Barney Miller is one of my favorite TV sitcoms and always will be. Acting & writing were top-notch and there always seemed to be a feeling that the cast really enjoyed working together.
There does seem to be one common trait associated with successful sit-coms, from "Andy Griffith," to "All In The Family," to "Barney Miller" to "Cheers." It usually takes a season or two to hash out the delineation of the characters in a show. A period of time is needed to discard what doesn't work or fit until the actors find the characters "niche" or "comfort zone." Barney Miller was a much better series after Fish & Chano left, mainly because those 2 characters seemed to be the main focus in the first couple of seasons. On their departure, the other characters seemed to crystallize and the ensemble became more cohesive. You "knew" how these guys would, or could react in certain situations. I thought the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" was better after Rhoda & Phyllis left. The "Andy Griffith Show" became better when Griffith(to his great credit) began playing it "straighter" when he recognized Don Knotts brilliance. "Cheers" was better after Shelly Long departed, etc.
I guess my ultimate point here is that I wonder how many possibly great shows were axed to early, before reaching that "comfort zone" area of character development? Luckily, "Barney Miller" was not.
There does seem to be one common trait associated with successful sit-coms, from "Andy Griffith," to "All In The Family," to "Barney Miller" to "Cheers." It usually takes a season or two to hash out the delineation of the characters in a show. A period of time is needed to discard what doesn't work or fit until the actors find the characters "niche" or "comfort zone." Barney Miller was a much better series after Fish & Chano left, mainly because those 2 characters seemed to be the main focus in the first couple of seasons. On their departure, the other characters seemed to crystallize and the ensemble became more cohesive. You "knew" how these guys would, or could react in certain situations. I thought the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" was better after Rhoda & Phyllis left. The "Andy Griffith Show" became better when Griffith(to his great credit) began playing it "straighter" when he recognized Don Knotts brilliance. "Cheers" was better after Shelly Long departed, etc.
I guess my ultimate point here is that I wonder how many possibly great shows were axed to early, before reaching that "comfort zone" area of character development? Luckily, "Barney Miller" was not.