AS PRIME-TIME GOES BY - "BARNEY MILLER 2037 AD"

Adam Boyer: 

Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you all. 

You know, it's a shame to think that you're all dead now.

Sgt. Dietrich: 

Imagine how we feel.

'Barney Miller'

Boyer claimed to be a cultural historian from Columbia University in 2037 AD when he was arrested by the detectives of the 12th Precinct in January of 1980.  

That was thirty-seven years ago this month.  There are twenty more years to go.  The odds are pretty good that Professor Boyer will be proven correct,

It's usually a rule that a TV character closely associated with a particular actor should be considered deceased around the same time as when that actor dies,  However, Toobworld Central will bow to the dictates of the script (unless we can find a way around it!)  

So because Ron Glass died this past year, it is our contention that Detective/Author Ron Harris had died as well.  (But because he was living in the Future - and perhaps another timeline), Shepherd Book on board the "Serenity" hasn't even been born yet.

Although he was already retired by the time Boyer was brought in, Detective Phil Fish must also be considered dead as Abe Vigoda also passed away in 2016.  In Fish's case, he might even have passed away earlier, even decades ago,

Detective Nick Yemana died during the show's run due to the death of actor Jack Soo.  It was even addressed in several episodes.

By the beginning of 2007, retired Detective Carl Levitt, like actor Ron Carey, passed away.  Three years later, just before Christmas, retired Detective Arthur Dietrich died... soon after the death of Steve Landesberg. 

Inspector Frank Luger retired on October 12th, 1984, but enjoyed a long retirement until his death in 2002, following that of  James Gregory.  And when George Murdock died in 2012, I have a feeling Lt. Ben Scanlon died years before - betrayed by his own seething contempt for the world.

So that leaves very few of the men of the 12th Precinct left, and all of them retired now if they are still alive: Captain Barney Miller, Detective Sgt. Stanley Wojciehowicz, and Detective Sgt. Chano Amenguale, who had transferred out in 1976.  Captain Miller should be 86 years old if his birthday jibes with Hal Linden's, so I doubt he'll beat the odds for him to meet up with Dr, Boyer again someday.  As for Wojo, the show went to the trouble of setting him up with an ex-prostitute named Nancy living with him and I'd like to think they eventually got married,

Never would have lasted, of course......

Officer Zatelli got transferred to One Police Plaza and would be retired by now, assuming he's still alive.  (Hopefully he wasn't affected by the AIDS crisis.)  

Detective Eric Dorsey was seen in only three episodes, but since actor Paul Lieber is still alive, Dorsey should be as well.  I'd like to think that once she became of age, Dorsey started dating former teenaged hooker Rhonda Haleck and eventually married her.  (It's the romantic in me.)

And it isn't just the men - although Professor Boyer never met them during his time in the "cage" at the 12th, Detectives Janet Wentworth, Maria Battista, Rosslyn Licori, and Sgt. Holly Scofield still walk the earth of Toobworld.

Prime-Time marches on......

BCnU!