Title: Fish
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Danny Arnold, Chris Hayward, and Herbert Baker
Air Date: December 4, 1975
Previous: Rain
Next: Hot Dogs
Guest Starring: Steve Landesberg, Doris Belack, Emily Levine
"Fish" is the 12th episode of the second season of Barney Miller.
The NYPD brass is pressuring Barney to pressure Fish into retirement, Fish being an old cop who has a host of nagging health issues. Barney defends Fish to his superiors, but like it or not Fish is going on restricted duty. Fish does not like it, at all. When Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich (Steve Landesberg) arrives from the 33rd Precinct, plainly having been sent to replace Fish, Fish stalks out of the squad room in a huff and decides to retire.
The scene shifts to Fish's home, where Bernice is surprised to see him home for lunch. Coming home soon after Fish is his daughter Beverly, unlucky in love. Also showing up is Dietrich, who encourages Fish to come back to work.
This episode was a backdoor pilot for a Fish spinoff series, something that Abe Vigoda (Fish) had been lobbying for since the beginning of Season 2 of Barney Miller. Fish eventually debuted in February of 1978, with Vigoda splitting time between the two shows until he was written off of Barney Miller at the beginning of Season 4. This episode was also the first appearance of Steve Landesberg as Arthur Dietrich. Landesberg, who first appeared as a criminal in the Season 2 premiere, did not return as Dietrich until Season 3. Eventually, he replaced Fish as a regular.
Tropes:
- Brick Joke: Fish tells Dietrich that he's leaving to feed the pigeons. Dietrich tells Bernice, who says that actually, Fish gets day-old bread and throws it at the pigeons. When Fish gets back home later in the episode, he starts zinging bread at the pigeons outside his window.Fish: They ruined every hat I got.
- The Comically Serious: This would be a hallmark of Dietrich. In this his first episode, Bernice Fish hands him a glass of water, and he says "Oh thank you, that looks great."
- Dom Com: Being a backdoor pilot for a Fish spinoff, this episode follows Fish home to his wife and daughter.
- Oddball in the Series: One of only thirteen episodes of Barney Miller to show a location outside the squad room, in this case because it was a backdoor pilot.
- Pesky Pigeons: Fish the Grumpy Old Man hates pigeons for ruining his hats, and likes to throw bread at them.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: A backdoor pilot for a Fish spinoff that finally debuted a little over a year later. This episode featured Doris Belack in her only appearance as Bernice, temporarily replacing Florence Staley, who had previously appeared on Barney Miller and would again, and also played Bernice on Fish. It also featured Fish's daughter Beverly, never seen or mentioned again on either show.
- Reluctant Retiree: Fish is extremely angry about being asked to go on restricted duty.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Dietrich has been transferred because the 33rd Precinct has been dissolved, because the NYPD is laying people off, because the city is broke. New York City being flat broke as well as crime-ridden in the 1970s was a true story that the show referenced often.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Dietrich's bizarre story of how he became a policeman. Dietrich's Mysterious Past would be a Running Gag after he became a regular. He explains that in college he wanted to be an actor and he appeared in a college theatrical production of The Time of Your Life.Dietrich: It was opening night, it was a really rainy night. Hardly anybody showed up, so around the second act everyone got bored—and a couple of years later I became a cop.
- Shout-Out:
- When Dietrich drops his voice into a lower register, he sounds just like Gregory Peck. Everyone is impressed.
- Dietrich once thought he might be an actor. He acted in college and appeared in a theatrical production of The Time of Your Life.
- Unreveal Angle: The restroom was never shown over the whole series, but there was a Running Gag about how it was really gross. Wojo points and says "There's the men's room." Dietrich takes a look and says "How long has it been like that?"
