Barney Miller

1970s tv sitcom

The detectives from 12th Precinct every day deal with unusual cases and unusual characters. They need all the good humour they can get just to keep them going through their shifts.

Barney Miller was not the first and not the last sitcom that was build around the plots involving police force, but the difference is that in Barney Miller the plots and the characters were kept close to reality. We see the policemen not as superheroes and not as caricatures, but almost as we would be watching police drama or fly-on-the-wall kind of show. The series started with high note - interesting characters, intriguing plots and great atmosphere.

Unfortunately since Season 3 Reinhold Weege (later creator of Night Court) became the head writer for the show and did what he later did to Night Court - he begun to switch the whole project from typical sitcom into comedy drama and since season 5 into drama with tiny bits of comedy. Unfortunately because on the way he killed the atmosphere and the show begun to deteriorate. The drama parts from time to time would be fine, but after Abe Vigoda left the show and after death of Jack Soo Barney Miller was barely watchable.

Overall a great show, filled with colorfull characters and intriguing plots... up to season 4. Later it was just not very interesting drama based on the sitcom with same actors used as suspects and witnesses over and over again. Just like in Night Court - drama took over the show and killed the atmosphere.

Rating	7.6
Funny	7 / 10
Entertaining	4 / 5
Characters	4 / 5
Nonrepetitive	4 / 5