Let me just say that I think SCTV and Barney Miller are the two best shows of the 1970s-Early 80s. Only one thing about Barney Miller bugs me though: How come the victims never press any charges? That's the only thing about this show that isn't very realistic. Some of those guys deserve to go jail...

Hey, welcome to the board:wave:

Hi:)

Maybe the characters DO press charges, just not on screen. You know, just as the characters do use the restroom, but you just don't see it (though you see Fish & others entering & exiting). Just like in car chase or Bruce Willis films (except Pulp Fiction), you rarely see the characters stop for a bite or a restroom stop, much less a fill-up at a gas station. Basically, it's because it's all fiction. If you see people press charges on BM, it could take time out from the witty dialog, etc. Throws off the laughs.

Barney is always talking people out of pressing charges! He does that every week, it's his thing. But then, I just watched an episode the other day where he had to talk someone into pressing charges. ha

You're right, egregiousgirl - Barney talked a lot of people out of pressing charges. The one time that I recall that he wasn't so quick to talk them out of it was when Lt. Scanlon was accused of harrassing a woman. The woman later dropped the complaint when Scanlon apologised to the woman- after he had a talk with Barney, of course! The scene in Barney's office between Barney & Scanlon was really funny, because George Murdock (who plays Scanlon) was so "out-there" sleezy in his dialog with Barney, that you can see Hal Linden suppressing laughter. George Murdock was incredibly funny as Scanlon.