Zoneboy
04-23-2010, 03:26 AM
Link (http://www.herald-review.com/app/blogs/timcain/?p=1951)
I’ve taken to watching “Barney Miller” reruns Sunday nights on WGN.
Two episodes of the show run starting at 8 p.m.
I always had a fondness for “Barney Miller” during its run on ABC from 1975 to 1982, and have the entire series on DVD. (OK, I got it from a copyright-evading thief. Sue me. Sue the thief. And sue Sony, which has so far managed to put just three of the seasons out on legitimate DVDs.)
Fortunately, the “Barney Miller”s currently airing on WGN are well past the fourth season, so I get regular doses of my favorite character, Arthur Dietrich, played by Steve Landesberg.
Landesberg remains a comedian and comic actor, but he’s never made me laugh as hard as he did when playing Dietrich, the intellectual loner. Dietrich apparently had numerous doctorates, or at least studied at high levels in many areas. He was multi-lingual, well-read, a stickler for details, and knew a lot about everything. He was arrested at a nuclear protest rally, and handed in his resignation after using his gun to thwart a robbery. He annoyed the heck out of his co-workers. What’s not to like?
At the time the show was airing, my internal rebel worshipped Dietrich, the smart-aleck who was allowed to be a smart-aleck because his other contributions were so valuable. Thirty years down the line, I understand how a person like Dietrich could be really annoying to be around, and I understand better some of the stern looks (and worse) I received at early jobs.
But as I watch Dietrich now, I realize he’s probably my favorite TV policeman. I don’t claim to be an expert – I haven’t drilled a ton of police shows into my skull.
So I’ll put forth the question to you: Who’s your favorite TV policeman past or present, and why?
I’ve taken to watching “Barney Miller” reruns Sunday nights on WGN.
Two episodes of the show run starting at 8 p.m.
I always had a fondness for “Barney Miller” during its run on ABC from 1975 to 1982, and have the entire series on DVD. (OK, I got it from a copyright-evading thief. Sue me. Sue the thief. And sue Sony, which has so far managed to put just three of the seasons out on legitimate DVDs.)
Fortunately, the “Barney Miller”s currently airing on WGN are well past the fourth season, so I get regular doses of my favorite character, Arthur Dietrich, played by Steve Landesberg.
Landesberg remains a comedian and comic actor, but he’s never made me laugh as hard as he did when playing Dietrich, the intellectual loner. Dietrich apparently had numerous doctorates, or at least studied at high levels in many areas. He was multi-lingual, well-read, a stickler for details, and knew a lot about everything. He was arrested at a nuclear protest rally, and handed in his resignation after using his gun to thwart a robbery. He annoyed the heck out of his co-workers. What’s not to like?
At the time the show was airing, my internal rebel worshipped Dietrich, the smart-aleck who was allowed to be a smart-aleck because his other contributions were so valuable. Thirty years down the line, I understand how a person like Dietrich could be really annoying to be around, and I understand better some of the stern looks (and worse) I received at early jobs.
But as I watch Dietrich now, I realize he’s probably my favorite TV policeman. I don’t claim to be an expert – I haven’t drilled a ton of police shows into my skull.
So I’ll put forth the question to you: Who’s your favorite TV policeman past or present, and why?