Crime Story

“Crime Story” is an American television drama series created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. It debuted in 1986 and aired for two seasons on NBC. Michael Mann, who had previously worked on “Miami Vice,” served as the executive producer and also directed the film “Manhunter” during this period. The series kicked off with a two-hour pilot that was shown in theaters and attracted over 30 million viewers. Initially, it was scheduled to air after “Miami Vice” on Friday nights, maintaining high viewership. However, NBC later moved it to Tuesdays at 10 pm, where it competed with ABC’s “Moonlighting,” leading to a decline in ratings and its eventual cancellation after two seasons.

Set in the early 1960s before the Beatles’ rise to fame, the series focused on the intense rivalry between Lt. Mike Torello and mobster Ray Luca. Luca began his criminal career with street crimes in Chicago, rose through the ranks of the Chicago Outfit, and was eventually sent to Las Vegas to oversee their casinos. Torello, leading a special Organized Crime Strike Force, relentlessly pursued Luca. Both Torello and Luca, along with Torello’s friend Ted Kehoe, grew up in Chicago’s “The Patch” neighborhood, also known as “Little Sicily” or “Little Italy,” a notorious area associated with the Forty-Two Gang. The show was both praised and criticized for its serialized storytelling, which was unconventional at the time, as it unfolded a continuous narrative over an entire season rather than featuring self-contained episodes.