Barney Miller

Barney Miller was a comedy television series set in a New York City police station. It starred Hal Linden, Barbara Barrie (for two seasons), Abe Vigoda, Max Gail, Ron Glass, Jack Soo, Steve Landesberg, Ron Carey and James Gregory. The show ran from 1975 to 1982 on ABC. The distinctive opening notes of the theme song's bass line (used over a shot of the New York skyline) remain familiar to nearly anyone who has watched the show, and are still frequently played by bass guitar when warming up or performing sound checks before performances.

Related Topics:
Comedy - Television series - New York City - Hal Linden - Barbara Barrie - Abe Vigoda - Max Gail - Ron Glass - Jack Soo - Steve Landesberg - Ron Carey - James Gregory - 1975 - 1982 - ABC - Bass line - Skyline - Bass guitar - Sound check

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The show was known and well loved for its range of distinctive characters and wry humor. Captain Barney Miller (Linden) tries to remain sane while running a police station populated by pessimistic retirement-age Philip K. Fish (Vigoda), naive Stanley "Wojo" Wojohowicz (Gail), suave African-American Ronald Nathan Harris (Glass), philosophical Japanese-American Nick Yemana (Soo), detective wannabe Carl Levitt (Carey) and befuddled superior Inspector Franklin Luger (Gregory). In the first season only, Gregory Sierra played neurotic Puerto Rican Detective Chano Amangual; his character was replaced by soi-disant intellectual Arthur P. Dietrich (Landesberg) from the second season on.

Related Topics:
African-American - Japanese-American - Gregory Sierra

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Recurring characters included Barney's son David (Michael Tessier) and daughter Rachel (Anne Wyndham); Officer Kogan (Milt Kogan); the gay couple Marty Morrison (Jack DeLeon) and Darryl Driscoll (Ray Stewart); attorney Arnold Drake Ripner (Alex Henteloff); Detective Janice Wentworth (Linda Lavin); Detective Eric Dorsey (Paul Lieber); Detective Maria Battista (June Gable); Officer Rosslyn Licori (Mari Gorman); gay police officer Zatelli (Dino Natali); Internal Affairs Lt. Ben Scanlon (George Murdock); Inspector Kelly (Dick O'Neill); liquor store owner Mr. Cotterman (Jack Somack); vigilante Bruno Binder and his wife (Stanley Brock and Mari Gorman); building superintendent Beckman (Paul Lichtman); group home children Jilly (Denise Miller) and Victor (John Cassisi); werewolf Mr. Kopeckne (Kenneth Tigar); blind man Leon Roth (Ralph Manza); Sidney the bookie (Buddy Lester); married couple Phillip and Harriet Brauer (Peter Hobbs and Doris Roberts); rabbi Yacov Berger (Nehemiah Persoff); Ray Brewer (John Dullaghan); crook Arthur Duncan (J.J. Barry); Mr. Lukather (Judson Morgan).

Related Topics:
Michael Tessier - Anne Wyndham - Milt Kogan - Jack DeLeon - Ray Stewart - Alex Henteloff - Linda Lavin - Paul Lieber - June Gable - Mari Gorman - Dino Natali - George Murdock - Dick O'Neill - Jack Somack - Stanley Brock - Paul Lichtman - Denise Miller - John Cassisi - Kenneth Tigar - Ralph Manza - Buddy Lester - Peter Hobbs - Doris Roberts - Nehemiah Persoff - John Dullaghan - J.J. Barry - Judson Morgan

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After two seasons, Barney Miller's family was written out of the show. Ms. Barrie would make occasional guest appearances. From time to time, Phil Fish's wife Bernice (Florence Stanley) was shown. In 1977, the characters of Phil and Bernice Fish were spun off onto their own show, Fish.

Related Topics:
Florence Stanley - 1977 - Spun off - Fish

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In 1979, Jack Soo died. His character was so beloved by the audience and his fellow actors, that, following his death, a special memorial episode aired. By the final seasons, the program was unusual in its resemblance to a stage play, in that its scenes almost never strayed from the single set of the one-room precinct station (with its prominent open-barred holding cell) and Miller's adjoining office. Characters came and went from the set, but were never shown outside or in other buildings.

Related Topics:
1979 - Holding cell

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The first season is currently available on DVD. Some of the show's creative staff—though none of the main cast—went on to make the series Night Court, which, while also popular, long-running, and similar in many key themes (right down to the catchy bass line at the beginning), did not receive the same critical acclaim, possibly because its comedic situations were broader and less subtle, and its characters less well developed, than those of Barney Miller.

Related Topics:
DVD - Night Court

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