As Parade 's resident Hallmark expert, it might come as a surprise to hear that one of my all-time favorite series is the gritty drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. The critically acclaimed series won a slew of awards, including three Peabodys, during its seven-season run on NBC, but it never gained mainstream success.
Viewers who didn't catch its original run in the '90s have been clamoring to watch the series in recent years. The show had a limited run on DVD but has never been available for streaming—until now. The show is finally making its way to streaming and here's how you can catch every seson, including the two-hour movie finale and the crossover episodes with Law & Order .
What is Homicide: Life on the Street about?
Homicide: Life on the Street was a crime drama that aired on NBC (1993-1999) and followed a unit of Baltimore homicide detectives as they investigated crimes throughout the city. The series opens with the disturbing murder of a child—Adena Watson—and the rookie detective Tim Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor ) who catches the case. The pilot episode "Three Men and Adena" was so impactful that I still remember the victim's name some 25 years later.
Why did it take so long for Homicide: Life on the Street to come to streaming?
Back in the '90s and earlier, producers didn't license content for television for more than a short period of time. This was due to budget constraints and the unknown need for future uses. Who could have imagined smart phones, high-speed internet and streaming services when folks were still carrying around bag phones and using dial-up internet, if they even had access to either. Fast forward to today and many legacy shows are finding a second life on streaming. When studios started negotiating deals for these shows, they found that licenses had expired on third party content within these shows. For Homicide: Life on the Street, music was integral. With seven seasons and over a hundred episodes, it has taken years to clear all the music and other third party licenses for use in streaming.
When does Homicide: Life on the Street premiere on streaming?
Homicide: Life on the Street will be available to stream on Peacock beginning Aug. 19.
How can I watch Homicide: Life on the Street ?
Homicide: Life on the Street will be available to stream on Peacock .
Alternatively, you can purchase the complete set on DVD on Amazon .
How can I watch the crossover episodes of Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street ?
There were three crossover episodes between Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street . While both shows will be available on Peacock , many seasons of Law & Order are not including the seasons where the crossovers happened. You'll have to get your L&O fix through the recap ahead of the Homicide episodes. The crossover episodes are as follows:
Law & Order "Charm City" Season 6, episode 13 and Homicide: Life on the Street "For God and Country" Season 4, episode 12
Law & Order "Baby, It's You" Season 8, episode 6 and Homicide: Life on the Street "Baby, It's You (2)" Season 6, episode 5
Law & Order "Sideshow" Season 9, episode 14 and Homicide: Life on the Street "Sideshow (2)" Season 7, episode 15
Will Homicide: Life on the Street be available on Netflix?
No, not at this time. It will stream exclusively on Peacock .
Who's in the cast of Homicide: Life on the Street ?
When the show first aired, much of the cast were unknowns. The biggest names at the time were Ned Beatty , Richard Belzer and Yaphet Kotto . Beatty played Detective Stanley Bolander and had come to the show with Deliverance, Richard Altman's Nashville and Superman on his resume. Kotto, who played Lieutenant Al Giardello, counted Live and Let Die and Alien among his credits . Belzer, who originated the role of Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street was a well-known comedian and a surprising cast for the show. Belzer would eventually take the character of Munch to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit where he would stay for over 20 seasons across both shows.
Fun fact: Belzer has played the character of Detective John Munch on 11 different shows across six networks.
Other cast members would go on to become household names and award winners including the late Andre Braugher , who won an Emmy for his role as Detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street . Braugher would go to show off his comedy chops as Captain Raymond Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The show also counted Željko Ivanek , Michelle Forbes , Jon Seda , Kyle Secor , Reed Diamond , Daniel Baldwin and a pre-Oscar winning Melissa Leo among its cast.
Fun fact: Ami Brabson , who played Braugher's on-screen wife, Mary Pembleton, was his IRL wife.
What celebrities have appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street ?
How much time have you got? Plenty of celebs have appeared on the show, including Robin Williams, Bruce Campbell, Steve Buscemi, Wilford Brimley, Vincent D'Onofrio, Paul Giamatti, Joan Chen, Edie Falco, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marcia Gay Harden, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Rock, Eric Stolz, Lily Tomlin and many more!
Is Homicide: Life on the Street on Max?
No, Homicide: Life on the Street will only be available to stream on Peacock .
Where was Homicide: Life on the Street filmed?
Homicide: Life on the Street was filmed in and around Baltimore, Maryland, specifically around the Fells Point neighborhood.
Is Homicide: Life on the Street on Hulu?
No, Homicide: Life on the Street will only be available to stream on Peacock .
Was Homicide: Life on the Street based on other material?
Yes. Homicide: Life on the Street was based on the non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Street by David Simon . Simon was a Baltimore Sun reporter who followed Baltimore detectives for a year while writing the book. He would go on to create the critically-acclaimed series, The Wire, and would also co-write the book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood and co-produce the series, The Corner.
Is Homicide: Life on the Street on FreeVee?
No, Homicide: Life on the Street will only be available to stream on Peacock .
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