When Antenna TV brought back Barney Miller, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. The police comedy was always viewed as a fine sitcom. But was it really that good? One weekend evening, I clicked over to catch an episode and didn’t click back until the end credits. Turns out the antics of the detective squad room at New York City’s 12th Precinct were elite. The show deserves to be loved for its ability to mix up serious topics involving criminals, victims and cops and make it all funny in the end. Where else will you get laughs about a college student making a dirty bomb in Manhattan? Barney Miller: The Complete Sixth Season keeps up the show’s ability to unleash mayhem for an authoritative position.
In the middle of the fifth season Jack Soo died leaving the show a detective short when his Sergeant Nick Yemana departed the series. They didn’t replace him on the force in the sixth season. The detectives on duty remained Stan Wojociehowicz (Max Gail), Ron Harris (Ron Glass) and Arthur Dietrich (Steve Landesberg). Officer Carl Levitt (Ron Carey) was given a little extra time in the squad room to help out. Overseeing them all is the affable Captain Barney Miller (Hal Linden). Deputy Inspector Frank Luger (The Lawless Years‘ James Gregory) would show up to ruffle feathers with his old time law enforcement attitude.
“Inquisition” features an anonymous letter showing up in which someone in the 12th precinct confesses to being gay. Lt. Ben Scanlon wants to out the gay member and get him fired. Barney doesn’t agree with this attitude. But who can it be on the force? This episode aired in 1979 when being openly gay was still a taboo thing for a cop. “The Photographer” busts Jesus Christ. “The Brother” has a monk get dragged into the station along with a hooker. “The Slave” deals with a foreign chauffeur basically being a slave. This is interesting since there’s been stories of this happening in New York City over the last few years. “Strip Joint” takes us back to when Manhattan could afford having adult entertainment on the block instead of another Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. “The Desk” has an Amish crime victim unable to use a telephone. Perhaps this episode inspired Witness? “The Judge” reminds those sitting on the bench that they can’t hit people with their gavels. “People’s Court” features a census taker who goes to an extreme counting method. “Vanished” is a two-parter about Harris disappearing when he goes undercover as a homeless man. Did he become a victim himself? “Dietrich’s Arrest” is another two-parter. He gets busted during an anti-nuclear rally. “Fog” ends the season with Barney ticked off that he has been passed over for the position of deputy inspector. He seems ready to retire.
Don’t worry about the end coming anytime soon for Barney Miller. There’s two more seasons left for the show. Barney Miller remains arresting entertainment.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The show was videotaped in standard definition so there’s fuzziness to the squad room. But the image looks better than version syndicated on TV. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The levels make the opening bass notes quake your speakers. The episodes are Closed Captioned.
No bonus features.
Shout! Factory presents Barney Miller: The Complete Sixth Season. Starring: Hal Linden, Max Gail, Ron Glass and Steve Landesberg. Boxset Contents: 22 episodes on 3 DVDs. Rated: Unrated. Released: December 9, 2014.
