Otto Bruno wrote the definitive history of the series a couple of years ago, and devouring it while on vacation was the thing to do. This was not an easy book to write. Most of the people involved in the writing, production, and acting are no longer with us. Bruno relied on old interviews, plus talks with wives, husbands, sons and daughters to get his information.
Johnny Carson, who knew comedy, called "Barney Miller" one of the two best written sitcoms on television. "M*A*S*H" was the other. In fact, it was the writing that led to the series' demise. It was never cancelled. Other studios kept stealing the writers, and Danny Arnold believed that if they couldn't keep up the quality, it was time to go. Arnold ended the series-- not ABC.
By the way, you have to love Danny Arnold. In the early years, he constantly threatened to pull the plug if ABC interfered. The network got the message. One of the ABC people eventually told one of the actors, after "Barney Miller" was long off the air, that he was the ABC executive in charge of the show. They had never met. ABC had a strong performer, never a huge hit, and it was smart enough to stay away.
This book is not for the casual fan. If you love "Barney Miller," you will enjoy the book. I especially liked chapters devoted to the characters who came through the squad room. Most played a few different roles during the series eight year run. "Barney Miller" creator Danny Arnold had a salon of favorites, and they never failed to hit it out of the park.
Much of the book is devoted to an episode guide that rises above the usual fare, featuring bits of trivia and things even a devoted Barney fan didn't know.
This was a great way to spend several vacation hours.
