How NCIS’ Mark Harmon Nearly Replaced Don Johnson In Miami Vice

Following a pay dispute on Miami Vice, Don Johnson came close to being replaced by NCIS’ Mark Harmon. NBC’s Miami Vice debuted in 1984 and followed vice cops Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas). What set the show apart from other police series of the era was its glossy, cinematic sheen and fashion, in addition to its MTV-style pacing and use of music. Miami Vice was simply unlike any other show on television at the time, which propelled it to become a major success.

Miami Vice episodes played out like mini-movies, and the chemistry between Johnson and Thomas made it gripping TV. It was also a showcase for an almost embarrassing number of future movie stars making guest appearances, including Bruce Wills, Helena Bonham Carter, Julia Roberts and Liam Neeson. Miami Vice ended after a five-season run in 1990, with producer Michael Mann later reviving the franchise for a movie adaptation in 2006. The Miami Vice movie cast Colin Farrell as Crockett and Jamie Foxx as Tubbs, but while the film was a box-office disappointment at the time, it’s since been reappraised as a cult favorite