DAVID MURDOCK: On watching old sitcoms

Like many Americans these days, I don’t watch “television” as much as I stream TV shows online. In fact, I can’t watch television in the way I did when I was younger; I “cut the cord” on my cable service years ago when I realized that I was paying quite a lot of money for one single show.

Since I was only watching that one show regularly, the expense didn’t seem worth it. Now, I watch old shows I enjoyed back in the day on various streaming services, which has two advantages. First, I know I’ll enjoy the shows I’m watching, and second, the expense of streaming is far less — for me, at least — than paying for cable.  Sure, I watch a few shows original to those particular streaming services, but mostly it’s the old shows.

Which has led to some interesting results — mostly, those old shows aren’t quite what I remember, and even when they are, I’m getting something entirely different from them this view-around. For example, I loved “WKRP in Cincinnati” back when it first ran on CBS from 1978 to 1982. I was still just a kid, so I didn’t pick up on a lot of what was going on, but there are still lines from that show that bounce around in my head as if I’d heard them yesterday.

Another favorite sitcom of mine was “Barney Miller,” the ABC show that originally ran from 1975 to 1982. I only remember the later years of it clearly, but I watched it whenever it was in reruns back when I still had cable, and I found out recently that it’s on one of my streaming services. So … I’ve been binging “Barney Miller,” watching two or three episodes per night.

It’s possible that I love the show even better this view-around. “Barney Miller” is a “workplace comedy” about the detective squad of the 12th Precinct in New York City. The later episodes I remember so clearly all took place inside the squad room, with no scenes set outside of it. This view-around, I was surprised to see that some of the earlier episodes — before the show had quite found its footing — did have some scenes at other locations. I’m sure I knew that — since I’ve watched the series through several times — but it really didn’t strike me like it has this time.

However, there are some details that escaped my attention on previous watches that really stand out now. Mostly minor details, but still. For example, back then, TV shows actually quoted prices in dollar amounts, something they don’t do anymore, really. I’ve had to use the internet a few times to have an idea of how much money in 2023 dollars is discussed.

Another one is that Abe Vigoda, who portrays Detective Sgt. Philip K. Fish, is nearing retirement in the opening seasons and eventually does so at the end of the third season (with a few later “guest-starring” appearances). Vigoda went on to star in a spin-off sitcom, “Fish,” that lasted only a year before it was canceled. Vigoda, who seemed always to play characters older than he really was, was a little over a year younger than I am right now when he started on the show, playing a character that was about a decade older. Well, if I didn’t feel “old” before, I do now.

Another thing is that the show isn’t always consistent with its characters. Jack Soo, who played Detective Sgt. Nick Yemana (and who passed away about halfway through Season Five), gives his in-show age at one point as 46. In another episode, Yemana mentions serving in the U.S. Army during the Italy campaign in World War II. There’s no way — Yemana would have been about 14 years old then, following the details in the show.

The aspect that’s struck me the hardest has been the near-hopelessness of the social situation in New York City in the late 1970s — there is almost a despair among some of the characters as they confront the social ills of the time. “Barney Miller” plays the situation for laughs — which is really about all one can do in such a situation — but there is a real sense that society is spinning out of control around the characters as they struggle to maintain some sort of order. Although most of the criminals portrayed are non-violent, such as pickpockets, there are moments of deep tragedy.

One of those moments involves Gregory Sierra’s character, Detective Sgt. Chano Amanguale. Although the character leaves the show after Season Two, he has one of the most memorable scenes of the entire run.  In the first season, Chano is forced to shoot two bank robbers to prevent them from harming hostages — both are killed. All of this takes place off-camera, so all we see are the reactions of the detectives. The last scene is one of those rare ones set outside of the squad room — Chano is sitting at his dining table in his apartment, sobbing his eyes out, even though the shooting was completely justified.

Like most sitcoms I enjoy, “Barney Miller” had an exceptional ensemble cast and sharp writing. Such shows are rare nowadays — that’s why I stream the classics.

David Murdock is an English instructor at Gadsden State Community College. He can be contacted at murdockcolumn@yahoo.com. The opinions reflected are his own.   

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: David Murdock looks at old sitcoms