The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States between January6 and January 27, 1994. Due to low Nielsen ratings during the first season, NBC executives decided to order only a four-episode season, after which they would evaluate the ratings and decide whether to renew the show. Homicide was moved to a new timeslot of Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST, temporarily replacing the legal drama L.A. Law. NBC requested several changes from the series, including fewer episode subplots and less camera movements and jump cuts.
The entire Homicide cast returned for the second season. The uncertainty over Homicide's future was stressful for the cast and crew and the logistics of scheduling the filming around the actors' schedules was difficult. Daniel Baldwin publicly criticized NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield over the matter, and it was initially reported Ned Beatty would not return at all. The second season was the last to include original cast member Jon Polito, who was reportedly dismissed because NBC officials were unhappy with his physical appearance. Polito was publicly critical of the show after his dismissal.
The second season marked the debut of Jean de Segonzac as director of photography and Chris Tergesen as music coordinator. The season premiere, "Bop Gun", was the last of the four episodes filmed, but it was the first to be broadcast due to a guest appearance by Robin Williams, which NBC hoped would lead to improved ratings. "Bop Gun" differed from other Homicide episodes because it focused entirely on one story: the murder of a tourist and its impact on her husband, played by Williams. The episodes "See No Evil" and "Black and Blue" featured a suspected police shooting, which was based on a real-life incident in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.
In addition to Williams, several actors made guest appearances throughout the second season, including Julianna Margulies, Wilford Brimley, Isaiah Washington, Adrienne Shelly and a 13-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal. Homicide received generally positive reviews during the season, and the show received one Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Williams. The "Bop Gun" script won a Writers Guild of America Award. Homicide was often compared to the ABC police drama series NYPD Blue, which Baldwin called "the knockoff of Homicide". While ratings improved during the second season, NBC still demanded further changes to the show before committing to a third season. The first and second seasons of Homicide were released together in a four-DVD box-set on May 27, 2003.
Cast
Main
Andre Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton
Kyle Secor as Detective Tim Bayliss
Melissa Leo as Detective Kay Howard
Yaphet Kotto as Lieutenant Al Giardello
Daniel Baldwin as Detective Beau Felton
Clark Johnson as Detective Meldrick Lewis
Jon Polito as Detective Steve Crosetti
Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch
Ned Beatty as Detective Stan Bolander
Recurring
Clayton LeBouef as Captain George Barnfather
Gerald F. Gough as Colonel Burt Granger
Julianna Margulies as Linda
Michael S. Kennedy as Lieutenant Jimmy Tyron
Jeff Mandon as Officer Fred Hellriegel
Zeljko Ivanek as ASA Ed Danvers
Guest
Wilford Brimley as Harry "The Admiral" Prentiss
Robin Williams as Robert Ellison
Isaiah Washington as Lane Staley
Adrienne Shelly as Tanya Auinn
Jake Gyllenhaal as Matt Ellison
Episodes
When first shown on network television, Bop Gun aired out of order as the season premiere. The DVD present the episodes in the correct chronological order, restoring all storylines and character developments.
