‘Homicide: Life on the Streets’ laid the groundwork for Peak TV – and it’s finally available to stream for new and old fans of the series

NBC by Summit Osur, Quinnipiac University When “Homicide: Life on the Streets” premiered on NBC in 1993, most network television police dramas were formulaic, cleanly shot and had clear delineations between good and evil. “Homicide” was different. It featured cops, but you couldn’t always tell whether they were the good guys or the bad guys; its writers played with traditional episode formats; and its scenes were shot on location with handheld cameras in order to give the show a realistic feel. While TV buffs have long championed the series as a classic, few viewers during the show’s original run seemed to notice or care. “Homicide” suffered from low ratings, interference from the network executives at NBC, and a continual threat of cancellation. Now, “Homicide” has finally been made available for streaming on Peacock. Its groundbreaking visuals and courageous scripting set the template for the television shows of the 21st century, a golden era of programming sometimes called Platinum TV or Peak TV. Filming in ‘the Box,’ the claustrophobic interrogation room where some of most intense scenes in the series took place.& Mark Peterson/Corbis via Getty Images Up close and personal Paul Attanasio created “Homicide” and based the series on David...