Hollywood loves an easy sell. They prefer projects with built-in audiences because the risk of failure is lessened. More and more producers are looking to repackage television shows from past and present in hopes of striking gold. It may be a lazy practice, but it does make good business sense. In an industry where misses are more frequent than hits, a popular TV series delivered to the big screen properly can mean mega-bucks at the box office.

The only problem with this concept is more often than not, television fails to translate to cinema. If things go awry, it’s best to seek the nearest shelter and avert your eyes from the monumental calamity certain to annihilate your favorite multi-plex. Because when Hollywood screws up, they screw up BIG!!!

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From the neon lights of Biscayne Boulevard to the feral swamps of the Everglades, the mid-1980s belonged to Miami Vice. Debuting in 1984 — on NBC at 10pm — the series not only altered cop shows, it influenced all of television by bringing a movie-like look and feel to the small screen.

By setting and shooting the series in Miami, executive producer Michael Mann introduced America to a city vastly different from the sleepy retirement communities most associated with the sunshine state. Mann’s Miami was fast, modern, baroque and dark. The city was more than just a location, it was another character; a breathing backdrop to a series that reflected the glitz and glam of the ’80s.

Grab your shades and shorts and hop aboard the flashback train. We’re takin’ a trip to the 3-0-5, where gorgeous women, tanned bodies, cutting-edge sports cars and super-stealthy speedboats are the norm. Welcome to the world of Miami Vice.

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