It’s time to put on your Versace suit over a pastel T-shirt, pull on your espadrilles (no socks, of course), and hop in your white Ferrari, because this month marks the 40th anniversary of the premiere of Miami Vice.

The hit television series premiered on September 16, 1984 with the episode “Brother’s Keeper,” later won two Emmys and established a legacy that is still felt today.

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Audiences were introduced to James “Sonny” Crockett, played by Don Johnson, and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, played by Philip Michael Thomas, two tough detectives from the Metro-Dade Police Department who go undercover in sports cars, cigarette boats, and designer clothes in Miami to take down drug dealers, pimps, and anyone else who gets in their way.

Not only did the show change television, it also played a major role in transforming Miami and Miami Beach from a sleepy beach paradise for retirees, refugees and drug dealers into an international destination for fun and sun.

This first episode set the tone and showed that Miami Vice would not be like the other police series before it.

From the fast-paced opening titles featuring a distinctive and very ’80s instrumental theme by Jan Hammer to the sounds of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” as Crockett and Tubbs drive through the streets of South Florida in a convertible, the show sometimes referred to as “MTV Cops” stands out from the crowd.

After the show premiered, Johnson and Thomas became megastars almost immediately. Tubbs’ calm demeanor and coolness, as well as Crockett’s maverick attitude and stubble, became as culturally significant as the expensive suits they wore.

Johnson spoke about the impact of the show in an interview with the Associated Press earlier this year.

“We modernized television. We all came from the independent film business and things like that, so we just brought our sensibility and our artistic taste and our freshness to television, which was pretty stuffy, it’s not like that anymore, but it was pretty focused on its kind of programs, the doctor show, the cop show, the lawyer show,” he said. “And ‘Miami Vice’ turned out to be one of those that brought together all this talent from music, fashion and so on and so forth, and we kind of modernized television by doing that.”

In addition to Johnson and Thomas, the series has also helped numerous other actors launch their careers. The list of guest stars who played a brief role in the series reads like a who’s who of Hollywood from the last four decades: Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Liam Neeson and many others.

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The list of music stars who have appeared on the show is also impressive. From Willie Nelson to Miles Davis to Barbra Streisand, everyone has appeared on “Vice.”

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While the cars, clothing and camera work stood out, the real star of the show may be the location: South Beach.

When the show began, South Beach was largely run down and not the hip place it later became. The party atmosphere was virtually nonexistent, and the famous Art Deco buildings seemed to have seen their best days.

But each week, Vice viewers were transported to the sunny beaches, trendy nightclubs and tropical locations portrayed in the series.

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As the Art Deco buildings were refurbished as a backdrop for the show and tourists flocked to South Florida to witness the action, the show contributed to the revitalization of the area in many ways.

Today, South Beach probably looks more like the playground for locals and tourists depicted in “Miami Vice.”

LEGACY OF THE “LASTRE”

“Miami Vice” only ran for five seasons and ended in 1989. But the legacy of the series lives on.

Most of the fashion from the show has gone out of style, but the bright colors have remained, be it the neon lights on the buildings in South Beach or the desire to drive up and down US 1 in a colorful sports car.

The Miami Vice style has inspired everything from video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to the Miami Heat’s pink and blue Vice jerseys.

It also served as inspiration for the 2006 film “Miami Vice.” It was directed by Michael Mann, a former executive producer of the series, and starred Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as Crockett and Tubbs, respectively, and featured a brief cameo appearance by NBC6 meteorologist Ryan Phillips.

And the dark television shows that everyone watches today also have their origins in “Miami Vice,” as does the stylized use of music in the shows.

In honor of the show’s 40th anniversary, the mayor of Miami Beach issued a proclamation declaring September 16 as “Miami Vice Day.”

To celebrate the global phenomenon, numerous events will take place, including meet & greets with some of the show’s stars, tours of some of the filming locations and visits to the Miami Vice Museum.

Edward James Olmos, who starred in the show, was in town to join in the festivities and reflect on the show’s significance.

“We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of an incredible journey we took here from 1984 to 1989 that changed not only the course of my career, but the careers of many, many Latinos and people understanding who they are,” he said. “It was really the beginning of understanding the city of Miami and South Miami Beach.”

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