The 12th Precinct Still Provides Fresh Fun

It is unusual, and very nice, when you get to develop a new passion, or rediscover a lost joy, when you get to be “a bit older”. I was lucky enough to start becoming a soccer fan when I traveled to Europe in 2010. I was there to cover the Ryder Cup in Wales, and my wife and I built a trip to the U.K., Paris, and Venice.

During the two weeks, I was so surrounded by soccer (football there), that I basically just decided to become more of a fan. I always had enjoyed the sport peripherally, but with the Premier League soon to debut on U.S. television, and the prospect of broadcasting some games myself, I dipped my toe in the water. I became an Arsenal supporter, and soon was very much into it.

A couple of years later, I even noted to my wife that it was so cool to become so wrapped up in a new interest at my age. I don’t think it happens that often. You get set in your ways, and that isn’t even necessarily bad, but having something new is really a great thing.

In a slightly different vein, but not that much so, was the happenstance of deciding while channel surfing a couple of months ago to DVR a few episodes of “Barney Miller”. It was a happy accident which has now become a sitcom version of my newfound enjoyment of soccer.

There are a whole slew of examples on channels like Antenna TV, TV Land, ME TV and the like, of shows that should remain in our memories, not in the present, but “Barney Miller” is certainly not one. The show completely holds up even though it concluded thirty five years ago, and could be shown brand new now as a period piece. It is completely evergreen, and actually fits today in such areas that made it ahead of its time such as numerous openly gay characters.

I remember very much liking the show when it was originally on, and in reruns shortly after, but returning to it has been an absolute delight. It is extremely funny, but in a different, low key, offbeat and intelligent manner. Set almost entirely in the 12th precinct squad room in Greenwich Village (one episode per year had a main character out of the office), the show looks and feels like a play, and a great one.

Maybe my impetus to revisit the show had a grain of its origin last summer. I went to play golf at Canyon Farms in Lenexa, Kansas, and there having lunch after a round of golf was the show’s star Hal Linden. Still active at the age of 87 he was in the middle of an engagement at the New Theatre restaurant. I am not much for bothering famous folks, but I was compelled to say hello and tell him how much I enjoyed his work.

Linden’s Barney Miller is the centerpiece of the show, but like most great comedy series, the main character is usually a straight man surrounded by more flamboyant players who are more often the ones that get the laughs. Barney is that anchor, but he is funny also, as he deals with the red tape and finances, and the peccadilloes of his co-workers, as well as those of the accused and the accusers.

I will get into the regulars on the show in a minute, but one of the greatest strengths of this show in its eight seasons WERE the accused and the accusers. Even though the show was shot in Los Angeles, you get the feeling that Broadway regulars are on call at all times to play the flaky suspects and witnesses. Many had recurring roles, and in the three or four subplots in each episode, they are consistently funny and well presented.

That’s a credit to the creators Danny Arnold and Theodore Flicker, and especially the director of most of the episodes, Noam Pitlik. If you Google some images of Pitlik and you are anywhere around my age, you will instantly recognize him from his many character acting roles. For his part, Arnold was renowned for his meticulous rewriting to the point where it became pointless to shoot in front of a studio audience, which was ditched after the first season.

The show wasn’t an instant favorite of mine, and the reason for that is simple…..Fish. Abe Vigoda’s cranky old detective with constant ailments and complaints about his home life, is actually one of the reasons the show became a hit, his character popular enough that it spawned an eponymous spinoff. For this I am eternally grateful, because I am very strong in my feelings that it was a far better show when he departed after three seasons.

That’s in very large part to the fact that he was basically replaced by Steve Landesberg’s Sergeant Dietrich. An unabashed intellectual, Dietrich’s, calm, controlled, lovable know-it-all persona to me took a fine show to another level. His disputes with Ron Glass’s Sergeant Harris are pure gold. Dietrich is a pretty unattractive fellow physically, but he has the confident air of a leading man, and his all-knowing smirk just plain makes you…..smirk. I absolutely love the character.

Glass was on for the entire run of the show and he is great. An affably arrogant African-American clothes horse with a glorious Afro, Harris is a fine detective, but he seems to want to do anything but be just that. He is an aspiring writer among other things, and his depictions of the frustrations of the job are another highlight. Glass does exasperated as well as it can be done.

Both Landesburg and Glass sadly have passed, but not Max Gail. Gail is still a successful working actor and director, but certainly he is most famous for his portrayal of Sergeant Stanley Wojciehowicz. Any human being would be proud to grow as much as Wojo does during the eight years of the show.

While Glass and Landesberg kind of play versions of themselves, Gail certainly does not. The Williams-educated Gail, who comes from a wealthy family, portrays a character who is an affable meathead with a heart of gold. The initial Wojo is a gung-ho type who leads with his emotions, not his head. A recurring storyline has him fail the sergeants exam four times before succeeding. By the time the show concludes we see a more thoughtful (though not entirely) Wojo.

Every person who has a recurring role does their job well, from Ron Carey’s annoyingly funny uniformed officer who is constantly bugging Barney about a promotion, to James Gregory’s Detective Inspector Frank Luger. Gregory’s Luger is out of touch and past his prime, constantly boring Barney with his tales about the good old days. This character is far funnier than I thought when I first watched the show.

I could name ten others, but I will conclude the casting with Jack Soo’s Detective Yemana. Yemana came from an internment camp background, and has a quirky, sarcastic, oddball view of life. An inveterate gambler, which creates funny subplots, he also often seems stunned by the events around him. His brewing of bad coffee is a running joke. Jack Soo died during the fifth season, and a tribute show was done, which I just watched, with the characters breaking the third wall as highlights of Yemana’s time were shown.

In my view everything about this show works. I can say with some certainty now watching 3–5 times a week, that it is one of the most clever, interesting, and funny shows ever. From the familiar base riff starting the theme over the opening credits which see each character eventually break into a welcoming smile, it’s a treat every time.

It is a show that you grin and chuckle at more than you guffaw, although there is enough of that, too. Each show has a few stories interwoven, and many of the laughs are from the particularly zany suspects and their accusers.

There are numerous stories about how real police officers admired the show, since it showed realistically that much of the police work is quite mundane and tethered to the station house. The “action” that dominates most police shows is a wild exaggeration.

It is very much worth searching for whatever version of “old TV” cable channel that you have to see “Barney Miller”. If you liked it, welcome back an old friend. If you didn’t, or aren’t sure you did, try it again. If you have never seen it, try it and you very likely will enjoy it. “Barney Miller” makes you think as you are laughing, and I can’t say anything much better about any piece of entertainment than that.