TV nowadays is in an era of reboots, remakes, and revivals, and many long-cancelled shows have gotten a new life on the small screen. Networks have embraced cop dramas especially, with new versions of Lethal Weapon and Training Day debuting the last TV season alone. Now, NBC has another cop drama reboot in the works. Miami Vice could be on the way back to television in the not-too-distant future, and a writer from a huge film franchise is on board.
Chris Morgan wrote six of the movies in the Fast and the Furious franchise, including The Fate of the Furious, which hit theaters earlier this year. His production company, Chris Morgan Productions, is working on launching the reboot, although no executive producers have been confirmed just yet. Interestingly, Chris Morgan isn't the only Miami Vice reboot tie to the Fast and the Furious franchise. Star Vin Diesel's production company, One Race Television, is also working on developing the project.
The script for the reboot will be written by Peter Macmanus, who is best known for his writing contributions to Satisfaction from 2014-2015 and The Mist in 2017. Not too much is currently known about the plot of the new series, but Variety reports that it will be based on the original series, which makes it sound like we're in for a Miami Vice that has been updated for the modern age and not a totally different set of characters that happen to work in the same precinct. Crockett and Tubbs could very well be coming back!
A big question is who NBC could tap to play Crockett and Tubbs in a reboot. Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas are iconic as the two leading men of Miami Vice, and their legacies could mean that fans won't be happy to see new actors inhabiting the roles. That said, if Fox could recast Mel Gibson and Danny Glover from Lethal Weapon, we can be pretty sure that NBC could do the same for Miami Vice.
The original Miami Vice ran for five seasons from 1984-1990 on NBC. It followed the investigations of two Miami narcotics detectives who led surprisingly glamorous lives considering their dangerous work. Episodes presented the latest and greatest of 1980s culture, including music, fashion, guest stars, and even visual effects. Miami Vice was actually somewhat revolutionary in its time; we'll have to wait and see if it can be as much of a TV game-changer this time around. Television nowadays is very different than it was in the 80s, and there are plenty of cop dramas on the airwaves.
Only time will tell. Miami Vice sounds like it's in the very early stages of development, so it may be a while before we get a look at the new version of the series. For a look at what other shows are being revamped for another round, swing by our breakdown of upcoming reboots and revivals. If you need some shows you can watch sooner rather than later, our summer TV guide and our fall TV premiere schedule can help you out.
