Hot L Baltimore was a Norman Lear created Sitcom which debuted on ABC on January 24, 1975 - almost a full year before that Barney Miller episode aired. The couple in question were George & Gordon (played by Lee Bergere & Henry Calvert) and the characters were regulars who appeared in every episode. Unfortunately, the show lasted only 13 episodes as its audience was small - perhaps in part because of the subject matter, the show was the first ABC network show to have a warning at its opening, cautioning viewers about mature themes. It was definitely ahead of its time and deserved a better fate.

Barney Miller was a great show and that particular episode was excellent. But Hot L Baltimore deserves more credit for breaking ground by showing a gay couple on TV.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_l_Baltimore

It should have run for years.

From the OP article:

It was the first series to feature a recurring gay character (played by Vincent Schiavelli). The first openly gay character to appear on an American TV show, however, is credited to be on All in the Family. The episode "Judging Books By Covers" aired February 9, 1971(it was just the 5th episode of the series overall), featured a story where Archie was sure Mike and Gloria's friend was gay (he wasn't) but later found out a friend of his, an ex football player, is actually gay.

I don't really remember the Corner Bar, but I remember watching Hot L Baltimore and All in the Family as a young child. My parents never really censored my TV watching. Even though I didn't understand all the humor, I still enjoyed the shows.

Now that you mention it, I do remember that All in the Family episode. They also had one where Archie's life was saved by a crossdresser, which seemed pretty risque at the time.

female impersonator's life (named Beverly LaSalle) and was proud of it until Archie found out he was a female impersonator, at which point, he didn't want it publicized that he gave a man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Beverly LaSalle actually appeared on 2 additional episodes: "Beverly Rides Again" where Archie plays a practical joke on a friend, and then on "Edith's Crisis of Faith" where Beverly is murdered while trying to save Mike from a brutal robbery attempt which causes Edith to question her religious faith. It was a 2 part episode which took place around Christmas and one of the most powerful of the series. It was such a groundbreaking show.

Thanks for setting me straight & for the additional info.

And I was 10, IIRC. We're white, but my mom thought it was an important show for me to be exposed to. I also remember her best friend since high school coming over for dinner with his boyfriend when I was that same age, and mom was just like "yeah, some people are gay, and my friend Walter is", very matter of fact.

It's funny she and my stepdad were republicans at the time, but it was mainly just over 'taxes', and because their parents were republicans. Mom's folks were super sweet, generous, salt-of-the-earth types. REAL Christians. Episcopalians, to be precise. But mom is a diehard Dem for years now, ever since Clinton.

HOTeL Baltimore...

See post #2

Remember Soap and Mary Hartman Mary Hartman?

crushed on Hal Linden back in the day, I thought he was quite handsome

Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz) will be 95 on 3/20/26.

Barbara Barrie, who played Barney's wife, Liz, will be 95 on 5/23/26.

Max Gail, who played Wojo, will be 83 on 4/5/26.

They're all still working actors.

Max Gail played mobster Sonny Corinthos’ father on General Hospital a year or so ago. He gave a remarkable performance as an old man dying of Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t know if he won any awards for that, but he should have.

He was good in an epi of "Chicago Med" too (S7 EP14 - All The Things That Could Have Been). He played a wealthy investor who had to live in an iron lung.

Barney Miller is one of my all time favorites.

and have Hal Linden guest star as his old character, but there were legal issues getting the rights to use the character.

I loved Barney Miller, MASH, Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, The Jefferson’s, Happy Days, I Live Lucy, Bewitched, and Cheers.

I don’t see these on TV anymore.

MASH, Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, , Happy Days & I Love Lucy. Antenna TV airs Barney Miller, Bewitched & The Jeffersons. Cheers is available for streaming on Paramount +

https://cdnmetv.metv.com/ygBpM-1759337394-MeTV%20Nat%20Sch%204Q25%20Eff.%2010-13-25%20E-P%20EXTERNAL.pdf

https://antennatv.tv/interactive-schedule/eastern-schedule/

Why were there no Black people in Mayberry? Did Andy and Barney help the KKK run them all out of town?

Amazon had them streaming on their Prime service years ago. I don't like their service as much b/c they get rid of shows too fast. Did the same thing with "Spin City" & "Mad About You." IDK if their contracts for the streaming rights are shorter or something. When Netflix gets something it's on there for a while.

Yes, not a couple, but an individual, but still an important episode as Hawkeyes and the others had a "so what" attitude about it.