Ricardo Tubbs

Before coming to Miami, Tubbs was a detective in the Armed Robbery Division of the New York Police Department, along with his older brother Rafael who was a senior detective in the Narcotics Division. At various times during his stint in New York, Tubbs was partnered with detectives Valerie Gordon (Pam Grier){{Cite episode |title=Rites of Passage |episode-link=Rites of Passage (Miami Vice)|series=Miami Vice |series-link=Miami Vice |credits=Director: David Anspaugh; Writer: Daniel Pyne |network=NBC |season=1 |number=16 |airdate=8 February 1985}} and Clarence Batisse (Victor Love){{Cite episode |title=Better Living Through Chemistry |episode-link=Better Living Through Chemistry (Miami Vice) |series=Miami Vice |series-link=Miami Vice |credits=Director: Leon Ichaso; Writers: Ken Edwards, Larry Rosenthal, Dick Wolf, Michael Duggan |network=NBC |season=3 |number=8 |airdate=14 November 1986}} Tubbs and Gordon were romantically involved, and would sporadically resume their affair throughout the series. Tubbs' relationship with Batisse, however, was much more volatile—after a suspicious shooting during a routine bust, Tubbs' testimony to Internal Affairs resulted in Batisse's dismissal. Batisse would, however, eventually be exonerated thanks to Tubbs' aid.

Rafael's murder at the hands of drug lord Esteban Calderone (Miguel Piñero) led Tubbs to Miami, where he eventually teamed up with the Metro-Dade Organized Crime Bureau. Calderone was apprehended, but managed to bribe a judge to escape custody. Later, when trying to track the drug lord again, Tubbs sleeps with Angelina Madeira (Phanie Napoli), Calderone's daughter. Upon confronting the drug lord, Crockett and Tubbs are caught in a shoot-out, which ends when Crockett shoots Calderone dead.{{Cite episode |title=Calderone's Return (Part II) |episode-link=Calderone's Return |series=Miami Vice |series-link=Miami Vice |credits=Director: Paul Michael Glaser; Writers: Joel Surnow & Alfonse Ruggiero, Jr |network=NBC |season=1 |number=5 |airdate=26 October 1984}} Several months later, Angelina surfaces again, having had a child as a result of her fling with Tubbs. However, her brother Orlando (John Leguizamo) has also located Tubbs, wanting revenge for his father's death. Tubbs' son, Ricardo Jr, is kidnapped, and Angelina killed, before Orlando escapes. Orlando reappears after luring Tubbs to a remote Caribbean island, hoping to trap and kill him. Tubbs is able to evade Orlando's gang, however, and escapes after killing his pursuer in a shoot-out.{{Cite episode |title=The Afternoon Plane |episode-link=The Afternoon Plane |series=Miami Vice |series-link=Miami Vice |credits=Director & writer: David Jackson |network=NBC |season=3 |number=17 |airdate=20 February 1987}}

In stark contrast to Crockett, who drives expensive Ferraris and carries high-tech handguns as part of his cover, Tubbs exudes a more tough, street-smart New Yorker image, driving a metallic blue 1964 Cadillac de Ville convertible, and carrying cheaper, more readily available weapons, his primary weapon being a snubnosed Smith & Wesson Bodyguard revolver, and as a secondary weapon, he carried a sawed-off side by side shotgun during Season 1 and later an Ithaca 37 "Stakeout" shotgun with shortened barrel and forward pistol grip.

Compared to his partner, Tubbs' cool demeanor helps him avoid much of the burnout Crockett would experience after the killing of his wife Caitlin and his brief amnesia. However, getting rejected by Valerie after proposing marriage eventually takes a toll on Tubbs too,{{Cite episode|title=Too Much, Too Late|episode-link=Too Much, Too Late (Miami Vice)|series=Miami Vice|series-link=Miami Vice|credits=Director: Richard Compton; Writer: John A. Connor, Jack Richardson|network=USA Network|season=5|number=21|airdate=25 January 1990}} and coupled with him and Crockett feeling disappointed in how they were treated by the government regarding their involvement in the case of protecting Costa Morada dictator Manuel Borbon, Tubbs and Crockett end up resigning from the force. He then meets up with Crockett one last time, and Crockett offers him a ride to the airport in his "stolen" Ferrari, as Tubbs decides to head "back up to the big bad Bronx".{{Cite episode|title=Freefall|episode-link=Freefall (Miami Vice)|series=Miami Vice|series-link=Miami Vice|credits=Director: Russ Mayberry; Writers: Frank Holman, Scott Shepherd, Ken Solarz, William Conway|network=NBC|season=5|number=17|airdate=21 May 1989}}

Tubbs is bilingual in English and Spanish.

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In the 2006 film adaptation of Miami Vice, Ricardo Tubbs is portrayed by Jamie Foxx and is in a relationship with fellow Vice Detective Trudy Joplin, who is portrayed by Naomie Harris. Tubbs' past is not revealed in the film. He is shown to be urbane, level-headed and a smooth-talker like the television version, but with the additions of being more gritty, world weary, and a skilled pilot.

Tubbs, along with his partner Crockett, have been cited as being influenced by the characters of David Starsky and Kenneth Hutchinson from the 1970s series Starsky and Hutch, several episodes of which were written by Miami Vice producers Michael Mann and Anthony Yerkovich; and the duo of Bobby Hill and Andy Renko from Hill Street Blues. The film 48 Hrs. has also been seen as an influence on the characters.{{Cite book |title=Miami Vice |last=Lyons |first=James |year=2010 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |isbn=978-1-4051-7811-2}} Tubbs represents a "neo-populist sneering at the worlds of finance and politics", his New York back-story helping to convey "a sociological explanation of crime".{{Cite book |title=From The Avengers to Miami Vice: Form and Ideology in Television Series |last=Buxton |first=David |year=1990 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=0-7190-2994-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fromavengerstomi0000buxt }}

Mann originally conceived the character of Ricardo Tubbs as "nobody's Tonto", claiming that this is what drove the character for most of the first season. However, he felt that "for reasons that had to do with the two actors and one thing or the other, that eroded a little bit" over the course of the series.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-07-26-miami-vice-inside_x.htm |title='Miami Vice' makes series of changes - USATODAY.com |author=Anthony Breznican |publisher=USA Today |date=26 July 2006 |access-date=18 April 2011}} Jodie Tillen, the show's costume designer, described the character as being "formal" and "self-conscious" of his image, contrasting with the "beach bum" look of the character of Crockett. Thomas has also described Tubbs as being "sharp as a tack".{{Cite video |people=Jodie Tillen |title=The Style of Vice |medium=DVD |date=2005 |publisher=Universal Studios}}

Beyond his role as the "cynical, worldly", even "skeptical"{{Cite book |title=Miami Vice: TV Milestones |last=Sanders |first=Stephen |year=2010 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |isbn=978-0-8143-3419-5}} outsider, Tubbs has been seen as exemplifying the lure of the very things his job pits him against. Writing about the character's development over the first few seasons, James Lyons describes Tubbs as being "rather enchanted" by the thrills of his undercover work, noting his off-duty relationships with suspects and other individuals related to his cases in episodes such as "Evan", "The Great McCarthy" and the two-part "Calderone's Return". Lyons feels that this arc ends in the latter half of the second season, sensing that Tubbs' "weariness" and sense of loss begin to set in after witnessing the suicide of a prostitute he had tried to rescue in the episode "Little Miss Dangerous",{{Cite episode |title=Little Miss Dangerous |episode-link=Little Miss Dangerous (Miami Vice) |series=Miami Vice |series-link=Miami Vice |season=2 |number=15 |airdate=31 January 1986 |credits=Director: Leon Ichaso; Writer: Frank Military}} and both the apparent death of his infant son and the actual death of the child's mother in the episode "Sons and Lovers". David Buxton reinforces this view, noting that, in the series, "the line between normality and vice, between 'good' and 'bad'... is so blurred as to be non-existent at times"; whilst Arthur Kean Spears' Race and Ideology: Language, Symbolism, and Popular Culture claims that "what Tubbs seems to lack in actual Miami vice experience, his life experience makes up for".{{Cite book |title=Race and Ideology: Language, Symbolism, and Popular Culture |last=Spears|first=Arthur Kean |year=1999 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |isbn=0-8143-2454-1}}

The New York Times has called the character "dissolute but human, gritty but glamorous", noting that two decades after the show's end, "Tubbs still look[s] very cool".{{cite web |url=http://tv.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/arts/television/06vice.html?scp=4&sq=philip%20michael%20thomas&st=cse |title=Fighting Crime, Setting Trends - New York Times |work=The New York Times|author=Alessandra Stanley |date=6 January 2006 |access-date=18 April 2011}} Time magazine called Thomas' casting "inspired", noting that his easy-going nature provided a "sharp contrast" to Johnson's Crockett. The National Review echoed this sentiment, noting that "Tubbs, for example, seemed so much happier than the perennially haunted Crockett ... but there was never any question about the bond they shared". Turner Classic Movies have noted Thomas' "unique" and "engaging" portrayal of the role, stating that "his popularity crossed gender and racial lines", making "an indelible mark, " on viewers.{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/191165%7C0/Philip-Michael-Thomas/ |title=Overview for Philip Michael Thomas |publisher=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=20 April 2011}} New York Magazine, however, simply noted the character as "an acceptable Sidney Poitier facsimile".{{Cite journal |last1=Leonard |first1=John |title=Evil Under the Sun |journal=New York |date=8 October 1984}} Tubbs, along with Crockett, was named as one of Entertainment Weekly's "25 Terrific TV Detectives" in 2009.{{Cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/gallery/25-terrific-tv-detectives/ |title=Miami Vice, Don Johnson, ... {{!}} 25 Terrific TV Detectives {{!}} Photo 4 of 26 |author=Darren Franich |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=6 December 2009 |access-date=20 April 2011}}

When the first season of Miami Vice became a "breakthrough hit",{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959822,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211221401/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959822,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 December 2007 |title=Video: Cool Cops, Hot Show |magazine=Time |date=16 September 1985 |access-date=18 April 2011}} the "smooth and swinging"{{Cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04E5DC1338F93BA15754C0A963948260&scp=11&sq=ricardo%20tubbs&st=cse |title=Critics' Choice - Broadcast TV - Review - NYTimes.com |work=The New York Times|author=John J. O'Connor |date=28 July 1985 |access-date=18 April 2011}} character of Tubbs became a style icon—Bloomingdale's reported "noticeable" rises in the sales of blazers and jackets; whilst Kenneth Cole brought out "Crockett" and "Tubbs" shoes, and Macy's opened a "Miami Vice" young men's section The National Review's Andrew Stuttford has described the impact of the character's style as an "escape from the monotone restraints of conventional detective drama", noting that its influence "transformed notions of what television could do".{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/218495/something-air/andrew-stuttaford |title=Something in the Air - Andrew Stuttaford - National Review Online |author=Andrew Stuttaford |work=National Review |date=16 August 2006 |access-date=19 April 2011}} The character of Tubbs has also been referenced and parodied in popular culture. The Sesame Street "Miami Mice" segment featured the character Tito, who was modelled on Tubbs.{{Cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/06/the-top-ten-sesame-street_n_252059.html |title=The Top Ten Sesame Street TV Show Parodies of All Time |author=Alex Leo |work=The Huffington Post |date=8 June 2009 |access-date=19 April 2011}} The character is also referenced in episodes of The Sopranos,{{Cite episode |title=Rat Pack |episode-link=Rat Pack (The Sopranos) |series=The Sopranos |series-link=The Sopranos |credits=Director: Alan Taylor; Writer: Matthew Weiner |airdate=14 March 2004 |season=5 |number=2 |network=HBO}} Family Guy,{{Cite episode |title=Brian Does Hollywood |episode-link=Brian Does Hollywood |series=Family Guy |series-link=Family Guy |credits=Director: Gavin Dell; Writer: Gary Janetti |airdate=18 July 2001 |season=3 |number=2 |network=FOX}} K-Ville,{{Cite episode |title=Cobb's Web |episode-link=K-Ville (TV series)#Episodes |series=K-Ville |series-link=K-Ville (TV series) |credits=Director: Bryan Spicer; Writers: Jonathan Lisco, Craig Silverstein |airdate=24 September 2007 |season=1 |number=2 |network=FOX}} The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,{{Cite episode |title=Hi-Ho Silver |episode-link=The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (season 2) |series=The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air |series-link=The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air |credits=Director: Ellen Falcon; Writer: Bennie R. Richburg Jr |airdate=11 November 1991 |season=2 |number=10 |network=NBC}} as well as the 2007 film Hot Fuzz.{{Cite episode |title=Hot Fuzz |episode-link=Hott Fuzz |credits=Director: Edgar Wright; Writers: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg |airdate=14 February 2007 |network=StudioCanal, Universal Pictures}}

Thomas' portrayal of Tubbs earned the actor several award nominations. In 1986, he and Johnson shared a People's Choice Award for their work on the show,{{cite web |url=http://search.peopleschoice.com/1986-12th-annual-peoples-choice-awards.htm |title=1986 - 12th Annual People's Choice Awards - PeoplesChoice.com |publisher=Procter & Gamble |access-date=18 April 2011}} whilst in that same year he was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, although he did not win.{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29934 |title=HFPA - Awards Search |publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |access-date=18 April 2011}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Miami Vice}}

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Category:Fictional Miami-Dade Police Department detectives

Category:Fictional American police detectives

Category:Fictional characters from Miami

Category:Fictional characters from New York City

Category:African-American characters in films

Category:Miami Vice

Category:Television characters introduced in 1984

Category:African-American characters in television