WELCOME TO THE MINI-FAQ FOR ALT.TV.HOMICIDE

Portions which are new since it was last posted are marked with a ! ; modified sections are marked with a + ***

CONTENTS

 

1.0.....Introduction, History, and Definitions  2.0.....Rules of the newsgroup  3.0.....FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)  3.1.....Homicide: Life on the Street (and what's a red-ball?)  3.2.....I heard it was based on a book?  3.3.....What is "the Board," and how do you read it?  3.4.....The Command Structure of the Baltimore PD  3.5.....Who's who (Actors, characters, and real people)  3.6.....How to tell the main characters apart.

3.7.....Major points/characters from previous seasons.  3.8.....H:LotS resources on the Web and Internet.  3.9.....Upcoming episodes and why the promo titles are different! +  3.10.....The Music.  3.11.....alt.tv.homicide in-jokes and secrets. + 3.12.....An unadorned episode list for all four seasons.  3.13.....What the #@$%# is the deal with H:LotS getting no Emmy?  3.14.....So you want to be an extra on Homicide... + 4.0.....Suggestions (a few words to the wise)

 

3.3..What's the deal with that board? What do the colors mean?

The Board is where the names of each case handled by Homicide are written, in either black, red, or blue.

An important distinction should be made between fact and fiction here. In the "real" world of Baltimore Homicide, the way the board is kept significantly differs from how it is kept on Homicide: Life on the Street.

On H:LotS, the board is a two-sided dry-erase marker board, with one shift per side. The side we see encompasses Lt. Giardello's squad, whose work we witness each week during the show. It is divided into columns, with the name of each detective at the top of each column. Written below each detective's name are the last names of each victim whose death the detective is investigating, and the case number assigned to the investigation; at the bottom of each column is a short list of the detective's cases from the previous calendar year that remain open. The numbers are assigned on an ordinal basis; the first case of the year was number #001, the next #002, etc. On the far right of the board, is a list of names for which warrants have been issued.

In the real world, the board is made of acetate covered paper, (rather than a moveable plastic board which is used on the TV show), and displays the status of all cases being worked by _both_ shifts. It is divided in half, with the name of each shift's Lieutenant at the top of each half. The halves are divided into three columns (making a total of six columns), and at the top of each column (underneath their respective Lieutenant's name) are the names of the sergeants in charge of each of the six squads. The names of the victims are listed in these columns, according to the squad of the investigating detective. To the left of each name is the case number. To the right are the initials of the investigating detectives. If a warrant has been issued, and no arrest made, the letter W is written (in parentheses) also. At the bottom of the column, cases from previous years that are closed this year are written.

The color of the victims' names represent the status of the respective investigations. A victim's name in black means that the case has been closed (an arrest has been made, and a suspect charged). If the victim's name is in red, then the case is "open" and uncleared, and the investigation is ongoing.

A name written in blue has specific meaning in the real world, but what it means on H:LotS is still being debated. In the real world, a blue name denotes a case that remained open from previous years, but has been closed this year. Apparently, on H:LotS, a case which has been reopened from previous years goes on the board in blue, whether it's cleared or not.

Ultimately, the board's significance is in its use and regard as a touchstone of the shift's performance. Anyone can look at the board and know who is closing cases. And who is not.

3.4..The Command structure of the Baltimore City Police Department and the Homicide Unit defined.

The following information pertains to the command and rank structure as it existed when David Simon wrote his book. It is also the structure which H:LotS has followed with reasonable faithfulness. It is _not_ the current structure of the Baltimore PD; this was changed recently by a new Commissioner, transplanted from California.

Anyway, the BPD rank structure, with titles, uniform insignias, is as follows:

Commissioner: 4 Stars (General) Deputy Commissioner: 2 Stars (Major General) Chief: Eagle (Full Colonel) Deputy Chief: Silver Oak leaf (Lieutenant Colonel) District or Section Commander: Gold Oak leaf (Major) Asst. District or Unit Commander: Two Silver Bars (Captain) Shift Commander: 1 Silver Bar (Lieutenant) Squad Supervisor: 3 Chevrons (Sergeant) Police Officer or Detective: N/A

As for the Homicide detectives, the chain of command does not include all of the above offices. Listed below, from the commissioner to the detective, is the structure of command, and the TV characters who play the roles.

Commissioner- Deputy Commissioner- Operations Bureau (referred to as "The Deputy") Colonel- Chief of Detectives Barnfather Captain- CO/Crimes against Persons Section Gaffney (Homicide, Rape, Robbery) Lieutenant- Shift Commander Gnarled Sergeant- Squad supervisor Howard Detective-

3.5..What are the character's names? Do they correlate with anyone from the book? How are their names pronounced?

Correlations are a composite of opinions proffered by several concerned fans; they are not doctrinal or canonical in any way. Several of the TV characters have behaved like or have quoted lines from more than one real homicide detective from the book.

CHARACTER                     ACTOR                   POSSIBLE CORRELATION
Laura Ballard                 Callie Thorne           < none >
John Munch                    Richard Belzer          Brown/Landsman/James
Frank Pembleton               Andre Braugher          Edgerton
Mike Kellerman                Reed Diamond            Keller
Dr. Julianna Cox, CME         Michelle Forbes         < none >
Stuart Gharty                 Peter Gerety            < none >
Meldrick Lewis                Clark Johnson           Waltemeyer/Brown
Al Giardello (G or Gee)       Yaphet Kotto            D'Addario
Tim Bayliss                   Kyle Secor              Pellegrini
Paul Falsone                  Jon Seda                < none >

(from former seasons)
Beauregard Felton             Daniel Baldwin          Kincaid/Waltemeyer
Stanley Bolander              Ned Beatty              Worden
Megan Russert                 Isabella Hofmann        < none >
Kay Howard                    Melissa Leo             Garvey
J.H. Brodie                   Max Perlich             David Simon
Steve Crosetti                Jon Polito              McLarney

(semi-regulars)
Mary Whelan-Pembleton         Ami Brabson             < none >
Lt. Jasper                    Gary D'Addario          <it's complicated>
Luther Mahoney                Erik Todd Dellmus       < none >
Ed Danvers A.D.A.             Zeljko Ivanek           ASA Lawrence Doan
Terri Stivers                 Toni Lewis              < none >
Barnfather                    Clayton LeBouef         < none >
Roger Gaffney                 Walt MacPherson         < none >
Dr. Alyssa Dyer, M.E.         Harlee McBride          < none >
Dr. Scheiner, M.E.            Ralph Tabakin           < none >
Judy                          Judy Thorton            < none >
Darrin Russom, P.A.           Michael S. Willis       < none >

Giardello's nickname has been spelled both ways.
Braugher rhymes with "shower"
Secor is pronounced "see-kor"
Belzer is pronounced "bell-zer"
Yaphet Kotto is pronounced "yaff-et coat-oh"

Back to the Main Page