Miami Vice Season 2: Original episode sequence??

Anyone familiar with the show is likely aware the network shuffled episodes around for this season. Basically, they moved all the ones with big guest stars towards the beginning of the season. Also, Zito's beard comes and goes as well as a recurring character that previously died magically appearing again.

Does anyone know how the season should go? Obviously one can watch the ones with the beardless Zito first but I'd enjoy knowing exactly how it would have gone. Maybe finding out when the episodes were filmed? I'm at a loss.

 

Here's a good place to start. Look up the production notes in each episode. Like here, for example.

Brother's Keeper

 

Here's the complete production guide to all 111 episodes, gleaned from the Wiki I linked to. Enjoy.

*Pilot (March-April 1984)*
#001 - Brother's Keeper (March 05-April 05, 1984)

*Season 1 (July 1984-April 1985)*
#002 - Heart of Darkness (July 12-25, 1984)
#003 - Cool Runnin' (July 26-August 06, 1984)
#004 - Calderone's Return I (August 07-15, 1984)
#005 - One Eyed Jack (August 16-24, 1984)
#006 - Calderone's Return II (August 27-September 06, 1984)
#007 - No Exit (September 07-19, 1984)
#008 - Glades (September 20-October 01, 1984)
#009 - The Great McCarthy (October 04-12, 1984)
#010 - Give a Little, Take a Little (October 15-26, 1984)
#011 - Golden Triangle I (October 29-November 06, 1984)
#012 - Little Prince (November 07-16, 1984)
#013 - Milk Run (November 19-30, 1984)
#014 - Golden Triangle II (December 03-11, 1984)
#015 - Smuggler's Blues (December 12, 1984-January 11, 1985)
#016 - Rites of Passage (January 14-23, 1985)
#017 - The Maze (January 23-February 01, 1985)
#018 - Made for Each Other (February 01-12, 1985)
#019 - The Home Invaders (February 14-26, 1985)
#020 - Nobody Lives Forever (February 26-March 06, 1985)
#021 - Evan (March 06-14, 1985)
#022 - Lombard (March 15-26, 1985)
#023 - The Dutch Oven (March 26-April 03, 1985)

*Season 2 (June 1985-March 1986)*
#024 - The Prodigal Son (June 19-July 15, 1985)
#025 - Whatever Works (July 16-26, 1985)
#026 - Out Where the Buses Don't Run (July 29-August 06, 1985)
#027 - Buddies (August 08-19, 1985)
#028 - Bought and Paid For (August 22-September 03, 1985)
#029 - Junk Love (September 05-13, 1985)
#030 - One Way Ticket (September 16-27, 1985)
#031 - Tale of the Goat (September 30-October 09, 1985)
#032 - Bushido (October 09-18, 1985)
#033 - Back in the World (October 21-25; November 06; 07; 15, 1985)
#034 - Phil the Shill (October 28-November 06, 1985)
#035 - Definitely Miami (November 14-26, 1985)
#036 - Yankee Dollar (December 02-11, 1985)
#037 - Little Miss Dangerous (December 11-20, 1985)
#038 - Florence Italy (January 08-15, 1986)
#039 - French Twist (January 16-30, 1986)
#040 - The Fix (January 31-February 07, 1986)
#041 - Payback (February 10-21, 1986)
#042 - Free Verse (February 24-March 04, 1986)
#043 - Trust Fund Pirates (March 05-13, 1986)
#044 - Sons and Lovers (March 14-25, 1986)

*Season 3 (June 1986-March 1987)*
#045 - El Viejo (June 17-30, 1986)
#046 - When Irish Eyes Are Crying (July 01-11, 1986)
#047 - Shadow in the Dark (July 11-22, 1986)
#048 - Baby Blues (July 24-August 01, 1986)
#049 - Stone's War (August 04-12, 1986)
#050 - The Good Collar (August 13-24, 1986)
#051 - Killshot (August 25-September 04, 1986)
#052 - Walk-Alone (September 04-15, 1986)
#053 - Better Living Through Chemistry (September 16-24, 1986)
#054 - Forgive Us Our Debts (September 25-October 03, 1986)
#055 - Down for the Count I (October 06-14, 1986)
#056 - Streetwise (October 17-27, 1986)
#057 - Down for the Count II (October 29-November 06, 1986)
#058 - Cuba Libre (November 10-18, 1986)
#059 - The Afternoon Plane (November 20-December 01, 1986)
#060 - Duty and Honor (December 02-10, 1986)
#061 - Theresa (December 11-19, 1986)
#062 - Lend Me an Ear (January 07-15, 1987)
#063 - Red Tape (January 16-26, 1987)
#064 - By Hooker by Crook (January 26-February 04, 1987)
#065 - Knock, Knock... Who's There? (February 05-13, 1987)
#066 - Viking Bikers from Hell (February 18-26, 1987)
#067 - Everybody's in Showbiz (February 27-March 06, 1987)
#068 - Heroes of the Revolution (March 09-17, 1987)

*Season 4 (July 1987-March 1988)*
#069 - Amen... Send Money (July 23-31, 1987)
#070 - Death and the Lade (August 03-11, 1987)
#071 - Contempt of Court (August 13-21, 1987)
#072 - The Big That (August 24-September 01, 1987)
#073 - God's Work (September 02-11, 1987)
#074 - Child's Play (September 14-22, 1987)
#075 - Missing Hours (September 23-October 03, 1987)
#076 - The Rising Sun of Death (October 07-16, 1987)
#077 - Like a Hurricane (October 20-November 05, 1987)
#078 - The Cows of October (November 06-16, 1987)
#079 - Love at First Sight (November 17-25, 1987)
#080 - Rock and a Hard Place (November 30-December 08, 1987)
#081 - Seminole Wars (December 09-17, 1987)
#082 - Vote of Confidence (January 07-15, 1988)
#083 - Baseballs of Death (January 18-27, 1988)
#084 - Honor Among Thieves? (January 27-February 04, 1988)
#085 - Hell Hath No Fury... (February 08-17, 1988)
#086 - Badge of Dishonor (February 18-26, 1988)
#087 - Blood & Roses (February 29-March 08, 1988)
#088 - Mirror Image (March 09-18, 1988)
#089 - Deliver Us from Evil (March 16-30, 1988)
#090 - A Bullet for Crockett (March 28-31, 1988)

*Season 5 (September 1988-April 1989)*
#091 - Heart of Night (September 15-23, 1988)
#092 - Hostile Takeover (September 26-October 05, 1988)
#093 - Redemption in Blood (October 06-14, 1988)
#094 - Borrasca (October 17-25, 1988)
#095 - Bad Timing (October 25-November 02, 1988)
#096 - Line of Fire (November 03-11, 1988)
#097 - Asian Cut (November 14-22, 1988)
#098 - Hard Knocks (November 23-December 05, 1988)
#099 - Fruit of the Poison Tree (December 06-14, 1988)
#100 - To Have and to Hold (December 15-23, 1988)
#101 - Miami Squeeze (January 05-13, 1989)
#102 - Jack of All Trades (January 16-24, 1989)
#103 - The Cell Within (January 16-23, 1989)
#104 - The Lost Madonna (January 26-February 03, 1989)
#105 - Over the Line (February 06-14, 1989)
#106 - Miracle Man (February 16-27, 1989)
#107 - Victims of Circumstance (February 28-March 08, 1989)
#108 - Leap of Faith (March 02-13, 1989)
#109 - World of Trouble (March 09-17, 1989)
#110 - Too Much, Too Late (March 21-30, 1989)
#111 - Freefall (April 03-27, 1989)

 

Thanks Vahan!

 

Just dropping in to say I'm in the middle of watching Season 2 in it's original order and it has a better feel. Hard to pinpoint why exactly, though for one, they clearly moved the episodes with big guest stars to earlier spots. Probably because of sweeps. Anyhow, I recommend watching it this way!

 

This is the order they were originally intended to go:

No beard:

Prodigal Son
Whatever Works
Out Where The Buses Don't Run

Beard:

Buddies
Junk Love
Tale Of The Goat
Bushido
Bought And Paid For
Phil The Shill
One Way Ticket

Beard gone:

The Dutch Oven
Back In The World
Definitely Miami
and so on....

S3 has a similar situation - "El Viejo" (with Willie Nelson) was going to be the season premiere, but NBC decided to start with "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" (with Liam Neeson) which featured the spectacle of Crockett's Daytona being blown up. Sonny gets his Testarossa the following week ("Stone's War"), but the Daytona appears in "El Viejo", which originally aired as the seventh episode of the season.