The Most Accurate TV Show About Cops, According to Actual Officers
Despite being a comedy show, Barney Miller is widely regarded as the most accurate portrayal of life in the police force of all the cop shows to have graced our screens. And that's according to real-life officers.
The show ran from 1975 – 1982 and, although it took some time to build popularity, even spawned its own spin-off show.
But what made it so authentic? Well, first off, it didn't have a movie star cast. The actors portraying officers in the NYPD were pretty ordinary looking and more in keeping with the types of people seen walking around genuine police stations at the time.
But more than that, they showed life in the police in a far more…well, dull way than most other shows. Which made it all the more authentic.
Now, we all love a fast-paced cop series, and shows like TJ Hooker certainly have their place onscreen. But Barney Miller chose not to feature car chases, shootouts, or officers chasing suspects down alleyways.
In fact, it didn't show interviews or investigations at all really. That type of thing was far more at home on Columbo.
Barney Miller stuck to one set – the squad room. The 'action' happened offscreen. What we saw was what happened when officers returned to write up what they had seen or done. As a result, real-life police officers could relate to what they saw.
The chat was realistic. Characters joked with (and about) each other. And there was banter about cases that came in, well-known criminals they regularly encountered out there on the mean streets of Greenwich Village, and some of the oddballs that were sitting in cells offscreen waiting to be interviewed, charged or released.
The characters were quirky yet authentic. Genuine dialogue was a feature throughout the series. Cops would watch the show and feel as though this was a glimpse into their working life. Sure, they may have been attracted to their role by the promise of drama and glamour. But we all know that in reality, that takes up a fraction of the time that police officers spend at work.
It's well-documented that cops generally don't like cop shows. Not because they're too similar to the day-to-day life of an officer. But because they are so far detached from what life in the force is really like.
Barney Miller bucked that trend. It showed the work of the police for what it really is. And officers lapped it up.