"Homicide" is by far and away the best
TV cop show of recent times but for some reason it never really became
popular here in the UK. It first aired in
1993 in the US and came to the UK in
1995.
One of the things that made the show stand out from its contemporary counterparts of the time was its location. The show was set in Baltimore, which to my mind doesn't feature regularly in prime-time TV shows, with the possible exception of The X-Files.
"Homicide" was very recognisable visually in the way it was directed. It borrowed a number of techniques from another popular show of the time, NYPD Blue, but "Homicide" made it a style that was very much its own. Its musical score also contributed highly to its original style.
"Homicide" could change style very easily and very competently on a weekly basis... it could change from being fairly irreverernt one week to highly emotional the next whilst maintaining ongoing plotlines such as the stroke suffered by Frank Pembleton.
There were 122 episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street produced before NBC cancelled the show. As far as I'm aware the final season was never shown on UK television - Channel 4 moved it from a late evening slot to something like 3am before it dropped the show.