A Dog and Pony Show (Homicide: Life on the Street)
Encyclopedia
"A Dog and Pony Show" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street
. It originally aired on NBC
in the United States on March 10, 1993. In the episode, Pembleton
and Bayliss
investigate the murder of a police dog, Crosetti
helps his friend adjust after a serious injury, and Felton
and Howard
suspect a drug dealer for a brutal murder.
The episode was written James Yoshimura
based on a story by executive director Tom Fontana
, and was directed by Alan Taylor
, who Homicide executive director Barry Levinson
chose after being impressed by Taylor's short film That Burning Question (1988). Elements of the episode, including the shooting of patrolman Chris Thormann, were adapted from David Simon
's non-fiction crime book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
. "A Dog and Pony Show" included guest appearances by actors Michael Constantine
, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Lisa Gay Hamilton
and Edie Falco
.
Since ratings for Homicide had gradually declined throughout the season, NBC announced a decision about whether the series would be renewed would depend on the Nielsen ratings
of the final four episodes, starting with "A Dog and Pony Show". Before it aired, Barry Levinson appeared in a commercial making a direct appeal to viewers to watch. Nevertheless, it was seen by 8.47 million household viewers, which was considered relatively low, although it was an improvement over the previous episode "Three Men and Adena
".
(Kyle Secor
) continues to despair over the murder case of 11-year-old Adena Watson, which he failed to solve. When Gee
(Yaphet Kotto
) orders Bayliss and Pembleton
to move on and take new cases, they are assigned to solve the murder of Jake, a police dog. Bayliss thinks it is a waste of time, but according to municipal law, the death of a city-owned animal is treated as an official investigation, and Pembleton decides to take the case seriously. The dog's gums are extremely red, and Pembleton believes he may have been poisoned or gassed. They question local dog pound employee Penny (Joy Ehrlich),who admits she accidentally killed Jake with carbon monoxide after mixing him up with another dog, then dumped the body in a panic. John Kuehn (Nick Olcott), Jake's human "partner", scatters Jake's ashes in a lake and Bayliss, reminded of Adena Watson, reacts emotionally.
Felton
(Daniel Baldwin
) and Howard
(Melissa Leo
) respond to the murder of a young woman named Idamae Keene, who is found cut and tortured to death in a bedroom. They determine the victim likely knew her killer, and the next day they question "Pony" Johnson (Geoffrey Ewing), a drug dealer who was having an affair with Keene. Johnson denies killing Keene, but Johnson's other girlfriend (Lisa Gay Hamilton
) tells the detectives Johnson abruptly left a party with a fellow drug pusher named William Lyness (Larry Gilliard, Jr.) the night of the murder. Later, Lewis
(Clark Johnson
) reports William's mother, Alexandra Lyness, was killed the same way as Keene. Felton, Howard and Lewis interrogate William Lyness, who confesses he sat in the car while Johnson killed his mother for taking drugs away from William.
Medical examiner Blythe (Wendy Hughes
) leaves her visiting son Danny (Stivi Paskoski) with her boyfriend Bolander
(Ned Beatty
) for the day, with the hopes they will get to know each other better. Danny rides along with Bolander and Munch
(Richard Belzer
) on their murder investigations, but acts very wild and constantly asks inappropriate questions. At dinner later, Danny asks Bolander about his sex life with Danny's mother, making Bolander extremely uncomfortable. Bolander later tells Blythe she believes her son is crazy. Meanwhile, Crosetti
(Jon Polito
) spends a lot of time with his friend Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
), who is recovering from a recent shooting that has left him blind. At one point, Thormann defecates on himself and is humiliated, but Crosetti helps him clean up. Thormann's wife, Eva (Edie Falco
), tells Crosetti she is pregnant, but that her husband reacted angrily to the news. Thormann tells Crosetti he should have died at the hospital and can never be a good father, but Crosetti encourages him.
Gee attends a retirement party for his best friend and fellow shift commander, Lt. John Scinta (Michael Constantine
). Police brass keep Scinta's possible replacement a secret from Gee. After returning drunk from the party, the two reminisce about old times, but Scinta also warns Gee that police brass could end up forcing him into retirement, just as they did to Scinta.
based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana
, and was directed by Alan Taylor
. Barry Levinson
, executive producer of Homicide: Life on the Street
, hand-picked Taylor to direct the episode after watching Taylor's 1988 half-hour film, That Burning Question, which Taylor made as a thesis for a seminar taught by film director Martin Scorsese
. The episode establishes the vacancy of the homicide unit's second shift commander position, which is offered to Pembleton in the first season episode, "And the Rockets Dead Glare", before it is ultimately given to Megan Russert
in the beginning of the third season
. Taylor said of directing Homicide, "I hadn't even learned the rules of filmmaking, or TV for that matter, and I was being put in a position where I was supposed to break them all."
The shooting of Officer Thormann was adapted from true-life events in chronicled in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
, the 1991 David Simon
non-fiction book about a Baltimore Police Department
, which was adapted into the Homicide series. Homicide writers added the twist of Crosetti taking the case personally based on his close friendship with the victim. As the first season of Homicide progressed, NBC officials complained to the show's producers about the large number of protracted, interwoven subplots going on during each given episode. "A Dog and Pony Show" in particular refers to the Adena Watson murder, which was featured in five previous episodes and resolved in "Three Men and Adena
", as well as the romance between Bolander and Blythe, which had been progressing throughout the first season. Additionally, the "Pony" Johnson subplot started in "A Dog and Pony Show" would not become resolved until the next episode, "And the Rockets Dead Glare." By the beginning of the second season
, the Homicide producers bowed to network pressure and were forced to reduce the number of subplots in each episode.
"A Dog and Pony Show" included guest appearances by actors
Michael Constantine, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Lisa Gay Hamilton and Edie Falco. Tom Fontana cast Falco as Officer Thormann's wife Eva after watching her performance in Laws of Gravity. Fontana said of her, "She's an actress who's unadorned by any embroidery. She does everything with such simplicity and honesty, it's breathtaking." Falco was a struggling actor at the time, and said her salary from one Homicide episode paid for one month's worth of rent. Fontana cast Falco as a regular in his HBO series Oz
based on her work in the Homicide episodes. Larry Gilliard, Jr. later starred in a leading role as drug dealer D'Angelo Barksdale
in The Wire
, another Baltimore police drama created by Homicide producer and writer David Simon. Lisa Gay Hamilton later starred in the legal drama The Practice
, making her the second future Practice star to appear on Homicide, after Steve Harris
in "Gone for Goode
". Hamilton also later starred in the 2009 comedy-drama series Men of a Certain Age
as the on-screen wife of a character played by Homicide co-star, Andre Braugher.
In its original American broadcast on March 10, 1993, "A Dog and Pony Show" was watched by 8.47 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research
, earning the episode a 9.1 rating. This constituted an increase in viewership compared to the previous week's episode, "Three Men and Adena
", which was seen by 7.08 million household viewers and received a 7.6 rating. Nevertheless, Homicide ranked relatively low in the Nielsen ratings compared to other shows, ranking 67th for the week of March 8 to 14, with the ABC
comedy series Home Improvement ranking number one with 22.6 million household viewers.
praised the episode, calling it one of their strongest television recommendations for the week and declaring Homicide "the best new drama of the season". "A Dog and Pony Show" and the rest of the first and second season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home Video
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on March 10, 1993. In the episode, Pembleton
Frank Pembleton
Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton is a fictional homicide detective on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Andre Braugher. He is a primary character of the show through the first six seasons...
and Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
investigate the murder of a police dog, Crosetti
Steve Crosetti
Det. Steve Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det...
helps his friend adjust after a serious injury, and Felton
Beau Felton
Det. Beauregard D. 'Beau' Felton is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Daniel Baldwin for seasons 1-3. He was loosely based on Det...
and Howard
Kay Howard
Kay Howard is a fictional homicide detective from Homicide: Life on the Street. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the main cast. This was in keeping with the book and the actual Homicide unit in...
suspect a drug dealer for a brutal murder.
The episode was written James Yoshimura
James Yoshimura
James Yoshimura is a Japanese American writer and producer, best known for his screenwriting work on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Fox series The Jury, for which he served as a co-creator. He also co-wrote Homicide: The Movie, a made-for-television film that came...
based on a story by executive director Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
, and was directed by Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor (director)
Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...
, who Homicide executive director Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
chose after being impressed by Taylor's short film That Burning Question (1988). Elements of the episode, including the shooting of patrolman Chris Thormann, were adapted from David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
's non-fiction crime book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
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 squad...
. "A Dog and Pony Show" included guest appearances by actors Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine is a Greek American actor.He is probably now best known for his portrayal of Gus Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos , in the 2002 surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Prior to that, he was well-known for his extensive TV work, especially...
, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton is an American film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved...
and Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
.
Since ratings for Homicide had gradually declined throughout the season, NBC announced a decision about whether the series would be renewed would depend on the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of the final four episodes, starting with "A Dog and Pony Show". Before it aired, Barry Levinson appeared in a commercial making a direct appeal to viewers to watch. Nevertheless, it was seen by 8.47 million household viewers, which was considered relatively low, although it was an improvement over the previous episode "Three Men and Adena
Three Men and Adena
"Three Men and Adena" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 3, 1993. The episode was written by executive producer Tom Fontana and directed by Martin Campbell...
".
Plot summary
BaylissTim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
(Kyle Secor
Kyle Secor
Kyle Ivan Secor is an American television and movie actor, best known for his role as Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street.-Early years:...
) continues to despair over the murder case of 11-year-old Adena Watson, which he failed to solve. When Gee
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
(Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
) orders Bayliss and Pembleton
Frank Pembleton
Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton is a fictional homicide detective on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Andre Braugher. He is a primary character of the show through the first six seasons...
to move on and take new cases, they are assigned to solve the murder of Jake, a police dog. Bayliss thinks it is a waste of time, but according to municipal law, the death of a city-owned animal is treated as an official investigation, and Pembleton decides to take the case seriously. The dog's gums are extremely red, and Pembleton believes he may have been poisoned or gassed. They question local dog pound employee Penny (Joy Ehrlich),who admits she accidentally killed Jake with carbon monoxide after mixing him up with another dog, then dumped the body in a panic. John Kuehn (Nick Olcott), Jake's human "partner", scatters Jake's ashes in a lake and Bayliss, reminded of Adena Watson, reacts emotionally.
Felton
Beau Felton
Det. Beauregard D. 'Beau' Felton is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Daniel Baldwin for seasons 1-3. He was loosely based on Det...
(Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Daniel Baldwin is known for his role as Detective Beau Felton in the popular NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street...
) and Howard
Kay Howard
Kay Howard is a fictional homicide detective from Homicide: Life on the Street. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the main cast. This was in keeping with the book and the actual Homicide unit in...
(Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
) respond to the murder of a young woman named Idamae Keene, who is found cut and tortured to death in a bedroom. They determine the victim likely knew her killer, and the next day they question "Pony" Johnson (Geoffrey Ewing), a drug dealer who was having an affair with Keene. Johnson denies killing Keene, but Johnson's other girlfriend (Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton is an American film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved...
) tells the detectives Johnson abruptly left a party with a fellow drug pusher named William Lyness (Larry Gilliard, Jr.) the night of the murder. Later, Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
(Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
) reports William's mother, Alexandra Lyness, was killed the same way as Keene. Felton, Howard and Lewis interrogate William Lyness, who confesses he sat in the car while Johnson killed his mother for taking drugs away from William.
Medical examiner Blythe (Wendy Hughes
Wendy Hughes
-Career:Hughes began her career on television in the early 1970s with appearances in Homicide, Number 96, Matlock Police and in 1976, ABC Mini-Series, Power Without Glory...
) leaves her visiting son Danny (Stivi Paskoski) with her boyfriend Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama / police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. He is portrayed by Ned Beatty and appears in the first three seasons and Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
(Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
) for the day, with the hopes they will get to know each other better. Danny rides along with Bolander and Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
(Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
) on their murder investigations, but acts very wild and constantly asks inappropriate questions. At dinner later, Danny asks Bolander about his sex life with Danny's mother, making Bolander extremely uncomfortable. Bolander later tells Blythe she believes her son is crazy. Meanwhile, Crosetti
Steve Crosetti
Det. Steve Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det...
(Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
) spends a lot of time with his friend Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen
Lee Tergesen
Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...
), who is recovering from a recent shooting that has left him blind. At one point, Thormann defecates on himself and is humiliated, but Crosetti helps him clean up. Thormann's wife, Eva (Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
), tells Crosetti she is pregnant, but that her husband reacted angrily to the news. Thormann tells Crosetti he should have died at the hospital and can never be a good father, but Crosetti encourages him.
Gee attends a retirement party for his best friend and fellow shift commander, Lt. John Scinta (Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine
Michael Constantine is a Greek American actor.He is probably now best known for his portrayal of Gus Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos , in the 2002 surprise hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.Prior to that, he was well-known for his extensive TV work, especially...
). Police brass keep Scinta's possible replacement a secret from Gee. After returning drunk from the party, the two reminisce about old times, but Scinta also warns Gee that police brass could end up forcing him into retirement, just as they did to Scinta.
Production
"A Dog and Pony Show" was written by James YoshimuraJames Yoshimura
James Yoshimura is a Japanese American writer and producer, best known for his screenwriting work on the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street and the short-lived Fox series The Jury, for which he served as a co-creator. He also co-wrote Homicide: The Movie, a made-for-television film that came...
based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
, and was directed by Alan Taylor
Alan Taylor (director)
Alan Taylor is an American television and film director, television producer, and screenwriter. Taylor has directed for numerous programs on both network television and premium cable, most notably on HBO...
. Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
, executive producer of Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, hand-picked Taylor to direct the episode after watching Taylor's 1988 half-hour film, That Burning Question, which Taylor made as a thesis for a seminar taught by film director Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
. The episode establishes the vacancy of the homicide unit's second shift commander position, which is offered to Pembleton in the first season episode, "And the Rockets Dead Glare", before it is ultimately given to Megan Russert
Megan Russert
Detective Megan Russert is a fictional character on Homicide: Life on the Street played by Isabella Hofmann. At the time of her introduction in the premiere episode of the third season, she is a lieutenant who takes charge of the homicide unit's second shift after the previous commander's retirement...
in the beginning of the third season
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 3)
The third season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1994-10-14 to 1995-05-05 and contained 20 episodes. It was the first full season of episodes.The third season marked the debut of character Lt...
. Taylor said of directing Homicide, "I hadn't even learned the rules of filmmaking, or TV for that matter, and I was being put in a position where I was supposed to break them all."
The shooting of Officer Thormann was adapted from true-life events in chronicled in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
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 squad...
, the 1991 David Simon
David Simon
David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...
non-fiction book about a Baltimore Police Department
Baltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
, which was adapted into the Homicide series. Homicide writers added the twist of Crosetti taking the case personally based on his close friendship with the victim. As the first season of Homicide progressed, NBC officials complained to the show's producers about the large number of protracted, interwoven subplots going on during each given episode. "A Dog and Pony Show" in particular refers to the Adena Watson murder, which was featured in five previous episodes and resolved in "Three Men and Adena
Three Men and Adena
"Three Men and Adena" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 3, 1993. The episode was written by executive producer Tom Fontana and directed by Martin Campbell...
", as well as the romance between Bolander and Blythe, which had been progressing throughout the first season. Additionally, the "Pony" Johnson subplot started in "A Dog and Pony Show" would not become resolved until the next episode, "And the Rockets Dead Glare." By the beginning of the second season
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 2)
The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States between January 6 and January 27, 1994. Due to low Nielsen ratings during the first season, NBC executives decided to order only a four-episode season,...
, the Homicide producers bowed to network pressure and were forced to reduce the number of subplots in each episode.
Michael Constantine, Larry Gilliard, Jr., Lisa Gay Hamilton and Edie Falco. Tom Fontana cast Falco as Officer Thormann's wife Eva after watching her performance in Laws of Gravity. Fontana said of her, "She's an actress who's unadorned by any embroidery. She does everything with such simplicity and honesty, it's breathtaking." Falco was a struggling actor at the time, and said her salary from one Homicide episode paid for one month's worth of rent. Fontana cast Falco as a regular in his HBO series Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
based on her work in the Homicide episodes. Larry Gilliard, Jr. later starred in a leading role as drug dealer D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore...
in The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, another Baltimore police drama created by Homicide producer and writer David Simon. Lisa Gay Hamilton later starred in the legal drama The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
, making her the second future Practice star to appear on Homicide, after Steve Harris
Steve Harris (actor)
Steve Harris is an American actor who has appeared in a number of films including; Quarantine, Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Bringing Down The House, The Rock, The Mod Squad, and Minority Report. He is most famous for his role as Eugene Young on the legal drama The Practice...
in "Gone for Goode
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul...
". Hamilton also later starred in the 2009 comedy-drama series Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age
Men of a Certain Age is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009. The hour-long program stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing with the realities of middle age. The show ran for two years,...
as the on-screen wife of a character played by Homicide co-star, Andre Braugher.
Ratings
Ratings for Homicide: Life on the Street gradually declined since the series first premiered. In response, NBC announced to fans that a decision about whether Homicide would be renewed or canceled would depend on how the last four episodes of the season fared in the ratings, starting with "A Dog and Pony Show". The week before the episode aired, the network started airing a television commercial with Barry Levinson making a direct appeal to viewers to watch the show, in which he said:In its original American broadcast on March 10, 1993, "A Dog and Pony Show" was watched by 8.47 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, earning the episode a 9.1 rating. This constituted an increase in viewership compared to the previous week's episode, "Three Men and Adena
Three Men and Adena
"Three Men and Adena" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 3, 1993. The episode was written by executive producer Tom Fontana and directed by Martin Campbell...
", which was seen by 7.08 million household viewers and received a 7.6 rating. Nevertheless, Homicide ranked relatively low in the Nielsen ratings compared to other shows, ranking 67th for the week of March 8 to 14, with the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
comedy series Home Improvement ranking number one with 22.6 million household viewers.
Reviews
The Scripps Howard News ServiceE. W. Scripps Company
The E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...
praised the episode, calling it one of their strongest television recommendations for the week and declaring Homicide "the best new drama of the season". "A Dog and Pony Show" and the rest of the first and second season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home Video
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.
External links
- "A Dog and Pony Show" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...