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Actor Hal Linden, 94, Reveals Surprising Reason Why 'Barney Miller' Ended
Barney Miller star Hal Linden opened up about the end of his iconic sitcom 43 years ago. During a June 2025 appearance with his former co-star Max Gail at The Hollywood Show in Burbank, CA, Linden, 94, revealed that the police-themed sitcom was not canceled by ABC when it ended its eight-season run in 1982.
The actor explained that showrunner Danny Arnold decided to end the series because he couldn't find any writers amid the turnover of his writing team.
'The last year, Danny called us all together and said 'Listen, we're having writing problems, finding new writers,' Linden recalled, per Remind magazine. 'So, he said, 'I'm going to solicit scripts from everywhere — colleges, anywhere, anybody who thinks they're a writer.'"
"And he went away for a month, and that's what he did," the actor continued. "He solicited scripts from any writing source to see if he could find writers. And a month later, he came back and said, 'Guys, there's no reason to do this show unless we can do it right. And I cannot find writers.''
Linden previously told Archive of American Television that after Arnold suffered health problems, he was unable to oversee the ever-changing writing team. 'He didn't have his hands on anymore that closely as he did in the beginning when every word went through Danny to make sure that it was perfect,' Linden explained. 'And so, in the next-to-last year, he wanted to close the show because he was having trouble finding writing sources.'
Barney Miller aired on ABC from 1975 to 1982. Linden played Captain Barney Miller in the Emmy-winning series set a New York Police Department in Greenwich Village, while Gail played Officer Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz. The hit series also featured Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass, Jack Soo, Gregory Sierra, James Gregory, Steve Landesberg, Ron Carey, and Barbara Barrie.
The series finale, titled 'Landmark: Part 3,' featured the staff receiving reassignment orders as their precinct prepared to close Hal Linden, 94, Reveals Surprising Reason Why 'Barney Miller' Ended first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
