The Life & Times of Captain Barney Miller

Hit the streets of the 12th Precinct with this deep dive into three standout episodes of Barney Miller: Homeless, The Tontine, and Examination Day. From navigating the struggles of the unhoused, to the peculiarities of a high-stakes tontine, to the chaos of promotional exams, these episodes showcase the humor and heart that make the series timeless. Join us as we unpack the stories, the social commentary, and the unforgettable moments that keep us coming back for more!

We're back and talking about the final season of Barney Miller: Possession in which Kenneth Tigar returns with another spiritual crisis, Stress Analyzer which wastes some comic potential of Deitrich wearing the titular analyzer, and Games in which we see collusion between the US government and Russia.  The more things change, right? 

We're back to Barney Miller and we're joined by our dear friend Richard Hatem to dive into the first three episodes of Season 8:  Paternity, Advancement, and The Car.  They're three pretty solid episodes of our favorite cop show from the '70s/'80s. 

We've paused between Barney Miller seasons 7 and 8 to take a look at the spin-off show, Fish.  Abe Vigoda is back as Phil Fish and Florence Stanley as Bernice.  Also along for the ride is a cavalcade of kids (some familiar to us, and some new) and Barry Gordon doing his best at a Woody Allen impression.Chris and Mike cover the "highlights" and lowlights of this ill-conceived show. 

We wrap up the seventh season of Barney Miller with special guest Otto Bruno (author of Barney Miller and the Files of the Ol' One-Two) as we discuss the final three episodes with The Vests,  The Rainmaker, Liquidation which ends with Harris's libel lawsuit.  

The word we've used to describe Season 7 of  Barney Miller is "uneven".  These three episodes are great examples of that with the fairly strong episodes "The Doll" and "Lady and the Bomb" in which we get the usual strange people coming to the Old One Two (including the re-appearnce of Fish.  "Riot", however, is a tin-eared "very special episode".

Rachel Miller returns!  Is your pulse racing yet?  Mike and Chris discuss this bizarre episode where Wojo wants to date Barney's daughter. They also dive into the two-parter "Contempt" where Barney goes to the slam due to his principles. 

We continue to plod through the seventh season of Barney Miller with another uneven group of episodes. We meet a grammar Nazi in "The Psychic" and a real Nazi in "The Librarian".  In-between we find out that Carl Levitt can speak American Sign Language in the sublime episode "Stormy Weather" where a deaf prostitute is under arrest. 

Special guest Richard Hatem returns to discuss four episodes of Barney Miller!  Resignation in which Deitrich tries to resign only to manage to insult all of his co-workers.  Field Associate in which we learn that there's a snitch in the precinct.  And the two-parter, Movie, wherein Harris becomes an auteur by creating a heady adult film.

This three episode run of Barney Miller was the beginning, middle, and end of a new Detective in the old One-Two, Det. Sgt. Eric Dorsey (Paul Lieber). Sitting at Nick's desk, Dorsey was a quasi-Dietrich in his humor but couldn't ingratiate himself with his fellow detectives. We chart the introduction and fall of this ill-concieved character as we continue our trek through the uneven 7th season.