There are many misconceptions surrounding Philip Thomas and Miami Vice. A lot of fans were under the impression that during Vice’s run Thomas was just comfortable playing Rico Tubbs; but on the contrary the actor wanted to diversify his roles and not be typecast in the part that made him a star.

Like his co-star Don Johnson, Philip tried to venture into music recording, with an album entitled Living the Book of My Life, but it sold poorly.

A guest part in the 1980’s family film The Wizard of Speed and Time would be followed by the acclaimed A Fight for Jenny. Philip starred alongside Desperate Housewives’ Lesley Anne Warren in what is essentially a Kramer vs. Kramer style television drama. He played David Caldwell who is happily married to Kelsey Wilkes (Leslie Ann Warren). Their happiness is short lived until Kelsey’s first husband Ben (Drew Snyder) comes back into their lives and demands custody of his daughter Jennifer (Jaclyn-Rose Lester), insisting that a mixed-marriage household is the wrong environment for the girl. Despite being a television production A Fight for Jenny is a must-see for Thomas’ and Warren’s acting ability. It’s difficult for viewers not to shed tears, as the film is without a doubt a powerful study of an interracial couple’s struggle for happiness. Despite Thomas not wanting to be typecast, A Fight for Jenny was successful, thanks to his Vice-generated popularity.

When Miami Vice ended, many viewers thought Philip Thomas had disappeared from the limelight. In fact, he went on to regularly take part in numerous TV series (Zorro, SuperBoy) and acclaimed TV films.

In False Witness Thomas starred alongside The Cosby Show’s Phylicia Rashad as an investigator who together with an Assistant District Attorney (Rashad) investigates the brutal attack of a popular talk show hostess. Despite this television film bearing a resemblance to countless other court room-style dramas, it still makes compelling entertainment.

Thomas would hit the jackpot when he teamed up with screen goddess Lauren Bacall in the surprisingly brilliant British production A little Piece of Sunshine. Thomas played a Miami private investigator (sounds familiar) who arrives on Sunshine, a sunny Carribean island, to investigate the mysterious death of a British governor. Nothing is what it seems for Thomas as this quaint little sun-scorched paradise turns out to be a haven for organised crime, drug running, and murder. He gets more than he bargained for when he finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy of gigantic proportions. Thomas’ only hope for escape lies in the hands of an eccentric island hermit played by the divine Lauren Bacall.

Over the years it seems like Philip Thomas could not shrug off his Miami Vice image that easily as he would take part in another Miami based series called Extra Large alongside the popular Italian movie actor Bud Spencer. Thomas played Willy Dumas, the hilarious detective sidekick to Bud Spencer’s Jack ‘Extra large’ Costello who together solve Miami’s intricate crimes of deception. Extra Large led to the pair re-teaming in an Italian production Noi siamo Angeli but failed to attract Thomas any lucrative deals from acclaimed directors. After that, Thomas appeared in third-rate films (Miami Shakedown, River Stone) that would flop abysmally at the box office.

The time had come for Thomas to diversify; he became the name and face of the Psychic Readers Phone Network (later known as Traffix, Inc.). Hosting countless television spots Thomas promoted psychic telephone services making use of his Vice black suit style image. He conned the phrase: “From Miami Vice to world advice”, which later became his trademark.

Problems ensued when the Psychic Network (Traffix) replaced Thomas as spokesman in favour of a female host. Thomas then accused them of breaching his contract and took the company to court. After a long hefty battle he was awarded $1.48 million for improper use of his name and likeness, and an additional $780,000 in interest.

It was in 1997 that Thomas had his TV comeback. All it took was one phone call from his friend Don Johnson and in one of the best TV reunions of the 1990’s, Philip reprised his role as Johnson’s partner and friend in an episode from the police drama Nash Bridges. In a clear homage to his Rico Tubbs character, Thomas dressed similarly to his Vice alter ego playing Miami Drug Enforcement Agent, Cedrick “Rick” Hawks, who travels this time to San Francisco and strikes a partnership with Bridges (Johnson). The appearance of these two together was so nostalgic that fans wanted more. As a result, Thomas would reappear again in another episode titled Out of Miami, during the programme’s final season in 2001.

With his new rekindled fame it was inevitable that Thomas, like Sean Connery, would step into the business of voicing the computer/video game version of the character that launched his career.

It seems that yet again Thomas could not get away from his Tubbs persona when he lent his voice talents to the Lance Vance character in the stylish Playstation 2 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its latest game sequel Vice City Stories. One immediately notices that even the Vice City game is based on the 1980’s series as seen in the city’s deco artwork, characters’ clothing and Ferraris.

Like his peers William Shatner (Star Trek) and David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff (Knight Rider), Philip Michael Thomas has become the stuff of cult legend. In 2003 Thomas appeared with another cult figure, none other but the Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors in the low budget psychological thriller Fate. With a plot that ridiculously leans towards the brilliant Seven it is Thomas’ screen stealing presence as a detective who is hot on the trail of Lee Majors’ demented serial killer that ultimately sustains our interest and elevates the film.

Preferring composing to the limelight, Philip nowadays writes children’s musicals for a living. Easily recognised wherever he goes Thomas still managed to sneak in and make a surprise appearance at the Miami Vice 20th anniversary 2004 convention signing plenty of autographs, and giving his fans a treat to remember.

When the word leaked that Jamie Foxx was cast as the new Tubbs, Philip humbly wished him the best of luck, unlike Vice web bloggers who were quick on their mark, to post images all over the internet of their original hero in all of his glory, doing away with the lacklustre Foxx Tubbs image, further inspiring fans to compile various Philip Thomas photo albums on the web. Diehard Vice fans have gone to the point of exposing how the “new” Miami Vice movie plot was completely recycled from one of the 1980’s series best episodes, Smuggler’s Blues which ironically was not directed by Mann but by Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch).

One thing’s for sure, it would not have hurt Mann’s so called directorial makeover, to make up for Farrell and Foxx’s mumbled incomprehensible language, with at least one shot of one Pink Flamingo, coupled with Miami’s sun scorched beach. Or at the most, amidst the unbearable hand held camera montage sequences, he could have asked Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas to drop by for a cameo, where we would have felt we got every penny’s worth.

In order to show their sheer disapproval at the way the film was handled fans even went to the point to re-edit the Miami Vice movie trailers on www.youtube.com by inserting Jan Hammer’s Grammy Award winning Miami Vice Theme and Crockett’s Theme. When viewed this is actually impressive as it gives you an idea as to what might have been, had Michael Mann reinvigorated Hammer’s original signature tracks. What brilliantly worked for Lalo Schifrin’s Mission Impossible theme being reworked for the Big Screen by U2’s The Edge without losing the spirit of the original in the process, could have been easily emulated in the Vice film by inserting Hammer’s 2004’s updated cover versions. In summing up Jan Hammer’s contribution to Miami Vice, Phillip Thomas once said: “If there is a soundtrack to life, Jan Hammer is the only one who can hear it”.

If rumours are true that a new reunion episode is in the works, there is no doubt that Philip Michael Thomas will have his career redefined in no time. Anything is possible: just look at Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) and Julian Sands (24), they were both big stars in the 1980’s who are now enjoying a healthy comeback. If there are any doubts in the producers’ minds that a reunion episode would not be successful, they are mistaken. The demand for the original stars is further substantiated by the fact that as a result of Mann’s mishaps, the resurgence in the 1980’s Miami Vice series has been so impressive that sales of the series DVD season 1 and 2 have had a tremendous sales boost. Already Universal film distributors have commissioned the release of Seasons 3, 4, and 5 to target 30+ age audiences who want to relive their youth, not excluding a new generation of viewers who want to discover just what made the original spirit of Vice so cool in the first place.

It is ironic that with the new Vice failing to cash in at the box office this summer Foxx and Farrell have shamelessly expressed an interest in a sequel without any backing from Mann.

I would not be surprised if Michael Mann turns down any involvement in a reunion episode, as interestingly some of the best Vice episodes story wise, came to the fore when he lost interest. At the end of the day, I think Michael Mann strayed too far away from the original series with too many “dark” scenes. Hopefully the DVD version will rekindle the sun-scorched spirit of the series with the insertion of the opening motorboat race scene that was cut from the original film.

So diehard Vice fans still wait with baited breath for the reunion episode. If it does lift off it will be very interesting seeing the original Crockett (Johnson) and Tubbs (Thomas) living in the 2000’s post 9/11 era. I mean, we have come a long way from the 1980’s: cordless mobile phones have shrunk the size of a bar of soap, while shoulder pads and pastel coloured suits are gone! This reunion could be the making or the breaking of the series as it could just as easily disappoint fans like the recent film did. Will Thomas and Johnson be able to pull it off one more time, or are they well past their sell buy date? Only time will tell.

Part one was carried on 25 November