Miami Vice on Home Video

That's right, fans... you're not dreaming. Miami Vice is available on home video -- VHS NTSC only in many places, but in the UK, some episodes are available on DVD.

2 January 2005: Official release date for the Season 1 dvd box set is 8 Feb 2005!

Stay tuned for set reviews and more!

10 July 2004: It's Official! No release date announced, but the announcement of it's release is the next best thing!

Universal Charges Into TV-to-DVD Marketplace With Emmy(R) Award-Winning and Groundbreaking Television Programs

(excerpt of press release)

The trend continues when MIAMI VICE, the television show that captured a decade and defined popular culture, will be released on DVD. Executive produced by director Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider, Ali) and Dick Wolf (Law & Order franchise), the multiple Emmy(R)- winning action-packed police drama, MIAMI VICE, set trends in fashion, music and filmmaking. Starring Don Johnson (Sonny Crockett) and Philip Michael Thomas (Rico Tubbs), MIAMI VICE is set under the pulse and rhythm of the glamorous resort city of Miami and is juxtaposed against the seedy haunts of the drug underworld. Led by a notable line-up of season one guest stars including Bruce Willis, Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue"), Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible), Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) and John Turturro (O Brother Where Art Thou?), MIAMI VICE: SEASON ONE, will be a must-own for any DVD fan.

1 August 2003:
Yet another version of Manhunter is being released on DVD. This version is rumored to have all of the missing "director's cut" footage that the previous deluxe DVD release didn't include.

April 2002:
Playback -- a UK company -- has many classic shows available on DVD. This is their Miami Vice Catalog.

Downside is that these DVDs are encoded for the UK region only. Up side is you can get region code free DVD players if you really really really want to.

Year 2000 Update:
Doesn't look as thought Columbia House will be adding any more episodes to the current Miami Vice set, unless they are waiting for complete DVD saturation to happen before offering those. Write them a letter, then wait and see...

20 Jun 1998 Update:
Columbia House will announce the titles of the episodes that will make up the next 10 volumes at the end of June. Once they're announced, be assured that they'll show up here not too long afterwards!

12 Dec 1997 Update:
Here's the latest scoop on Volume 2: Columbia House is aware of the mixup regarding the two songs in "Calderone's Demise". Fans have reported that CH said they were reissuing new tapes with the corrected songs, but this turns out to be untrue... the replacement tapes that people received this week also have the wrong songs on them.

Columbia House's latest response to this is that the clearing house they are getting the tapes from apparently can change content as they see fit, including using other music. No other confirmations of this have been made, so if anyone out there has the real scoop, please let us know!

In the meantime, CH says they will be changing the tape labels to reflect the different songs. What *you* need to do is call Columbia House and inform them of your displeasure at this, and urge them to do whatever they can to get the right songs back in that episode!! The more, the merrier...maybe if enough people call, they'll catch the drift...

Release Info:

The release date for Miami Vice was July 28, 1997. Mailing List members announced receiving their first tapes soon after.

Columbia House does not yet have any info on the Miami Vice tapes up on their website, but have repeatedly stated that they will be adding it to the Re-TV section.

You can order the tapes by calling their toll-free order line, 1-800-457-0866 and pay by credit card. If you wish to order by check, simply send a letter stating you wish to enroll in the Miami Vice series to:

Columbia House Video Library
1400 N Fruitridge Ave
Terre Haute, IN 47811

They ask that you include a payment of $4.95 for the introductory offer plus $3.59 for shipping and handling, plus any applicable sales tax for your state.

They say that future volumes will be automatically sent every 4 to 6 weeks, at a cost of $19.95 plus shipping, handling and tax.

No international orders are taken and any order with a foreign address (outside the US) is summarily dismissed. Columbia House does not have international distribution rights. However, if someone orders the tapes with a US address and ships them to a friend in the UK or France...

PAL is not an option. Sorry.

These tapes are definitely uncut. Columbia House paid through the nose to get the complete versions with the original music. That's why some episodes that are very hot (like By Hooker By Crook w/Melanie Griffith) are not in this first release. However, assuming this is the big seller everyone thinks it will be, that as well as the G. Gordon Liddy goodies will be included in the 1998 release. So buy them! Give them a reason to continue acquiring rights and releasing them to the hungry fans!

The folks doing the hard work on the liner notes are Jessie Lilley and Ron Garmon.

Jessie Lilley published Scarlet Street magazine for 7 years and is presently a freelance writer for SPFX, Femme Fatales, Columbia House, and any time now....Fangoria. She is also Managing Editor for a new title called RetroVision.

Ronald Dale Garmon was a staff writer for Scarlet Street, has a piece out now in Cult Movies on Vanishing Point, and also freelances for SPFX, RetroVision and Femme Fatales.

There are 10 episodes being readied for the first released batch. The episodes that have been prepared so far are:

• Vol 1: Miami Vice (2-hr movie)
• Vol 2: Calderone's Return, Parts 1 and 2
• Vol 3: Golden Triangle, Parts 1 and 2
• Vol 4: Smuggler's Blues / The Lombard Story
• Vol 5: Prodigal Son (2-hr movie)
• Vol 6: Yankee Dollar / Florence Italy
• Vol 7: French Twist / Trust Fund Pirates
• Vol 8: Down For The Count, Parts 1 and 2
• Vol 9: Theresa / The Afternoon Plane
• Vol 10: Shadow In The Dark / Hell Hath No Fury

Yeah, I know...the die-hards will notice that some of the episodes have had title changes from the original NBC broadcasts. The reviewers believe that the episodes are the uncut originals, and the titles provided here were given to them direct from MCA/Universal.

These writers have been working hard, trying to make the liner notes as detailed as possible. They deserve a huge hand, especially when we can finally have the finished product in our impatient little hands!

Miami Vice and other Michael Mann productions on Laserdisc

"Miami Vice" and "Prodigal Son" may be still available on laserdisc, but expect laserdisc to no longer be a popular format by 2001 or so... fewer and fewer new titles are becoming available. I think several mail-order laserdisc houses may still be able to get the movies for you new, but the best bets now may end up being used laserdisc bins as well as eBay.

"Band of the Hand" and "Manhunter" are out of print on laserdisc, but rumor has it "Manhunter" is to be rereleased with the extra footage sometime in the coming year. "Band of the Hand" might be easy to find through used laserdisc channels at exceptionally low prices.

The remastered version of "Thief" as well as "Heat" are also readily available on DVD, and you might still find some copies on laserdisc.

Still no info yet on availability of the existing 10 volumes on DVD, nor whether they will ever make more episodes available... sorry.