Barney Miller: Season 6
Season 6 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Barney Miller Season 5.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 6 Progress Shield
Inquisition
Sep 13, 1979
When an anonymous letter identifies a member of the 12th Precinct as a homosexual, it buys the boys a visit from Lieutenant Scanlon, who proceeds to make a witch hunt out of his se
The Photographer
Sep 20, 1979
A tranquil prisoner claims to be Jesus Christ, which is timely for the drug dealer caught with an impressive stash; an elderly mugger poses as a photographer to ensnare lonely wome
Vacation
Sep 27, 1979
A string of false alarms suggests that a sniper may be after a cop, but the detectives are preoccupied with Barney's posted vacation schedules and the case of a man who won't donat
The Brother
Oct 4, 1979
A visiting monk opts for a quick dalliance with a lady of the streets; Barney discovers to his horror that Dietrich may not be cut out for mugging detail—especially since it must
The Slave
Oct 18, 1979
Harris bristles when he learns that the Burmese chauffeur being booked for a traffic accident is actually an indentured servant.
Strip Joint
Nov 1, 1979
A bookstore owner is infuriated when a strip club opens near his place of business; and man is convinced that he is on the verge of spontaneous combustion.
The Bird
Nov 8, 1979
Harris' book publication hits a snag when Dietrich refuses to sign a release; a suicide hot line operator becomes suicidal; the clerk that sold Wojo a sick bird changes his strict
The Desk
Nov 22, 1979
A former master criminal becomes a walking zombie following his lobotomy; a man is unable to use the telephone after being mugged because he's Amish. Jeff Corey, who appeared previ
The Judge
Dec 6, 1979
A judge provides an attorney with the ultimate over-ruling—a gavel on the noggin; the crimes reported by a lonely woman emanate from daytime television soap operas.
The DNA Story
Dec 13, 1979
The detectives search for a missing viral strain stolen from a lab; a woman is convinced that her husband is actually a clone.
The Dentist
Dec 27, 1979
One man's hands are a musical instrument to himself and a nuisance to others; a detective goes undercover to trap a dentist with wandering instruments.
People's Court
Jan 3, 1980
Weary of an uncooperative populace, a census taker goes to drastic measures to make a head count; beleaguered apartment dwellers band together and capture a burglar.
Vanished (1)
Jan 10, 1980
Vagrant Ray returns to report his fellow bums' disappearances; a woman wishes to have a child with a surrogate and is focusing in on Dietrich and Wojo.
Vanished (2)
Jan 17, 1980
Harris disappears while undercover as a vagrant; Luger elects to be demoted rather than to retire.
The Child Stealers
Jan 24, 1980
A self-proclaimed time traveler tells Harris to fine tune his stock portfolio; Marty's divrorced gentleman friend Mr. Driscoll attempts to reclaim his son by abducting him from the
Guns
Jan 31, 1980
Wojo fears that a despondent Luger is planning to do himself in; a man seeking to reclaim his television set robs the police vault; a rash of bizarre robberies leads to an eccentri
Uniform Days
Feb 7, 1980
The cops observe the annual department-mandated ritual of wearing their uniforms - except for Harris who shows up in his usual natty street clothes.
Dietrich's Arrest (1)
Feb 28, 1980
A lottery winner dispenses of the prize money by tossing it out a window; Sgt. Dietrich is arrested for his off-duty participation at an anti-nuclear rally; Barney discovers he can
Dietrich's Arrest (2)
Mar 6, 1980
Harris gets the unenviable task of booking his colleague Dietrich, whose arrest prompts a visit from Internal Affairs; meanwhile, a nuclear engineer is brought in for dousing the p
The Architect
Mar 27, 1980
A disgruntled architect decides to improve on his building—by blowing it up.
The Inventor
May 1, 1980
The squad tries hypnosis to uncover the name of a felon that Wojo has forgotten; an inventor steals the plans for his own creation.
Fog
May 8, 1980
Barney is down in the dumps when he is passed over again for deputy inspector