Fish Boned the Fish When... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 10-05-2013, 05:00 AM

http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?3802

Quote:

Fish was a spin-off television series of the sitcom Barney Miller. It starred Abe Vigoda as Detective Phil Fish and Florence Stanley as his wife Bernice. For awhile, the character of Phil Fish continued to appear on Barney Miller as Vigoda headlined this program. In the series, which focused on the domestic side of his life, Fish and Bernice became foster parents to five racially-mixed children known as "Persons in Need of Supervision", or PINS.

Retro4Life · 10-05-2013, 01:38 PM

LOL, probably Day One. It wasn't a BAD show, but the idea of Fish as a henpecked husband and father just didn't work that well for me. He needed the guys at the office to play off of. I loved the character, but I think he worked best in a supporting role.

Mr. Television · 10-05-2013, 01:41 PM

Some characters are just meant to be supporting characters. Fish was one of these. He was great on Barney Miller but there was only so much you could do with him as a lead.

Chrisothebigc · 11-12-2013, 02:16 AM

FISH never jumped the shark or "boned the fish" (what a revolting term). Personally, I loved it.

TMC · 02-25-2014, 06:01 PM

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/

Other Thoughts:

They took the best character from Barney Miller and gave him his own stupid show. BIG MISTAKE. It definitely jumped when he and his wife were moving into the house and his wife encouraged him to squint so the house would look better. And didn't he adopt a little black kid at some point?
Vigoda!
People still remember this show just because it has a pre-Diff'rent Strokes Todd Bridges. Whatchoo talkin' about Abe Vigoda?
How soon we forget folks. "Fish" ran more than a season. It actually went until '81 I believe, long enough to go into syndication. Really wasn't a bad show.
never!!! Fish Ruled!!!
When he died! Some national newspaper or magazine wrote that Abe Vigoda had died. His response was to appear on the cover of TIME magazine in a coffin. And you thought Fish was scary alive!
This show was funny and it had the most beautiful girl on TV, Denise Miller. I would give anything to know where she is now. She did "Sooner Or Later" with Rex Smith and her younger sis was Lara Jill Miller of Facts Of Life. Thanks.
Victor was a moron. SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!
Okay, Fish, a pessimistic, misanthropic sad sack retires so he and his wife can play nursemaids to a house full of adorable juvenile delinquents, none of whom take drugs or commit acts of violence. How much coke did the ABC brass snort before coming up with that idea? And why did Abe Vigoda forget how to act between "The Godfather" and "Barney Miller?" Tessio was a scary, slimy MF with a shark's grin (pardon the pun), Fish looked and acted like a reanimated corpse.
"Fish" didn't jump. Must clear up one thing, though— three posts up, Lara Jill Miller was not on "Facts of Life". She was on "Gimme a Break".
You can't take a character who was present at the beginning of one show and expect a successful spin-off. Fans of "Barney Miller" were always left to wonder if tired, old Fish would even make it to retirement. Once he did, that question was answered. Familiar to unfamiliar is always a recipe for disaster. "Fish" was truly out of water.

MacLeaper · 12-04-2014, 04:37 PM

How can Fish bone the Fish? Fish IS the Fish!

View Poll Results: Boned When...
Day 1	0	0%
Never Boned	3	100.00%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll

10-05-2013, 01:38 PM	#2
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	LOL, probably Day One. It wasn't a BAD show, but the idea of Fish as a henpecked husband and father just didn't work that well for me. He needed the guys at the office to play off of. I loved the character, but I think he worked best in a supporting role.
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

10-05-2013, 01:41 PM	#3
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	Some characters are just meant to be supporting characters. Fish was one of these. He was great on Barney Miller but there was only so much you could do with him as a lead.
	__________________ Sonny

02-25-2014, 06:01 PM	#5
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,493	https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/ Other Thoughts: They took the best character from Barney Miller and gave him his own stupid show. BIG MISTAKE. It definitely jumped when he and his wife were moving into the house and his wife encouraged him to squint so the house would look better. And didn't he adopt a little black kid at some point? Vigoda! People still remember this show just because it has a pre-Diff'rent Strokes Todd Bridges. Whatchoo talkin' about Abe Vigoda? How soon we forget folks. "Fish" ran more than a season. It actually went until '81 I believe, long enough to go into syndication. Really wasn't a bad show. never!!! Fish Ruled!!! When he died! Some national newspaper or magazine wrote that Abe Vigoda had died. His response was to appear on the cover of TIME magazine in a coffin. And you thought Fish was scary alive! This show was funny and it had the most beautiful girl on TV, Denise Miller. I would give anything to know where she is now. She did "Sooner Or Later" with Rex Smith and her younger sis was Lara Jill Miller of Facts Of Life. Thanks. Victor was a moron. SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT!! Okay, Fish, a pessimistic, misanthropic sad sack retires so he and his wife can play nursemaids to a house full of adorable juvenile delinquents, none of whom take drugs or commit acts of violence. How much coke did the ABC brass snort before coming up with that idea? And why did Abe Vigoda forget how to act between "The Godfather" and "Barney Miller?" Tessio was a scary, slimy MF with a shark's grin (pardon the pun), Fish looked and acted like a reanimated corpse. "Fish" didn't jump. Must clear up one thing, though— three posts up, Lara Jill Miller was not on "Facts of Life". She was on "Gimme a Break". You can't take a character who was present at the beginning of one show and expect a successful spin-off. Fans of "Barney Miller" were always left to wonder if tired, old Fish would even make it to retirement. Once he did, that question was answered. Familiar to unfamiliar is always a recipe for disaster. "Fish" was truly out of water.

12-04-2014, 04:37 PM	#6
MacLeaper Child of the 80s Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 20, 2001 Posts: 3,355	How can Fish bone the Fish? Fish IS the Fish!
	__________________ "Oh boy!" - Dr. Sam Beckett "You can do anything you wanna do if you put your mind to it." - MacGyver "Have mercy!" - Uncle Jesse "Ha, I kill me!" - ALF "I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No man comes to The Father but by Me."- Jesus Christ (John 14:6)

11-12-2013, 02:16 AM	#4
Chrisothebigc Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2009 Location: Washington State Posts: 87	FISH never jumped the shark or "boned the fish" (what a revolting term). Personally, I loved it.