Reviews were consistently positive from the beginning of the series. "The Washington Post" television critic Tom Shales called "Homicide" "the least compromised and the most intense" drama show on television, adding, "In every department, the level of excellence has been awesome." Shales complimented it for portraying the tension of a homicide squad without resorting to gratuitous violence. Harold Schindler of "The Salt Lake Tribune" said the series "ranks among the best programs of their kind to appear on television anywhere". He praised the acting and called the filming style "camera vérité at its best without actually becoming a documentary". Lon Grahnke of the "Chicago Sun-Times" called it "the season's best new series of any genre", praising it for not depending on action sequences and claiming it "has the spice, dry wit and ethnic diversity of the "Hill Street Blues" crew, with even more eccentricities and a heightened sense of realism". Paul Lomartire of "The Palm Beach Post" called it "the best new drama to come along on any network since NBC canceled "Shannon's Deal"". "Newsday" critic Marvin Kitman called "Homicide" "an old-fashioned NBC signature show" remnisicent of the network during the time of Grant Tinker and Brandon Tartikoff. Associated Press writer Scott Williams praised the series as unique: "It had superb writing, a gifted cast that created complex, fully realized characters, a unique visual style, and stories of compelling power and intensity." "Knight Ridder Newspapers" television writer Mike Duffy praised what he called the show's witty writing, stylish visuals and superb acting, and declared it the best police drama since "Hill Street Blues". The Scripps Howard News Service called "Homicide" "the best new drama of the season", and "The Buffalo News" writer Alan Pergament ranked it among the ten best television shows of 1993. Eric Kohanik of "The Hamilton Spectator" called it "the best new series of the midseason", and praised it for not resorting to "silly car chases [and] blazing guns". Not all reviews were positive. James Endrst, television columnist for "The Hartford Courant", felt the series was over-hyped and said "seen it, done it, been there before" of the filming techniques otherwise being praised as cutting edge. In writing about "Gone for Goode", "Time" reviewer Richard Zoglin praised the "strong cast" and said he appreciated the lack of violence, but said, "the characters are too pat, their conflicts too predictable", particularly the rookie character Bayliss.