Inside the acclaimed television police drama—the intelligent writing, intense characters, dark sense of humor, innovative editing, and complex plots.

Homicide: Life on the Street was addictive television, portraying a gritty reality that made this show the best police drama to ever grace the small screen. There weren't any car chases, rarely any shootouts, and sometimes the cases didn't get solved. Instead, these detectives kept their clothes on, had a relentlessly morbid sense of humor, and caught the criminals because they had brains, not necessarily brawn. In other words, they were real.

Homicide: Life on the Street, The Unofficial Companion by David P. Kalat—the first and only full-length guide to this Emmy Award-winning and three-time Peabody Award-winning television series—brilliantly captures the essence of this groundbreaking show.

You'll learn about:

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  Famed filmmaker Barry Levinson's decision to bring Homicide to television instead of making a film of David Simon's novel Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

  
  


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  The behind-the-scenes anecdotes about cast regulars, including the onscreen clutches that led to offscreen romances

  
  


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  The producers' many battles with the network suits over poor placement in the schedule, and the series' repeated trips to the land known as hiatus

  
  


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  Cast casualties—why they left or were let go

  
  


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  The esteemed cast—including Andre Braugher, Ned Beatty, Daniel Baldwin, and Yaphet Kotto, among others—the characters they've created, and their beyond- Homicide careers

  
  


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  Season-by-season critiques of each episode

  
  

Revealing, resourceful, and thoughtful, Homicide: Life on the Street, the Unofficial Companion is a must-have for any fan!