Casual crimefighters
Making arrests has never looked better than in Miami Vice.
Miami Vice Season 2 Fridays (from 18 May) SABC3 (*193) 12:00
Detectives Crockett and Tubbs (Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas) are the coolest cats in the Miami police department as season 2 of Miami Vice (1984-1990) kicks off this fortnight. “We just clicked,” reveals Don. “I had a five-minute audition with Philip and by the end of season 1, it felt like we’d known each other our entire lives. And you can see that chemistry – we had each other’s backs. You had to when you’re working 16-hour days. That set us apart from other shows.” But that wasn’t the only difference…
LOOKING GOOD
Miami Vice changed TV wardrobes forever, laugh the two actors. “It was terrible. I’m in a jacket with a holster, with socks, with this, with that. I came to set for season 2 without socks, in a V-neck shirt and with my jacket sleeves rolled up because it was so humid,” says Don. Philip quickly adds that “we had style with everything. From technology to the talent to the music. We didn’t fit the norm. No detectives are running around in Versace. But we are!”
SETTING THE BAR
Because of season 1’s success, sponsors lined up to have their products used in season 2. Don disliked his character’s gun holster so much that the Jackass Leather Company’s president personally created a new one for him called “The Miami Classic”, while gun brands Smith & Wesson and Glock debuted their firearms in season 2. “But the best was the cars,” laughs Don, with his character Crockett “picking up chicks in my Ferrari. Man was it sweet!”