56: Barney Miller Meets a Homo

“Discovery” (October 30, 1975)

Somehow, Barney Miller managed to make comedy in gritty, 1970s-era New York City, and it managed to address the rampant crime of the day even though the action never left the precinct office. In this episode, a man has to overcome his fear of homophobic police officers in order to report that he was harassed, threatened and extorted because he was gay — yet it’s still funny. 

Because it never hurts to point it out, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1 (800) 723-8255. There's also an online chat option.

Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank.

This episode’s outro track is “Konya wa Hurricane” by Kinuko Ohmori.