History Trivia / MiamiVice

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The car Crockett drives for the first two season is not a real Ferrari but a commercially sold knockoff. (The production had requested a real Ferrari from the manufacturer but were turned down.) By the third season the Ferrari company had started litigation against the manufacturers of such cars, spelling potential legal trouble for a series which so prominently displayed one. However, at the same time ''Miami Vice'' had gained enough popularity for Ferrari to offer to donate a real car to the production. This led to the memorable scene in third season where an illegal arms dealer (played by Creator/JeffFahey) demonstrates an anti-tank rocket on Crockett's car when he poses as a buyer.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The car Crockett drives for the first two season is not a real Ferrari but a commercially sold knockoff. By the third season the Ferrari company had started litigation against the manufacturers of such cars, spelling potential legal trouble for a series which so prominently displayed one. However, at the same time ''Miami Vice'' had gained enough popularity for Ferrari to offer to donate a real car to the production. This led to the memorable scene in third season where an illegal arms dealer (played by Creator/JeffFahey) demonstrates an anti-tank rocket on Crockett's car when he poses as a buyer.

* BannedEpisode: Creator/{{NBC}} did not air "Too Much, Too Late" with the other fifth season episodes because it felt the child molestation subject matter was inappropriate for television in 1989.

* UnderageCasting: Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter was twenty when she played a doctor who was supposed to be about thirty. At the time, she looked like she was twelve.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://miamivice.wikia.com/wiki/Miami_Vice_Wiki The Miami Vice Wiki]].

* CreatorCouple: Creator/DonJohnson's then-wife Creator/MelanieGriffith appeared in season four's "By Hooker By Crook", which he directed. Creator/BarbraStreisand, whom Johnson was dating for a while, makes an uncredited walk-on appearance in season four's "Badge of Dishonor".

* FakeAmerican: Creator/ColinFarrell is Irish and Creator/NaomieHarris is English.

** The intro to season three's "Down for the Count, Part I" replaced the standard shot during the intro sequence of the two women walking away in bikinis with an EasterEgg of the same women walking away while wearing ''Miami Vice'' crew jackets. This was replaced with the stock intro sequence for all repeat airings and home media releases, and was allegedly removed on the basis that NBC couldn't fulfill demand for the jackets, which were eventually sold out of their Universal Studios Skywalk merchandise store. Luckily, dedicated fans have saved the original airing with the alternate clip.

* OldShame: Creator/ColinFarrell admits that he doesn't like the film very much. He told ''Total Film'':
-->"I didn't like it so much - I thought it was style over substance and I accept a good bit of the responsibility. It was never going to be ''Film/LethalWeapon'', but I think we missed an opportunity to have a friendship that also had some elements of fun".

* PlayingAgainstType: A handful of notable examples. Creator/BruceWillis as a gun-runner who abuses his wife, Creator/WesleySnipes as a murderous pimp, Creator NathanLane (Yes, THAT Nathan Lane) as a stand-up comedian who attempts a rape, and Creator/LaurenceFishburne as a corrupt prison guard.

* PlayingAgainstType: A handful of notable examples. Creator/BruceWillis as a gun-runner who abuses his wife, Creator/WesleySnipes as a murderous pimp, Creator NathanLane! as a stand-up comedian who attempts a rape, and Creator/LaurenceFishburne as a corrupt prison guard.

** The series very nearly did not have Creator/EdwardJamesOlmos as Martin Castillo. According to WordOfGod, Olmos said he was called by Creator/MichaelMann about playing the role, and turned it down because he did not want to sign an exclusive contract for the show (which would prevent him from doing other projects he may want to do) and wanted to have creative control of the character. Mann called three more times with higher cash offers to play the part. One of the offers, Olmos said, was more money than his father had earned in his lifetime. After declining all the offers, Mann finally made a fifth phone call, stating that Olmos was being offered a non-exclusive contract and that they would work around his absences with notice, and that he would have creative control of the Castillo character. Olmos said he then told Mann he would take the role...With the highest pay Mann had offered.

* KilledByRequest: John Diehl (Larry Zito) was written out midway through the third season, via a plot that was motivated by his character dying of a forced drug overdose. While popular opinion suggests he left specifically because he "didn't like Miami", didn't get along with the cast or wanted to pursue theater, Diehl would later tell [[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-11-13-8603100002-story.html the Florida Sun-Sentinel in 1986]] that his character being the designated PluckyComicRelief, and not being given any worthwhile plotlines (a problem that would plague his co-star, Michael Talbott), primarily motivated his decision to leave.

* FriendshipOnTheSet: Much like their characters Switek and Zito, Michael Talbott and Creator/JohnDiehl became very good friends during production and to this day.

* DoingItForTheArt: The show's commitment to film-like production quality made it one of the most expensive television series ever produced at the time, with a budget around one million USD ''per episode''. This budget allowed the production to do things such as shoot on-location, repaint and refurnish buildings and vehicles that didn't fit its "no earth tones" color scheme, and license the pop hits used so frequently during the show. Somewhat humorously, the budget for individual episodes exceeded the entire annual budget of the real Miami-Dade Police Vice Unit.

** Happens to [[spoiler:Larry Zito]] in "Down for the Count," since his actor was sick of living in Miami and wanted to expand into theater.

* YouSoundFamiliar: In the Latin American Spanish dub, Martín Castillo is voiced by Paco Mauri, who previously dubbed James "Sonny" Crockett in the TV series.

* McLeaned:
** [[spoiler:Lt. Lou Rodriguez]] was killed off four episodes in when [[spoiler:Gregory Sierra]] decided he didn't like being in Miami.
** Happens to [[spoiler:Larry Zito]] in "Down for the Count," since his actor was sick of living in Miami and wanted to expand into theater.