Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police drama television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from January 31, 1993, to May 21, 1999, and was succeeded by Homicide: The Movie (2000), which served as the series finale. The series was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991). Many of the characters and stories used throughout the show were based on events depicted in the book.
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department Homicide Unit. The book received the 1992 Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category.
John Munch was a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Munch is a cynical detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide unit, and a firm believer in conspiracy theories. He is originally partnered with Detective Stanley Bolander. Munch is based on Jay Landsman, a central figure in David Simon's 1991 true crime book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.
The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering 80.9 square miles (210 km2) of land and 11.1 square miles (29 km2) of waterways. The department is sometimes referred to as the Baltimore City Police Department to distinguish it from the Baltimore County Police Department.
Cedric Daniels is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Lance Reddick. Daniels is well-regarded in the Baltimore Police Department for making his subordinates focus on decent police work and quality arrests. He occasionally has disagreements with higher-ranking officers but for the most part performs well, and has thereby gained a reputation as both a reliable commander and an above-average investigator within the force, in stark contrast to some of his superiors and peers, most of whom display varying degrees of corruption and unreliability.
Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a determined and capable police detective in the Baltimore Police Department. Openly lesbian, she often displays a hardened, cynical demeanor, and has had problems with infidelity, alcohol, and relationships. She plays a key role in all of her BPD details' main cases.
William A. "Bill" Rawls is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor John Doman. Over the course of the series, Rawls ascends through the higher ranks of the Baltimore Police Department, eventually becoming Deputy Commissioner of Operations and, at the end of Season 5, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
William "Bunk" Moreland is a fictional character in The Wire, played by Wendell Pierce. Bunk's character is based on a retired Baltimore detective named Oscar "The Bunk" Requer. He is portrayed as a generally competent, if profane and curmudgeonly detective. Like his best friend Jimmy McNulty, he also has problems related to infidelity and alcohol abuse, although he is more mindful than McNulty of the department's chain of command.
Jay C. Landsman is an American retired homicide detective and actor. He was featured in David Simon's 1991 book about the Baltimore homicide unit Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. According to the book, Landsman was the last of his family line on the Baltimore Police Department. His brother Jerry was a detective in the agency who left in the 1980s and their father was the department's first Jewish district commander.
Jay Landsman is a semi-fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire based upon the real life Baltimore City police officer Jay Landsman. The fictional character of Jay Landsman is portrayed by actor Delaney Williams.
The Baltimore Police Department plays an integral part in The Wire.
Law enforcement is an integral part of the HBO drama series The Wire. The show has numerous characters in this field and their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to those setting laws citywide. The Baltimore City Police Department has been explored in detail from street level characters to the upper echelons of command. The show has also examined those setting laws in city politics and touched upon the FBI, the correctional system and the family of police officers.
Bishop Lee Robinson, was the first African American commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department. He was the police commissioner from 1984 until 1987.
Gary D'Addario is an American retired police commander, television technical advisor and actor from Baltimore, Maryland.
Frank Battaglia is a former Baltimore Police Department officer who was commissioner of the Department between 1981 and 1984.
Donald D. Pomerleau was the commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department from 1966 to 1981.
Donald "Don" Worden is a retired Baltimore Police Department detective who was featured in David Simon's non-fiction book about the homicide unit, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991) and provided the inspiration for the Homicide: Life on the Street television series character Stanley Bolander, played by Ned Beatty.
Harry Edgerton is a former detective of the Baltimore Police Department. He is notable for his work in the Homicide Unit and on the investigation of drug dealer Melvin Williams with former BPD Detective Ed Burns and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is notable for working under Sergeant Roger Nolan and Lieutenant Gary D'Addario whose Homicide unit was featured in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. The son of a New York jazz pianist, Edgerton would provide the inspiration for Homicide: Life on the Street character Frank Pembleton, played by Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher.
Oscar "Rick" Requer is a former detective of the Baltimore Police Department.
Roger Nolan is a former sergeant of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. He is notable for being a Homicide Squad Supervisor, alongside fellow sergeants Terry McLarney and Jay Landsman, under the command of Lieutenant Gary D'Addario, whose work was featured in David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets book. A native of West Baltimore and a former Marine, Nolan joined the department in 1963 working in the State's Attorney's Unit, and the Western, Eastern, and Northwestern Districts, before becoming a supervisor in the department's Homicide Unit.
