Actually, to be fair, it was written and presented with the same quality & style as the rest of the series. It’s just that what made *Barney Miller *so funny was the ensemble cast. This episode (part two at least) seemed too much like a Max Gail vanity project (he directed some episodes of BM) and was too serious. None of the (very few) episodes of Barney Miller that took place outside the squad room were all that great.
Lucas?!? Ewwwww! Although Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House character could certainly be a selfish, manipulative jerk, he was always suave, likeable, and right. Lucas was a greasy, weaselly, creep!
I just saw this on a late night rerun and I watched *The Ropers *originally as a kid, but I still wasn’t sure so I had to look it up. It originally was not a backdoor pilot, but Wiki says regarding The Ropers first episode - “This episode is sometimes included in “Three’s Company” syndication.”
Not really. They were both Quinn Martin (clink) productions. Frank Cannon appeared in the first Barnaby Jones episode but it was standalone. There were crossover episodes later on.
Behind the scenes, Barnaby Jones was going to appear on Cannon first and be spun off. But the series was picked up before that happened so the Cannon script was turned into the Barnaby Jones pilot.
Now, excuse me. I’ve got to “take care of” a nosy old man.
There are two episodes from the fourth season of “The Untouchables” that focus on Barbara Stanwyck as Lt Agatha Stewart of Missing Persons. Edward Asner plays her assistant. I don’t know if they were made with spin-offs in mind but they seem like it.
