Customer Reviews

Barney Miller Season 1

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Who can forget that classic bass line intro! Barney Miller is finally on DVD in a two DVD set featuring the first 13 episodes of season 1 totally uncut and commercial free for the first time! Barney Miller ran from Jan. 1975 to May 1982 (8 seasons, 170 episodes). The sitcom was a new concept, concerning a group of Police Detectives and their Captain and the goings-on in a NY precinct squadroom. The cast, which would make slight changes over the years, had to be one of the most diverse in TV history. In season one, the cast includes Barney (Hal Linden), Wojciehowicz (Max Gail), Harris (Ron Glass), Fish (Abe Vigoda), Yemana (Jack Soo) and Chano (Gregory Sierra). Season 1 is also the only time Barney's whole family were shown. In Season 2, only his wife Elizabeth (Barbara Barrie) had appearances and by Season 3, even she was written out of the show. Barney Miller is a rare sitcom from the 70s that is essential and makes a welcome addition to other classics like All in the family, Sanford & Son, and the Jeffersons. Season one includes these episodes:

Disc One:
01. Ramon
02. The experience
03. Snow job
04. Graft
05. Courtesans
06. Stakeout
07. The Bureaucrat
08. Ms. Cop
09. The vigilante
Disc Two:
10. The guest
11. Escape artist
12. Hair
13. Hero

Trivia:

*The characters of Barney, Wojo, & Harris would be the only detectives to remain throughout the entire series as regular cast members. Fish left after 3 seasons, Chano after 2, and Yemana after 4 (Jack Soo passed away in January 1979). In season 3, Detrich (Steve Landesberg) & Levitt (Ron Carey) would join the cast as regulars until the series ended.

*Look for Linda Lavin (TV's Alice) in episode 8 debuting as Det. Janice Wentworth. She would make appearances in the second season as well.

*Before Barney Miller, Gregory Sierra (Chano) was popular for his role as Fred and Lamont's neighbor, Julio, who had a pet goat named Chico, on Sanford & Son. He made appearances on everything from All in the Family (where he had no accent) to Miami Vice. After Barney Miller, Sierra joined the cast of Soap.

*One of the main series writers, Reinhold Weege, previously wrote on M*A*S*H* and went on to create one of the funniest sitcoms ever, Night Court! (by the way, where's season one?!!)

Jack Soo (1916-1979)
James Gregory (Insp. Frank Luger) (1911-2002)
Florence Stanley (Bernice Fish) (1924-2003)

Also Highly recommended on DVD:
All in the family
Sanford & Son
The Jeffersons
Good Times
What's Happening
Three's Company

Okay, I know there was a lot of dreck back then too, (Remember "The Nancy Walker Show"? Count yourself lucky if you don't.) but it does seem that the 70s were the golden age of the TV sitcom, with such ground-breakers as "All In The Family," "M*A*S*H" and "Mary Tyler Moore" leading the way. Those fine shows always got their due in terms of critical applause, but nestled among them was a quiet little gem of wit and insight that to my mind was never fully appreciated, then or now.

That show is "Barney Miller," and finally, at long last, it comes to DVD. That alone is reason to rejoice. The show has been pretty much gone from syndication for years, for some odd reason. The Internet Movie Data Base has almost nothing on it. Virtually the only evidence it ever existed is Barney's badge, which is on display in the Smithsonian Institution.

The first season is a bit different than the rest of the series, however. The writers and producers were still finding their voices, or rather the show's voice. Things are a bit more "hysterical," and the droll wit that later became the show's signature is present here only in small amounts. (Tellingly, those jokes get the biggest laughs.) The first season sought to balance Barney's home life with his work, but gradually the home, including the wife and kids, were phased out. ("Just Shoot Me" followed the same trajectory, albeit much more quickly. With "JSM," however, I liked it the original way.) Even in the pilot episode, the home sequences are stagy, slow and a one-joke affair. (Wife wants hubby to quit the force; hubby loves his job too much.) The show only displays its true potential when we're in the stationhouse. And Ron Glass, not a permanent member in the first year, is not present in all the episodes. In the second show there is another black detective, named Wilson, who is frankly not very good or funny. They were right to go with Glass permanently, though his Harris is not yet quite the flashy, irreverent wiseguy he later became.

Much as I'd like to give this set five stars, the truth is the packaging is somewhat shoddy. Picture and sound are decent (image is a little flat), but they could have given us some extras (real extras). A brief interview with the cast members today, most of whom are still alive, would have been nice, or maybe some commentaries from cast members about their favorite episodes. Even commentary in a booklet would have been welcome. As it is, I get the impression Sony just slammed this together as quickly as possible.

I hope it makes money for them, however, so that they release the rest of the seasons. This was a brilliant series, and the best episodes are yet to come.

Wow! Barney Miller had a lot of talented actors. Abe Vigoda as "Fish" is one of our favorites. We thought that Gregory Sierra was great as Julio on "Sanford & Son", and we enjoyed him just as much on "Barney Miller". The multicultural crew was a tremendous mix of people and personalities. We thought "Barney Miller" was one of the funniest shows on TV. This wasn't one of the seasons that won an Emmy, but a good season anyway. As others have noted, the video quality is not the best. The audio is acceptable with the dialogue being understandable in most places. I don't mind the lack of extras. I'd rather have no extras than something thrown together at the last minute. It would have been great to have the pilot, "The Life and Times of Barney Miller". The price seems a bit high for only 13 episodes. ("Gilligan's Island" has 36 episodes and the pilot episode for only a few dollars more!) We loved the comedy on this show.

Here is an episode guide, with a tiny description:
1. Ramon: A junkie holds the precinct hostage.
2. Experience: Detective Fish thinks about retiring. A bomb is left at the precinct.
3. Snow Job: Wojo has been entrusted with cash from a department store during a blizzard.
4. Graft: An inspector arrives to investigate possible corruption at the precinct.
5. The Courtesans: When Wojo tries to reform a hooker, she threatens to file harrassment charges.
6. Stakeout: A stakeout operation is threatened by some nosy neighbors.
7. Bureaucrat: A drunken bureaucrat is jailed.
8. Ms. Cop: Linda Lavin's first episode as a "by-the-book" cop.
9. Vigilante: An elderly man defends his neighborhood. An inspector insists that the 12th precinct should be hated by the citizenry.
10. The Guest: Wojo eats a poisoned sandwiched intended for a mob prisoner. Chano sets up a drug buy with his coworkers' money.
11. Escape Artist : The 12th precinct holds an escaped prisoner. Harris starts writing a police novel.
12. Hair: A long-haired scruffy type from Narcotics is transferred to the precinct. Fish's afternoon at a massage parlor upsets his wife, Bernice.
13. The Hero: Chano shoots a robber.

Barney Miller will always be a favorite sitcom of mine. It was different, and had its own brand of humor, Its setting being Manhattan is very appropriate for the ethnic range of policemen. Like another reviewer stated, this 1st season is still discovering its characters and who they are about. That is why I give it only 4 stars. This season, along with the 2nd (the 2 should have been packaged together!) pretty much test out who would survive the 12 precinct, with several guest detectives popping up, then quickly disappearing, like Wilson in episode 2 and Lovatelli in season 2, as well as Linda Lavin as Wentworth in both seasons. Do not be fooled by the expermental nature of this seaosn, it is FUNNY. It is just that some of our favorites are not who we fondly remember yet...Wojo starts off as a muscleheaded doofus who hasn't been sensitized to the world around him yet, Harris starts off as more of a "Hey baby!" jive-talking detective who hasn't found his dry, witty voice yet (the last 4 years of the show are his best). Yemana and Fish are pretty constant throughout their runs. Chano is a cool character, and I was surprised he didn't last past 2 seasons. Maybe the occasional spurts of Spanish from him didn't test well with audiences.

And then there is Barney himself. As the years went by, his words of wisdom and reason to his men and criminals alike were used by his men as well. He also forged good relationships with the men, especially Wojo. He is a trusted confidante of Fish and his many ailments. Inspector Luger seems to think Barney wants to hear his long tales about the past, but Barney just sits and listens patiently. Anyone who has seen the series knows it took a LOT to make Barney raise his voice in anger.

This series lasted for 8 seasons.....and only 1 has been released! A lot of 1 season wonders are out there on the shelves, and lots of 1-2 season no-wonders are also there, usually recent failures. A great like this should not be ignored.

What a great show. Of all the TV shows being released, this is my favorite. I can start laughing just remembering great moments, like the guy who thought he was a werewolf (who later returned as a man in need of an exorcism). And there was genuine humanity and sweetness in so many episodes. I love the one with the guy who's dressed as a woman. It's funny and touching and he is treated respectfully by the writers. The show made this unusual character a person, not just a joke or easy laugh or caricature. There are very few shows, then or now, that ever achieve that. So bring me more!!

It has been almost 2 years since the release of this DVD. We are waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for the next seasons. Would someone get their act together, please? I promise to buy them all.

Barney Miller is as timeless as MASH. It was wonderful to have the first season all on hand. But where is Season 2. We are ready to go on, why the hold up.

UPDATE 3-2-05 Sony customer service answered my inquiry. They have no current plans to release Season 2 or beyond. Sounds like we need a write in campaign - - SPHE_Customer_Service@spe.sony.com

I remember watching this show with my dad as a kid. Even though the first couple of seasons I dont remember, I rediscovered the show through TV Land and was thrilled when season 1 was brought out on DVD. I'm with everyone else, let's have the rest of the seasons! I had joined the Columbia House Library for this show on Video but I HATE when they put episodes out in not chronological order. They produced a handful of tapes and then stopped. Argh.

I really hope the rest of this show is brought out! The one episode I havent seen in years is the one with the man that thinks he's a werewolf. Brilliant.

May I just say that the world of entertainment lost a truly gifted actor when Jack Soo died.

Barney Miller may be the most underrated show in television history. Rarely has there been a show with such complimentary casting and writing. This series belongs in the same category as the Dick Van Dyke Shows and Andy Griffith Shows. It was realistic without being maudlin and funny without being insultingly stupid. The best of what is available on TV today isn't even close to measuring up to the worst Barney Miller show episode - not that I can even think of a bad one.

I truly hope that this is just the first release of what will be the whole 7 seasons of Barney Miller on DVD. I feel somewhat shortchanged that the first season was only the 13 episodes but I'm just thrilled it is finally available. If you remembered and loved Barney when he was first on, this DVD will be a wonderful trip down memory lane while also being a sad reminder of how low television has sunk. If this is your first viewing of the Barney Miller show, you are in for a joyful discovery of just how glorious television comedy can be when it is written by and for intelligent human beings!

This is one of my all-time favourite shows, one that I've been waiting for years for Sony / Columbia Tri-star to release (along with Newsradio).

Compared to some of the later Barney Miller seasons this probably isn't worth the full 5 stars, but it certainly deserves 5 starts compared to the zillions of average TV shows around, past or present.

I agree with the earlier review that mentioned that the picture quality isn't top-notch, but then it is almost thirty years since the original broadcasts and the quality is good enough that I forgot to worry about it within the first five minutes of the first episode. It's as good as other 70s television DVDs.

I don't mind the lack of bonus extras - as long the episodes are there I'm happy, though I miss not having "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller" mentioned in the other review.

Can't wait for the other seasons to be released, and well done to Sony for not coming out with a stupid 'best of' (which we all know would've picked the 'wrong' episodes). Full season releases are the only way to go.

I think that Barney Miller was one of the most clever sitcoms of the seventies. They don't make TV comedy anywhere as good as this anymore. I loved it at the time and love this first reissue of it. My fifteen year old son loved it as well. It resembles "theatre in the round" as various new and familiar faces appear and then leave. I am very upset that the second and subsequent years have not been reissued yet. Please, whoever can make this happen, I will trade my wife, son or my 1965 Gibson SG guitar to see all the seasons. You become so attached to all the characters as their personalities are revealed. I actually shed tears when when one of the characters died in real life. Again, highly recomended--and filmed entirely in 2 rooms (with one or two exceptions. 10 stars.