Based on David Simon’s book, Homicide: Life on the Streets was a prime-time drama that aired on NBC for seven seasons from 1993 to 1999.

A former Baltimore Sun reporter, Simon spent a year documenting the work of Baltimore’s homicide squad, intimating himself with detectives to the degree where they spoke and behaved unguardedly. The frank and gritty portrayal of real homicide investigations in Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, was reflected in the television program.

Aside from cases from Simon’s book, many of the weirdest cases on H:LOTS were based on real events in Baltimore, such as the decapitated fortune teller and the pig in a Pigtown basement.

H:LOTS was filmed on location in Baltimore. The police station on Thames Street in Fells Point is the city’s former recreational pier. It looks pretty much as it did during filming, with peeling paint.

The Waterside Inn, owned by Munch, Meldrick and Bayliss on the show, is located across the street.

Around the corner is Jimmy’s, a popular restaurant frequently used in the show.

A more detailed map of H:LOTS filming locations is forthcoming.

MORE INFORMATION:
IMDB: Homicide: Life on the Street
Wikipedia: Homicide: Life on the Street