118] Bruce Willis,[97] Ed O'Neill,[119] and Julia Roberts.

[120] Additionally Michael Madsen,[121] Ian McShane,[122][123] Bill Paxton,[124] Luis Guzmán,[33][125] Kyra Sedgwick,[25] Esai Morales,[75][126] Terry O'Quinn,[121] Joaquim de Almeida,[127] Wesley Snipes,[124] John Turturro,[106] Melanie Griffith[128] and Annie Golden to name a few.

Notable comedians included: John Leguizamo,[98][129][130] David Rasche,[105] Ben Stiller,[109] Chris Rock,[95] Tommy Chong,[131] Richard Belzer,[131] and Penn Jillette.

The following day, the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner concluded that more conservative Emmy voters rejected the show's portrayal of hedonism, violence, sex, and drugs.

In the prequel, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, there are two officers in the multiplayer mode named Cracker and Butts, an apparent parody of Crockett and Tubbs; their character models are also used for the undercover police squad.