Barney Miller The Complete Third Season
Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Max Gail
Jack Soo, Ron Glass, Steve Landesberg
22 Episodes 3 DVD
Originally Aired 1976-77
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 2009
Whoever packaged Barney Miller The Complete Third Season DVD set should be shot. Stacking the 3 Barney Miller DVD on top of each other in a single spindle is beyond cheap. That aside, season 3 of this great 70s situation comedy is rock solid and eminently watchable over and over again; I know, I am going to do it. For those wondering, the episodes are the original and not the syndicated, edited for time version.
The 22 episodes of Barney Miller The Complete Third Season hint at a spinoff series for Fish (1977 and 1978), and ends with a two-parter where the police goes on strike. There is also an excellent two-parter where the 12th Precinct gets quarantined after an infectious prisoner gets sick at the station. –yes, that is the Major from Soap playing the doctor. Quarantine Part 2 introduces officer Carl Levitt who will become a fixture in this situation comedy.
Other good episodes, and there are many in this 3 DVD set include Election, the episode where a guy thinks he is a werewolf, Wojo arrests a citizen for not getting involved. This episode also introduces a Hispanic detective (June Gable) but it is not Chano.
DVD 2 of this situation comedy box set includes the famous hash brownies episode, a good Christmas show, and an episode where there is a blackout and a perp with multiple personalities.
The third disc in Barney Miller The Complete Third Season features Harris’ first magazine publication, Barney looking into a sex surrogate, Jesus (David Clennon aka Miles Dentrell, Thirty Something, who also shows up later as a State Department official) dropping in the station, Levitt quitting the force, Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond, and the cops going on strike
Barney Miller is one of very few situation comedy DVD sets I can sit all the way through and watch all the episodes in a couple of days. This is probably why I already owned Barney Miller Season One and Two.
Aside from a few political references as to who is mayor or President, there is very little dated there although the neckties and the Smog Alert episode are a glaring exception. The one weak element in Barney Miller was and always was Inspector Luger, a one-joke character what overstayed his welcome the second time he showed up.
Other seventies situation comedy DVD reviews:
Our review I Dream of Jeannie The Complete Series
Our review Welcome Back Kotter Season One
Our review Bewitched Season Two
Our review Gilligan’s Island Season Three
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- 822 DVD set shows this seventies sitcom survived very well indeed.
- 71
Very solid sitcom season though little gets resolved in the relationships - 68This sitcom is still great after 100 episodes and 5 seasons. Solid DVD set.