# 97. Barney Miller (1975-82)

by Adam Ferenz

This police sitcom, set in the 12^th precinct of Manhattan, ran for eight seasons in the 1970s and 1980s, telling the story of the detectives that worked there. While Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire may be the dramas that get the work of detective work the most accurate, some detective and uniform police still point to this series as the one police show that is the most realistic, because here, the tedium of bookings, arrests, paper work, transfers, boredom and bad coffee never ends. With the vast majority of the series taking place in the squad room-or Barney’s office-the series takes on the feel of a stage play, and it has both the scripts and cast to pull this off.

The series earliest episodes occasionally gave the audience glimpses of Barney’s home life, and that of the ever-tired and grumbling Fish-a memorable Abe Vigoda-but quickly realized these were not working, and that the series could only distinguish itself by becoming work oriented, and work centered in a way few programs have ever been. There were recurring players, often recurring characters, making the precinct seem like a real place. Prostitution, murder, robbery, assault, including domestic abuse, and even rape and drug use, as well as selling, were among the many crimes Barney’s detectives handled. The series tackled social issues with a sly grin, and a sigh, often through the deadpan reactions or musings of detective Deitrech, played by Steve Landesberg. Just as often they would be made through Ron Glass’s Detective Harris or Max Gail’s earnest, naïve-to a point-Detective Stan Wojciehowicz, a former marine who becomes one of the more humanitarian among the squad. Easy humor could just as often be found with Carl Levitt, brilliantly played by Ron Carey as a case study in denied rewards. Holding it all together was Barney himself, played by Hal Linden, who was father, brother, friend and boss, depending on which needed to be applied to a given situation.

This is a series that works as a “cozy station” story, yet somehow has a feel of grit, or grime, which is ever present. Barney may project a certain calm, or peace, which helps keep things grounded, but watch the series carefully. These are men-and, occasionally, women-who are on the edge of the abyss, wondering if anything they do means anything, if anyone appreciates them and if they might not be better off retiring to wall street or running an inn up the New England coast. The series drama and humor are inextricably linked in these character traits, and the result is one of the most lived in shows that television has ever presented.

What may be most remarkable is how much mileage the series managed to get out of essentially two sets-Barney’s Office and the Squad Room-as well as the interplay between a handful of regulars, a few recurring roles and various guests. The series also managed to avoid insulting the intellect or maturity of its audience, as well as weaving some very light ongoing stories into the fabric of the show, such as Fish’s delay in retiring, Barney’s road to divorce and Detective Harris’s lawsuit, which keeps him from leaving the force to become the full-time author he always dreamed of becoming.

In a way, this theme in the series of dreams deferred and plans gone awry, gives the series something in common with Taxi. Unlike that series, this one-easily among the best sitcoms of any era-was neither as zany nor as reliant on classic “joke setup” for the stories to work. While not as respected by the Emmy voters, compared to that classic series about a workplace where clearly many of the people would rather be elsewhere, you always had the sense that these men, and women, were right where they needed to be. Let’s all raise a cup of really bad coffee-Detective Yemana would blush-in honor of it all.