From its premiere episode in 1992, “Homicide: Life on the Streets” struck a chord with audiences with its ultra-realistic documentary feel. The use of hand held cameras, quick edits and real location shooting on the streets of Baltimore added to the gritty ‘you are there’ feel. It was a new breed of cop show, where the good guys don’t always win. I was hooked on this series from the start. Creators Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, based the series on David Simon's Edgar Award-winning, non-fiction book ‘Homicide: A Year on the Killing.’ Their idea was to create a police drama that didn’t fall back on the overused stereotypes of the genre. As opposed to the obligatory car chases and shoot-outs, they wanted to deliver a well-written show that offered a look at what went on after the crime. Not in the way that “C.S.I.” does, but from the viewpoint of the detectives who have to solve the case.

There were only nine episodes in the first season, but the series went on to gain critical acclaim, winning two Emmy Awards in 1993. Unfortunately, the network was only interested in the ratings, which weren’t very high. They only ordered four episodes for the second season. This seemed like the mark of death for the show, but miraculously the show survived and continued on though seven terrific seasons.

Aside from the great writing, one of the things that really sold the show was the incredible ensemble cast the creators pulled together. They decided to go with a mix of well known (Ned Beatty, Yaphet Koto) and not so well known (Andre Baugher, Kyle Secor) actors to flesh out the characters. One of the surprise bits of casting came in the form of comedian Richard Belzer. But he was perfect in the role of the brash Detective John Munch. His character has even made a few guest appearances over the last few years on other series, including an episode of “The X-Files.”

Generally once a series gets to stay around for so many seasons, it’s easy to notice little shifts in quality when it comes to the writing. This was never the case for “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” It was just one of those rare shows that just kept getting better, season after season. Considering the terrific episodes that span the 7th season, it is really a shame that it was the last. But then it is always better when a show goes out on top. Though there wasn’t a bad episode to be found, I was really caught up in “Kellerman, P.I.”, a 2-parter that focused on the murder of a newborn. In the past, I found these types of stories to be heartbreaking to be sure, but it wasn’t until the birth of my baby girl almost two years ago that they really hit home. What tears me up even more are the stories of real-life tragedies that befall children at the hands of their so-called parents. And not to go off on too much of a tangent, but when I hear of these ‘parents’ getting off the hook because of a bunch of psychological mumbo-jumbo, it kills me. Personally, if you kill your kids (no matter the reason)… death penalty, period. If you have post-partum depression and drown your children… sorry Charlie… you get your head held under water for a few hours, too. But I digress….

The new DVD set from A&E Home Entertainment delivers all 22 episodes from the 7th season spread out across 6 discs. I still love the packaging as they utilize those ‘super slim’ cases that are housed in a single slipcover. These cases are much easier to handle than the multifold disc holders some other series use, and take up minimal space on the shelves.

The last few sets didn’t really offer much in the way of special features beyond a commentary or two, though the 6th season set did have a nice documentary about one of the episodes. The 7th season set includes a great commentary on “Forgive Us Our Trespasses”, which served as the series’ finale. Plus there is a live panel discussion that was filmed with Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, James Yoshimura and David Simon, as well as Levinson’s acceptance speech for the 2004 Video Software Dealers Association Lifetime Career Achievement Award.

“Homicide: Life on the Streets” is, hands down, one of the best police dramas ever. And judging from the numerous awards it was nominated for and took home; I’m not the only one who thinks so. If you’re at all a fan of the genre, than I heartily recommend picking up all 7 seasons of the show (the first and second seasons come in a single set), and if you can track it down, the “Homicide” movie that was made in 2000.

Episodes:
La Famiglia
Brotherly Love
Just an Old Fashioned Love Song
The Twenty Per Cent Solution
Red, Red Wine
Wanted Dead or Alive, Part 1
Wanted Dead or Alive, Part 1
Kellerman P.I., Part 1
Kellerman P.I., Part 2
Shades of Gray
Bones of Contention
The Same Coin
Homicide.com
A Case of Do or Die
Sideshow (2)
Truth Will Out
Zen and the Art of Murder
Self Defense
Identity Crisis
Lines of Fire
The Why Chromosome
Forgive us Our Trespasses

Starring: Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Reed Diamond, Michelle Forbes, Peter Gerety, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Koto, Kyle Secor, Jon Seda, Callie Thorne
Extras:
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 6/28/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Homicide: Season 7 an A.