Tom Fontana, executive producer of "Homicide: Life on the Street," had a year-end message for fans of the show: Things are going to get better in 1999.
In a recent letter sent to some critics, Fontana offered the first public acknowledgment by the producers that the first half of the season has not exactly been a triumph for the award-winning police drama.
"OK, we know some people think the show has been a little 'off' so far this season," Fontana wrote. "If so, I think that's because we have been playing with a couple of different elements and adjusting to the voices of the newest characters. As always, we've been trying to avoid the rut of writing and producing the same thing every week."
With the letter came two preview cassettes--one titled "Shades of Gray," which will air Friday, and the other, "A Case of Do or Die," scheduled to air Feb. 12 in a key "sweeps" ratings month.
Fontana offers them as evidence of the promised improvement, saying, "Now, after the two-part 'Kellerman, P.I.' episodes, which brought back Reed Diamond, as well as the upcoming 'A Case of Do or Die' and 'Shades of Gray,' we feel all those elements are starting to gel. But you'll tell us, right?"
The letter, which I received Dec. 18, ends with Fontana inviting phone calls to further discuss the state of "Homicide." I made my phone call the moment I received the letter, only to be told Fontana could not do an interview until this week, at the earliest.
So, OK, Tom, let me use this forum to tell you what I think: The two episodes do show signs of improvement, especially "Shades of Gray," which gets the series talking about race again--something it seemed to have foolishly forgotten in the fall. But "Homicide" is still not back to where it was last season, when I felt absolutely confident saying it was the best drama on network TV.
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Second-Tier Drama
"Homicide" is not in the same class with "NYPD Blue," "ER" and "Law & Order" this year. In that sense, even though "Homicide" is a fine show, it is now a second-tier drama in league with series like "Chicago Hope." And the loss of Andre Braugher is not the sole cause.
The biggest problems are the emphasis on romantic relationships and new actors. The former resulted in some of your cast members privately using the term "Homicide-Lite" to refer to the series in the fall.
