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SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

post #1 of 21
12/22/08 at 8:34am
Thread Starter 
Emmy Award® Winning Cop Comedy Series
Starring Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass and Jack Soo

Barney Miller:
The Complete Third Season

All 22 Episodes Available in a Three Disc DVD Set on March 17




CULVER CITY, CALIF. (January 5, 2009) – Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season makes its DVD debut March 17 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The Emmy Award® winning classic ABC comedy series stars Hal Linden (TV’s “Search for Tomorrow,” The Other Woman) as everyone’s favorite cop, along with a top-notch ensemble featuring Abe Vigoda (The Godfather), Emmy Award® nominee Max Gail (TV’s “Sons & Daughters”), Emmy Award® nominee Ron Glass (TV’s “Firefly”), Jack Soo (Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Green Berets), James Gregory (The Manchurian Candidate), Ron Carey (History of the World: Part I) and Emmy Award® nominee Steve Landesberg (TV’s “Head Case”). Watch all 22 memorable episodes on your own schedule, in a three disc set available for $29.95 SRP.

Barney Miller premiered January 23, 1975 on ABC. During its eight successful seasons, Barney Miller was nominated for 32 Emmy Awards®, winning three -- Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series.

SYNOPSIS
This season, the trials and tribulations continue at New York City’s 12th Precinct in Greenwich Village. The detectives are quarantined at the police station with a hooker, a man thinks he’s a werewolf and wreaks havoc in a park, Fish (Vigoda) goes undercover, and everyone on the squad except Barney (Linden) gets high from hash-laced brownies baked by Wojo’s (Gail) new girlfriend.

BROADCAST YEAR: 1976 - 1977 (ABC)

DVD Special Features Include:
· Full Screen Presentations
· Audio: English
· Closed Captioned

Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season Episodes Include:

Evacuation
Quarantine - Part I
Quarantine - Part II
Bus Stop
The Election
Werewolf
Recluse
Non-Involvement
Power Failure
Christmas Story
Hash
Smog Alert
Community Relations
Rand Report
Fire ‘77
The Abduction
The Sex Surrogate
Moonlighting
Asylum
Group Home
Strike - Part I
Strike - Part II


Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season has a run time of approximately 553 minutes is not rated. Artwork is available at Welcome to SPHE Connect. Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at Sony Pictures.

DVD Catalog #28920
UPC Code: 0-43396-28920-8
Order Date: 2/12/09
SLP: $29.95

“Emmy®” is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS.
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post #2 of 21
12/22/08 at 9:29am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

This is a nice surprise . . . . every time I think this series is dead on DVD, it keeps coming back, so it apparently still has some legs.
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post #3 of 21
12/22/08 at 12:53pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hug
This is a nice surprise . . . . every time I think this series is dead on DVD, it keeps coming back, so it apparently still has some legs.

10-4, Bob. Go figure Sony....4-year wait between S1 & 2 and this one comes from a back alley in the 12th precinct

Merry Christmas, Bob. I won't ask about the weather up there
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post #4 of 21
1/8/09 at 9:43am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

I'm very excited about this. I've got this on my list to pickup the day it comes out.
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post #5 of 21
3/17/09 at 5:15pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

I got S3 today and first off, thumbs down to Sony for the packaging. They've taken that single hub feature for their complete series packaging on Sanford and Son etc. and done it for this simple three disc set, in which they're all stacked on top of each other in a single hub which is not how I want to access these (I can understand that for a big complete series set, but not for something like this).

Also, the Part 1 recap for "Quarantine" has been eliminated and Part 2 starts cold with the credits.
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post #6 of 21
3/18/09 at 7:00am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack P
I got S3 today and first off, thumbs down to Sony for the packaging. They've taken that single hub feature for their complete series packaging on Sanford and Son etc. and done it for this simple three disc set, in which they're all stacked on top of each other in a single hub which is not how I want to access these (I can understand that for a big complete series set, but not for something like this).

Also, the Part 1 recap for "Quarantine" has been eliminated and Part 2 starts cold with the credits.

That is really BAD! I saw it at Barnes and Noble yesterday and plan on buying it... I thought it was odd they used a standard size keep case with a slip cover... I fig it was easier to do what they did with season 2 ... I would complain direct to their website if possible or if they have a customer service phone # and tell them the discs are scratched and the case is cheap.

If they released MILLER like this imagine all the other shows from SONY that will now get the HUB treatment in the future! This is VERY BAD!
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post #7 of 21
3/18/09 at 9:05am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

This gives so much hope for the future of TV on DVD.

I'll be buying each BM season they release.
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post #8 of 21
3/18/09 at 9:23am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

I got my set yesterday and I too was unhappy about the 'hub' configuration of the set. However, I do have to say that the discs were very snug in the hub and there weren't any scratches on any of the discs. That was a plus. I think that if Sony starts using the hubs for more than three discs I can see more and more discs being scratched. Hopefully this hub thing will vanish quickly and Sony will go back to more standard packaging.
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post #9 of 21
3/18/09 at 10:03am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

While I did purchase the third season set and that the disks were not damaged, I may be boycotting all Sony DVD purchases in the future. As always, this is just their attempt to cut costs instead of passing those savings onto the consumers.

Why won't studios stop messing around with their DVD packaging? If it's not broke, don't fix it. I'm actually converting one of my DVD cases and I'm inserting a two disk page so that the disks won't get damaged. (I'm fortunate enough to have a few DVD cases that contains inner binder hubs to snap DVD pages on the inside. I've convcerted one for a three disk set.
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post #10 of 21
3/25/09 at 1:43pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

I just called Sony Pictures Homes Entertainment's customer service department @ 800-860-2878 to complain about this packaging, which was also used on The Nanny: S3 (fortunately, Married with Children: S10 uses THINpacs.)

The more people that call to complain, the more likely Sony will stop using this stupid hub system.
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post #11 of 21
3/25/09 at 5:49pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Karl R, Thanks for the contact info, I will be calling soon as I despise this hub arrangement.

Doug
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post #12 of 21
4/17/09 at 10:14am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hug
This is a nice surprise . . . . every time I think this series is dead on DVD, it keeps coming back, so it apparently still has some legs.

Bob,

I saw you mention "Barney Miller" in the Best Then... thread but didn't want to muddy the waters over there with specific questions. I figured you like the show well enough you will check out this thread when it resurfaces.

I have questions on the video quality. The reviews seem shakey at best in this regard, but sometimes they may expect too much from an old show like this.

If you were to compare this video quality to other titles in your collection, which would it resemble? Figuring I may have one or two of those I could get a better idea. Most of my TV is on b/w which seems to fair better then color, for some reason. However, I know you have the Wagon Train color set, so how does it compare to those?
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post #13 of 21
4/17/09 at 10:32am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Before I order this set I will buy a 3 disk dvd case and just put them in that when I buy it. Put the artwork and all on the new case. How cheap can Sony be?
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post #14 of 21
4/17/09 at 11:45am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Quote:
Originally Posted by smithb
Bob,



I have questions on the video quality. The reviews seem shakey at best in this regard, but sometimes they may expect too much from an old show like this.

If you were to compare this video quality to other titles in your collection, which would it resemble?

It's 1970s era video tape quality and, unfortunately, very little of my TV-on-DVD collection consists of shows shot on video tape, so it's hard for me to make any kind of comparison. The best that I can tell you is that the presentation is nothing special, but it's certainly not horrible . . . . it's just sort of bland and that's probably due to the limitations of the video technology back then. If you're new to the show you might have some issues with it, but I think it's fine for those who remember watching the original broadcasts of the show. And really, with a show like Barney Miller, you're really not buying it for the cinematography/videography anyhow, as almost all of it it is set in the squad room. With this show, it's all about the writing/acting/direction.
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post #15 of 21
4/17/09 at 12:11pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Brad,

10-4 on Bob's post. I have several 70's sitcom sets in my collection and since they were originally shot on tape, as Bob said, the video Q won't match up with filmed shows in general. But the BM sets are easily watchable. If as Bob mentioned, someone had seen the show as originally aired, that makes these DVD sets easier to accept the video tape source material.

Since BM's one of my top sitcoms, I've really enjoyed the S1/S2 sets.
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post #16 of 21
4/17/09 at 1:45pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Bob and Jeff, thanks for the feedback. I actually do recall seeing it when it was originally broadcast (I'm 48). I couldn't remember the time slot, but I seem to recall someone saying it was on after "MASH". And I was around watching during the whole "All in the Family" and "MASH" years.

While I don't remember episodes I do remember the show quite well. There was even the "Fish" spinoff. Like you say it was primarily in the squad room, which was nothing more then a simple set.

I recently picked the first two seasons of the "Odd Couple", which was also video and it looked pretty good, but I'm not expecting quite as much here based on the reviews. However, I am interested in giving it a shot.

I really questioned going back to the sitcoms in the beginning. However, since starting out with "Andy Griffith" and then adding "Petticoat Junction", "I Love Lucy" and the "Honeymooners" I'm feeling better about it. But those are all older sitcoms. I got "McHale's Navy" season 2 for cheap but it hasn't clicked yet like the others. The "Odd Couple" I watched a lot when originally on so I'm hoping it will bring back fond memories.

I think I'll have to at least give "Barney Miller" season 2 a try.
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post #17 of 21
4/17/09 at 2:08pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

The Odd Couple was shot on film, not tape, so Barney Miller will never look that good. I'd say it is better than All in the Family, picture-wise, but worse than all the filmed shows.
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post #18 of 21
6/10/09 at 9:07pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Well...I picked up season 2 of BARNEY MILLER recently and watched the first three episodes. The first episode had some issue with one camera angle seeming out of focus most of the time. However, I did not see any similar issues on the other two episodes. Overall, the video is very exceptable to me.

I had forgotten how really good this show was and while some of the situation may be dated the humor still works quite well in my opinion. I'm looking forward to getting season 3 soon.

As for season 1, I skipped over that and went right to season 2 reading that it is when the series really hit its stride. Especially, considering the family part couldn't seem to compete with the squad room (from what I read). However, now I'm debating about going back for season 1. While maybe not quite as good as the later seasons it still maybe be better then many other shows.

So how would you rate season 1 to season 2? A must buy, or only necessary for the completest?
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post #19 of 21
6/10/09 at 9:56pm

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

S2 is better but if you like S2, I'd get S1 as well. It's true that, imo, the show really started picking up beginning with S2 but there are some great eps in S1. There are some slower ones in that set as you mentioned with the family setting vs the squad room. Since I'm a Barney Miller fan, getting S1 was an automatic buy for me.

Hopefully, there won't be any more 4-year waits between remaining sets as was the case between S1 & S2.
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post #20 of 21
6/11/09 at 8:26am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Considering the show is over 30 yrs old the quality is reasonable. I have 1-3 seasons on dvd. I especially love Jack Soo, he makes me laugh. The whole cast was good fit. I just hope they release more of this series on dvd.
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post #21 of 21
6/11/09 at 8:59am

Re: SPHE Press Release: Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Willis
S2 is better but if you like S2, I'd get S1 as well. It's true that, imo, the show really started picking up beginning with S2 but there are some great eps in S1. There are some slower ones in that set as you mentioned with the family setting vs the squad room. Since I'm a Barney Miller fan, getting S1 was an automatic buy for me.

Hopefully, there won't be any more 4-year waits between remaining sets as was the case between S1 & S2.

Thanks. Season 1 is pretty cheap so even if only half of them have the later feel it should be worth it. Especially, since we don't know if or when another season will come out.

I have to say I feel pretty lucky coming into to the TV DVD scene at this time. Having only been seriously collecting old shows for about the past year I am finding a whole smorgasbord of options to keep me busy for many years to come. So I haven't had to go through the multi-year drought between seasons as many of you have had to do. At least not yet (fingers crossed).
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