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Sure, 'Fish' only lasted an unmemorable 2 seasons, but it did make the cut and actually lasted longer than many other ill conceived spin-off attempts. What about Wojo? The producers gave serious thought to spin him off into his own series, but thought better of it at the last minute.

The question I pose is this, should Max Gail have gotten his own series? Was he a strong enough character to carry a show? Would he have been a better option than Abe Vigoda's 'Fish' character?

No - I don't think Wojo was a strong enough character to carry his own show. Besides, the dynamics of Barney and Wojo's bond would have been sorely missed.

I don't believe his character could carry a show either. He played the big, strong, gung-ho & slightly dumb detective and it worked out well with the other characters on the show. But I can't see a show revolving just around him. Now Harris on the other hand might have a been a good choice for his own show. He was smart, cool, witty & was also an author which would have made for an interesting show.

Well considering that Wojo's Girl Part 2 is my least favorite episode, a Wojo spinoff would not have worked. Now the Harris and Dietrich odd couple type spinoff they were thinking about would have been awesome.

Now the Harris and Dietrich odd couple type spinoff they were thinking about would have been awesome.

I concur!!!! :cool:

Wojo and Fish were wonderful characters.

However Wojo had kinda unknown personal life -- Fish was married to Bernice and it was easier to write stories around the two of them..

.

Plus Florence Stanley played the nagging wife so well it was easy to see why Fish complained about her all the time. :lol:

Wojo has always been my number one favorite character. Some of the best lines and acting of the series by far.

His own personal arc as Wojo would say that no, he probably wouldn't have succeeded having his own show.

He started as the one dimensional extra dumb guy, blossomed into the "complex dumb guy with a heart" that really shined, and ultimately started phoning it in, in the final seasons.

But hey, everybody thought Abe would be a lead-pipe cinch for having his own successful show. And it didnt turn out that way.

People can say that contract negotiations killed that show but let's be real. FISH was a stinker.

Who the hell needed a ghetto version of "Eight is enough"?

People can say that contract negotiations killed that show but let's be real. FISH was a stinker.

And such is why I haven't even touched the one season's worth that was included on Shout!'s full release of Barney Miller.

i thought they were gonna give him a show after we saw him and his girl in his apartment

Season five's "Wojo's Girl" was actually a backdoor pilot for a potential "Barney Miller" spin-off called "Off Duty," which would've focused on the personal lives of Barney and his detectives. "Wojo's Girl" originally aired as an hour-long episode that was re-edited into a two-part episode for syndication.

People can say that contract negotiations killed that show but let's be real. FISH was a stinker.



Well, if someone could dig up old issues of VARIETY from the time-period, there's bound to be a mention that ABC canceled FISH either from ratings or contract issues.

Wojo

Well, if someone could dig up old issues of VARIETY from the time-period, there's bound to be a mention that ABC canceled FISH either from ratings or contract issues.

According to Todd Bridges (in his 2010 memoir "Killing Willis"), Abe Vigoda demanded more money to star in a third season of "Fish." Producers refused to accept Vigoda's demands, so ABC decided to cancel "Fish" in the summer of 1978. This is probably the reason why Vigoda didn't appear on "Barney Miller" until season seven's "Lady And The Bomb" in 1981.

I don't see any of the actors except Abe Vigoda being strong enough to support a show. Even Hal Linden was pretty useless alone.

Barney Miller was the classic example of an ensemble cast. Jack Soo's character was probably the weakest.

There was a Wojo centered episode in the series, a very rare episode outside the precinct house with Wojo moving in with a girlfriend, and they fight, and whatever, and for me it was a boring episode and wanting to see the rest of the characters and it was the Wojo Show. Wasn't very good and maybe this was the so called "backdoor pilot".

Some of you guys are so harsh it makes me wonder if you’re really fans. Max phoned it in? Hal was useless? Jack Soo was weak? Uh, no. Max is an Emmy winning and frankly brilliant actor, Hal’s pretty darn amazing too. He’s won Tony and Emmy awards. Jack Soo was one of the funniest actors on the show,

For the record, Max didn’t like Wojo’s Girl, and didn’t want a spin off because he loved being right where he was. He got Danny to promise Wojo wouldn’t get his own series.

Edited to add additional info.

Some of you guys are so harsh it makes me wonder if you’re really fans. Max phoned it in? Hal was useless? Jack Soo was weak? Uh, no. Max is an Emmy winning and frankly brilliant actor, Hal’s pretty darn amazing too. He’s won Tony and Emmy awards. Jack Soo was one of the funniest actors on the show,

For the record, Max didn’t like Wojo’s Girl, and didn’t want a spin off because he loved being right where he was. He got Danny to promise Wojo wouldn’t get his own series.

Touché Sue! Phooey on the naysayers! They were all good on the show, but it’s not always easy to do spinoffs. My preference would have been a Dietrich or Harris spin-off; the other actors were fine, but I think the characters of Dietrich and Harris were more developed by the writers.

My favorite character: Barney! But I liked them all.

So glad your back!