Actually, under all the glitz, Miami Vice had more depth than most 80s shows. Pretty much half the episodes end very darkly, it's made very clear that the fight against drugs is a losing battle. The cops themselves are traumatised wrecks from failed marriages, rape and seeing friends and loved ones murdered. Two of the main characters die for real during the show, one in a pretty gruesome way.
Miami Vice also paved the way for big money in television, and was the first show to use current popular music as an intrinsic part of the show. The scene in the opening episode with "In The Air Tonight" playing has become pretty iconic.
It's definitely worth watching, though.