Sonny no longer lives on a sailboat in the marina with his pet alligator Elvis. There is no Ferrari. Tubbs doesn't drive a convertible Caddy but he does possess piloting skills, which Philip Michael Thomas' character didn't have. (I have to assume then that Tubbs has been in the military; there's no mention of him being ex-NYPD.) Now that's not to say these things don't exist – maybe "Sonny Burnett" does live in the marina – we simply never see it. The characters themselves, however, remain largely the same as they were on the show. Even Zito is included (he was killed off mid-way through the series).

With its short page count and lightning pace, Miami Vice read like the ultimate two-hour season premiere. Mann hits the ground running, making sure we never see Crockett and Tubbs out of their element (outside of Miami, yes, but they're always around either cops or criminals). Mann embraces the smallest details, informing the reader of the types of weaponry and devices the characters use. He even explains the scenery and makes it interesting!

Some of my favorite Vice episodes were the ones where Crockett and Tubbs had to venture outside of Miami, such as in "Calderone's Return" and "Prodigal Son," so it was nice to see the same plot device used here.

The cops don't seem to have much of a life outside of work. That's the point, I suspect. Like Vincent Hanna in Heat, all they are is what they're going after. In the perilous, tightrope existence of deep undercover work, you probably don't get to develop much of a life or relationships with anyone outside of cops and criminals. That appears to be the case with these particular members of the Miami-Dade PD. You don't get to know too much about any of their pasts, and what you do learn could just be a lie concocted as part of their cover.

The most interesting new character is Crockett's love interest Isabella. Mann is well known for creating elaborate backstories for his characters, even if the audience will never learn any of it. In Isabella's case, however, her backstory explains how she ended up working for Montoya and why she is so important to him and his operation. Her live for today/"life is dust" attitude makes her edgy and intriguing. You can understand why Crockett becomes captivated by her (naturally, it helps that she's hot). Is she a femme fatale or a bad girl with a heart of gold? Mann doesn't make it that easy to label Isabella.