Crime Story
Pilot (1)
TV Flash files “Pilot (1)” as a desk essential hour — Crime Story (1986–1988) on NBC, season 1, episode 1, aired 1986-09-18, 96 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E01: listed hour 1 of 44 in the Crime Story guide, first listed hour of season 1. It aired 1986-09-18 (96 min). No earlier hour is listed in this guide. Next is “Pilot (2)” (S01E02).
Essential hour: “Pilot (1)”. Pilot (1) is Farina's real-cop glare versus Denison's Luca: period crime novel on NBC, Del Shannon already sounding like a eulogy.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Lt. Mike Torello, the head of Chicago's Major Crime Unit in the early '60s, takes a personal interest in a case involving the son of a close friend who gets mixed up with a mobster.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Pilot (1) sit in the Crime Story guide?
S01E01 is listed hour 1 of 44 — first listed hour of season 1, season 1 episode 1.
When did Crime Story S01E01 air?
Pilot (1) aired 1986-09-18 and is listed at 96 minutes.
Do I need Miami Vice first?
No. This is the bruising older sibling — Mann-adjacent period crime, not pastel Vice. Serialized cop-versus-mob, Chicago to Vegas, two seasons.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Michael Mann's period crime novel on NBC: Dennis Farina's real-cop glare chasing Anthony Denison's Ray Luca from Chicago heat into Vegas neon. Serialized cop-versus-mob obsession, not case-of-the-week, with period clothes and a Del Shannon theme that already sounds like a eulogy. Miami Vice's bruising older sibling — two seasons, no apology.
Two seasons. Forty-four hours. NBC, 1986–1988, then the window closed before the obsession could get comfortable. That is the chart, not a eulogy with extra linen. Crime Story is Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger's period crime novel, executive-produced in Michael Mann's stylish gravity: Dennis Farina's real-ex-cop glare on Lt. Mike Torello chasing Anthony Denison's Ray Luca from Chicago heat into Vegas neon, Stephen Lang in the legal mix. Serialized cop-versus-mob, not case-of-the-week. Period clothes. A Del…
Filed against
- Dennis Farina as Lt. Mike Torello
Dennis Farina’s Lt. Mike Torello chased Crime Story from Chicago heat into Vegas neon — Michael Mann’s period crime novel on NBC, real-cop glare, serialized obsession instead of case-of-the-week, a Del Shannon theme that already sounds…
- Anthony Denison as Ray Luca
Anthony Denison’s Ray Luca ran from Chicago heat into Vegas neon on Crime Story — Michael Mann’s period crime novel on NBC, Dennis Farina’s real-cop glare, serialized cop-versus-mob obsession instead of case-of-the-week. Del Shannon as a…
- Stephen Lang as David Abrams
Stephen Lang burned through Crime Story as David Abrams — Michael Mann's period crime novel on NBC, Chicago heat into Vegas neon, serialized cop-versus-mob obsession instead of case-of-the-week. Del Shannon already sounding like a eulogy.…