Edward James Olmos and Don Johnson often argued during the first season due to their different acting styles. Olmos used his anger towards Johnson for his character in their scenes together. In some episodes, Lt. Castillo never looks at Crockett at all.
Don Johnson was ready to leave the show at the end of its second season, and the studio lined up Mark Harmon or Treat Williams to take over the role of Sonny Crockett. The only one not happy with this solution was executive producer Michael Mann, who convinced Johnson to stay on. As a result, Johnson became the best paid actor in the history of television series. Johnson subsequently had to turn down roles in quite a few movies, such as the leads in both The Untouchables (1987) and Die Hard (1988).
Many A-list actors did early work as guest stars on the show. Jimmy Smits got his first acting credit on the show. Benicio Del Toro and Annette Bening got their second acting credits. Chris Rock, Eric Bogosian, John Leguizamo, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Wesley Snipes got their third acting credits. Chris Cooper, John Turturro, Nathan Lane, Helena Bonham Carter, Kyra Sedgwick, and Bruce Willis got their fourth acting credits. Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Viggo Mortensen had their fifth acting credits. Other notable guest stars include Mykelti Williamson, Laurence Fishburne, and Liam Neeson.
Crockett's Ferrari Daytona was actually a modified Corvette. Ferrari executives were so upset that this ersatz Ferrari was gaining such popularity that they offered to provide the series with their new flagship car, the Testarossa.
Miami tourism officials credit the series for transforming the impression of the city from a retirement community to a fun and exciting place for young people to visit.