As you likely noticed, I hired Erik Peabody to do the voiceover for this one, as I was traveling then caught bronchitis for a couple months, and this helped me get the video out this year! Please support my work: PATREON ► www.patreon.com/IndigoGaming | SUBSCRIBESTAR ► www.subscribestar.com/indigogaming Kit Ryder's original music is available on Bandcamp: kitryder.bandcamp.com/album/miami-vice-defining-a-decade-ost

Wild to think that the time since Vice City, 21 years, is longer than the time between Vice City's release and its setting, 16 years.

Miami vice is one of the most important tv shows ever. It elevated tv into a artform.

It speaks volumes that I never watched this show but it's elements are all recognizable, everyone that made current culture was heavily impacted by it.

I love the aesthetic of Miami Vice. To me it IS the 80s.

The timing with GTA VI going back to Vice City is perfect. Great documentary

You know it's good when the vibe alone makes you miss the 80s even though you are a millenial or a zoomer

Finally, a documentary that recognizes the emotional and dramatic aspect of Miami Vice (the tv show of the 1980's). Yes, there's the fashion aspect, the pastel colors, but above all, this series has a very present, captivating, touching, felt aspect (almost every episode ends badly, or bitterly), showing that life isn't always rosy, it's realistic: 54:50

As a huge fan of Miami Vice and someone who is working on their own documentary on the series for radio, you have just raised the bar astronomically. This isn't a KZfaq video, this is a work of Pop Art.

GTA Vice City introduced me to the genius of Jan Hammer and his wonderful music

I'm a Gen Xer and am in shock. I've seen documentaries of Miami Vice before, but nothing as comprehensive and downright cool as this one. Kudos across the board!

no media has such a profound impact on me as GTA VICE CITY did. since i first played it as a kid back in 2002 i was never the same, 80s became my lifestyle, clothes, gym culture, movies and especially music. i am a better person for it ,and it was all thanks to Miami Vice. shows how much a single show can do for millions around the globe.

Recently watched the entire series (im 23) and cant tell you how incredible this show was/is

This video itself is a love letter to Miami Vice. It’s documentary quality. Thank you

Don Johnson said Miami Vice was before the technological revolution of the 90s... As a 80s small child, I almost long for that time again. At least the time before the smartphone. Haha here in my middle-age I'm becoming a luddite. But man was the time before smartphones and social media fantastic. Nice video by the way. Will put Miami Vice on my watchlist.

As a young adult in the mid 80's it was the best time to be alive! I never missed a Friday night NBC episode of "Miami Vice", the last great TV show! Living in LA during that time was magical & affordable great times!

40:00 that's a fact, Michael Mann is obsessed with filming the living night. Heat and Collateral are prime examples where Los Angeles is a major supporting character in it's own right.

I’m only a half hour in and so far this has been amazing. I was born in 1986 but was introduced to Miami Vice by my uncles in the early 90’s and fell in love with the show ever since. Hell, I at least watch one episode or a clip from Miami Vice daily.

The Daytona Spyder destruction continuity error was NBC's doing. The episode where the car was destroyed was moved up so it could happen during the season premier.

Miami Vice is what made me love Miami and the 80s That and scarface

This is a well put together gem. Thank you for producing this and reminding fans old and new on how magnificent and unique Miami Vice as a show was and still is today.

The production quality on this video is amazing - way better than documentaries you'd pay to see on streaming platforms. Super impressive.

I watched the 4 minute intro and I already know this is gonna be a banger documentary, adding it to my "watch later" for tonight.

Just last week I showed a friend of mine the pilot on Blue-ray because she didn't believe me that it not only was a great show but that it still holds up to todays standards. She was much surprised, but it does. Funny to see this great documentary just one week later. 🙂

I'm halfway through the video and I must say, this is probably one of the best youtube documentaries I have ever seen! I love everything about it

Man, you weren't kidding about that bronchitis. You sound totally different!

There is no Miami Vice franchise. There can’t be because the 1980s were its biggest star. That’s why any attempt to bring it back always fails. This is the very best documentary on Miami Vice. The compendium. Thank you.

As a 35 year old and having watched Miami Vice as a kid, I'm baffled how I never connected GTA: VC, Archer: Vice or vaporwave to this serie. This was hands down one of the best youtube productions I've ever watched. It is a full-fledged, professional documentary. Thank you.

You left out the fact that it's Sam Houser (along with Dan) who is the genius behind GTA Vice City, when he brought the idea to their Rockstar peers they all thought it was a terrible idea and were against it, but Sam being the absolute Miami Vice superfan convinced them and thus making their dream a reality. Ever since Vice City, every GTA game that followed (except for Liberty City Stories and Chinatown Wars), featured a couple of songs per game which were used in Miami Vice, as sort of a homage to the series. Like, I'm a huge "Vicer" myself and if I developed a game, of course I'm using music from the series lol. "But the thing that was more of a direct influence was Miami Vice, because it’s a little bit later. Scarface is earlier, like ’83, and it kind of looks it, but Miami Vice was ’84 to ’89, about five seasons, 110 or so episodes, and I’ve seen them all many times. Before you could get them on DVD I bought them off eBay - the crappiest quality VHS copies you’ve ever seen, and I have them all. What blew me away about that series - and Michael Mann is, I think, a visionary film maker - is that each episode was 50 minutes long, and they sort of hit on all the bases in every episode. It was very adult - I remember at the time watching it and thinking that it was very risqué. But it was an incredibly slick show, and when we were first talking about it, everyone was kind of laughing, like: “What are you on about?” And I was like, “No, no, no - it’s so slick”. Just in terms of music alone, when you look at the tracks that Miami Vice used, it’s an amazing list, and Michael Mann would create these miniature pop videos in every show which would be montages. So his use of music in the show was remarkable. A dream of mine and Dan [Houser]’s is to have a montage in a game, actually. We’re on our way; we’ll get it one day - a montage of your experiences set to music. Come on, that’s going to be amazing, right? Also, Michael Mann’s use of colour and light is wonderful. Miami is such a beautiful place anyway, so the light is gorgeous, but his use of night lighting made it so glossy and sexy. He’s also an expert in the use of weapons, and we met all of the weapons experts who worked on Miami Vice. We got into the details in a hardcore way. Then the other thing I loved - and we all loved, actually, although initially there was a lot of arm twisting that had to go on in order to make people watch it - was that each show was kind of like a mission. It may have had a few cool little action sequences in it which were novel, but the overarching story was like a mission, so there was so much cool stuff to take in, whether it was the vehicles they used - incredible cars, incredible helicopters, incredible boats - or whatever. While we were finishing GTAIII I would even go home at lunchtimes and watch episodes, and I did that for about a year - it was all I watched. You could sit there and watch it and get stills of so many moments in the show from just one episode and I’d think: “If we can just get that or this or that…” I remember Aaron [Garbut, GTA series art director] working so hard just to get the neon the way he wanted it. He’d been to Miami and he’d seen it in the show, and he knew exactly what he was looking for but it was so difficult [to achieve]. But when he got it right, you were just like [snaps fingers]: “That’s it!” So there were plenty of other things that influenced us but I would have to say the strongest influence of all became Miami Vice ” - Sam Houser speaking with Edge Magazine 2012 I thought you'd definitely bring up that article in a documentary about Miami Vice's influence on Vice City.

One of my favorite documentaries I've ever seen. Thank you for this.

No way 1984 is (almost) 40 years ago. It was YESTERDAY goddammit!

You also gotta mention 2 Fast 2 Furious with Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson - it's inspired by Miami Vice. Bryan O' Corner (Paul Walker) is an ex-cop from LA, working for the FBI to nail a South American drug lord. The 80s vibes made a comeback in 2018 with Cobra Kai, a sequel to Karate Kid. In Season 2, Robbie, Johnny Lawrence's son, rocks a Crockett look at a Hollywood-themed party. Season 3 ends with Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight,' and in Season 4, Robbie goes full Crockett in a red Testarossa at a dance party with his girlfriend Torrie. Cobra Kai nails everything '80s - from style to music. If you wanna relive those days, Cobra Kai is the way to go. And speaking of GTA, Vice City is making a comeback in GTA 6.

I started watching this series over a decade ago and for a long time it felt as if the series just was forgotten despite the cultural impact it had. Seeing this documentary and the comments it warms my heart to see MV is getting the recognition it had and deserves to keep having

I'm starting to wonder if my young absorption of Miami Vice is the reason teal and neon purple are my favorite colors.

☝🏼😳 That was a master piece! Damn!!

NBC should be paying you handsomely for this. Extremely well put together. The best doc on this legendary TV series out there.

I never watched Miami Vice, but you sure sell it well and now I want to watch it. This is what I wished Cyberpunk 2077 would be like. And some parts aren't far, like the River Ward questline, or even Judy's quest line with Evelyn. Cops working in a corrupt environment, dark prostitution rings, human trafficking, drugs, etc.

A show whose theme song permanently has residence in my brain. Even had the soundtrack cassette as a kid.

Something I think many people often forget is that Miami Vice not only worked for its style but also its harsh subject matter and especially the acting which in my opinion is better than the acting in some movies today. Great documentary!

I admired the show because they had the guts to poke into politics. The Iran-Contra affair was a dirty affair on so many levels and Miami Vice were not afraid to put it on the screen. In a way, yeah, it perfectly fit their narrative.

Watchin this after dark while having a few drinks was probably the best experience I had binge watching any show.

As an 80's child, and I mean I was 5/6 when Miami Vice came out, this all resonates HARD! There is not a day I do not lament on the 80's, the times, the music, the neon, the cars, the aura and mystique. I love and miss it all. GTA Vice City is without a doubt my favorite game of all time! I play it often still. When it came out in 2002 I was 24/25 and it was a flashback in time when I fired that disc up. It literally haunts my life, lol. But I'd rather be haunted by the 80's, Miami Vice, and GTA Vice City than anything else I have come across in my life and travels. This genre will never go away and I am completely at peace knowing that fact! This video was one of the best on the topic that I have ever viewed. Heck, this might be one of the best videos I have ever seen period! Amazing storyline, details, facts, explanation, editing, and of course, music and visuals! Serious applause for you and the team that made this iconic review poignant in 2024!

Excellent subject, Indigo! I thought about this since your Cyberpunk videos, because there are games and tv shows that mix elements from both sci-fi and Miami Vice. Even when MV is not an overt inspiration, you can still feel it. P.S Good job with the narration, Erik!

Hats off, Sir! I won't comment on all of your video but one aspect ins particular. Working under youtube's copyright restrictions and doing justice to Miami Vice of all shows with your own soundtrack and soundbites - that part of this video alone is a Masterpiece and I don't want to know how many hours and attempts it took. There is much to praise here, but I find that this part alone deserves to be highlighted.

I can't be the only one I chuckle every time the name "Dick Wolf" comes up, can I?! lol

I’ve been waiting for this documentary since I first watched Miami Vice a year ago. Which is not very long admittedly but I’m glad to see the show getting the respect it deserves.

I was in my late teens when Miami Vice hit our TV screens, and life wouldn´t be the same. My best friend and I would get so into it that we purchased cheap H&M suits in mint green and turquoise respectively, added some (very old) gold necklaces, bracelets and fake Rolexes, no sox and of course got almost toasted at the local tanning salon (or self-tanner) to look the part. Then, these two skinny, white Miami Vice clones hit the local disco. Once while entering the club, someone yelled: "Which one of you is Crockett and which one is Tubbs?". We saw it as an absolute badge of honor. In our minds we´d 100% nailed the look and were now at the cutting edge of fashion and cool. We couldn´t quite make that fit with the fact that we had zero luck with the ladies. Thankfully, it took quite a while before we understood that our love for Miami Vice wasn´t really helping our social life :D

Crazy work, I'm a fan of Miami Vice and I still learned a lot of things from your documentary, thank you for these 2 and a half hours of pastels, sunsets, glamor, gun fight, synthesizer and mustaches ;)🌴

What a great topic for a documentary.

30 mins in and i love this video. great job, buddy

Fantastic work as usual. Would have finished watching this sooner, but I've been busy and wanted to give it my full attention since your editing is so meticulous. Was a little sad to hear the lack of your narration at first, but Erik is a consummate professional. All I can say is that you're able to fully command my attention with a subject that I'd never seek out prior to watching. Hard to give a compliment higher than that.

Can't wait to watch this! So glad you're still make art and not compromising your vision. A real talent!

Damn, this is such a great documentary. Made me start to rewatch that show for the first time after roughly 30 years.

your best work by far was your cyberpunkt doc, cant wait to watch this one

I've lived in Miami for over 20 years, I always have a playlist ready for taking a drive through South Beach through 195, and then going North on Collins. It's a great drive.

Incredible work, well done. Miami Vice's lingering legacy is truly something special.

One of the best Miami Vice docs! Kudos! Also I enjoyed that Fastlane was included. One of my favorite shows because I recognized the "new take" on Miami Vice. Shame it ended only after one season. Anyway, enjoyed this watch. One of those vids where 2+ hours feel like 2 minutes. Awesome!

Zito was my favorite and I wish him and Switek got more screen time... Can't wait to play GTA6 later on and cruise around Vice City while Running with the Night from Lionel Richie plays on the radio 🦩🎵🎶

Great video ...really appreciated the in depth look at Vice and all the effective offshoots of my favorite show ever...great worl !

This was so good! Thank you for all the love and care you put into this, it really shows. I was born during the show’s run, and vaguely remember it as a kid, but have since watched it on my own and it really does just feel like a piece of “the 80s” in the best way possible. That and “Crockett’s Theme” is such a great piece of music. It was interesting to see its legacy and impact on Miami.

I love the fact that by supporting your channel I regularly get to watch thought-provoking movies on shows and games I have never watched/played

Absolutely incredible documentary. Thank you for this.

Writing a comment straight away to get this gem to trending! What a jolt of happiness every feature-length upload of yours is, Indigo. My future self is already enjoying this very much :)

I’ve watched this documentary 3 times in its entirety. Absolutely Masterfully put together. Thank you for making this!

Man I always enjoying these videos coming out. They're always well done and worth the wait.

The two cops tony meets in Scarface: The World is Yours are the guys from Miami Vice

This is the best documentary I've ever seen regarding this theme, from the clips used to the writing itself. Very good pacing. Overall, I think it does encapsulate a time I never lived, but I have a deep fascination for. Bravo. Greetings from Italy (and thanks for the English subtitles, those are always welcome).

Outstanding Video. Really appreciate the effort that went into it. Thank you very much!

This is the best video on the subject I've ever seen. Congratulations, pal

This will definitely bring out my Miami Vice DVD box set again! Outstanding work!!

You've outdone yourself again Indigo, absolutely fantastic documentary

Great timing for gta 6

What a great documentary. Must have taken a ton of time and effort to make. Miami Vice was hands down the coolest thing on TV for a few years. It became a target for ridicule in the 90's, as styles changed, but its inherent awesomeness has made it an enduring cultural touchstone. I love the whole 80's vibe and aesthetic, and synthwave is mostly what I listen to nowadays. Thing is, us 80's kids didn't really appreciate the decade when we were living through it, it was just life. But now, looking back, it seems like some kind of magical golden age compared to today.

Awesome documentary. Thank you for this nostalgic trip

Been waiting for this video since it an option on a poll! 😊

EP did a great job narrating this fine doc about my favorite tV show of all time ! There’s only one MIAMI VICE !!

Drive literally made hype for synthwave.

Body poppin in a sailor suit. Only on Miami Vice.❤

Your work is always articulate, produced brilliantly, and entertaining. Thank you

Mannnnn…I lived this ish! Me and my Air Force buddies every Friday night before going to the airman’s club. Some 40 years later, I’m still watching it. It was a snapshot in time that can’t be duplicated.

Amazing video! Great work as always! Thank you!

Outstanding work Indigo & well narrated Eric! Well crafted & researched videos like this (for free!!!!) are way more entertaining than 99% of mass media nowadays.

Awesome vid, love Miami Vice and the 80's. Thanks for this Indigo!

damn Indigo gaming just dropped a new video which for sure will be an amazing banger, time to drop everything at work and watch it in full, every time one of your videos comes out its fantastic love your videos man keep up the good work

Outstanding quality as always, Indigo. I've sent this to my Twitch friend, who runs a Miami Vice-themed channel and promotes a love of all these aesthetics and pop culture beauties. Time I figure out how to binge this show myself!

Only 13 minutes into your video and I must say it is one of the better researched videos on KZfaq covering a topic from before the internet where sources are a little harder to track down/double/triple check for possible inaccuracies. You have definitely hit on the style of video that best suits you. Keep it up. Even if you only complete one every once in a while, with this level of attention to detail the views/fans will find you. You make this your primary style going forward and I know that I will definitely be back to subscribe. Until then, I am eagerly sitting on the fence waiting to see what you may possibly produce in this style of video again…

Kick ass as usual, good work man.

This is amazingly well put together.

Your documentary really is outstanding. You put so much information together and present it in a style which is most appropriate for this legendary TV-series. Your feature caught my attention from the beginning until the end - true class. Thank you, and kind regards from Germany. Christoph

20 years ago in 2004 me and my brother started playing GTA Vice City on our brand new desktop computer which we brought a month ago. Loved the game i tell you.

Love the video! this must have taken forever!

Another sublime documentary. Thank you!

Bravo! This was fantastic! Renewed my love for all things Miami Vice! I was fortunate enough to watch these episodes as they aired in the '80s (I was 11 in 1984) and since it was a Friday night spectacle, I was able to stay up late with no school the following day!

Another great documentary I watched the Cyberpunk series like 5 times each part . Love your work man thank you for everything

1984 was a touchstone for incredible entertainment coming out of the US. It was as if a dam burst and a deluge of creative minds came flooding. No part of the entertainment industry at large remained untouched as we in the States began shipping our culture across the world. From the streets of London all the way into the dark heart of the USSR, the world took notice of our ability to both entertain and captivate. You speak of Miami Vice, MTV, and music...don't forget Hollywood. In 1984 we saw the release of Terminator, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Red Dawn, Twilight Zone, and Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. It was an unstoppable year for every avenue of the entertainment industry save one, video games. That would all change in 1985....

There will NEVER be another show like Miami Vice, it was like no other shows on t.v. and it was an icon that represented the 80s I was fortunate to have lived in the time this first came on t.v. and couldn't wait for Fridays to watch another episode

So well made. Great work!

Excellent documentary ,it brought me sooo many memories of long gone times !!thank you!Also the re endition of crockett`s theme alternate theme was nailing !!!

This video is amazing awesome job!!! you deserve more views. I'm a huge fan of Vice City and the Outrun aesthetic. I was pretty young when Miami Vice aired but now I have the urge to watch it. Again fantastic video!!!! loved it. ☀😎🌴🏖

This was awesome! Thank you!