Just for Laughs (1974 TV series)

Did You Know?

• The third episode of Just for Laughs was titled "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller."
• The premiere episode of Barney Miller largely reused the script from the pilot aired on Just for Laughs.

Background

Every year, TV networks commissioned far more pilot episodes for potential shows than they could ever turn into actual series. This left a large number of unsold pilots gathering dust. To make use of them, networks packaged these pilots into summer anthology series, offering fresh content during the rerun-heavy months while recovering some of the production costs. Its cast included Frank Sutton, Cloris Leachman, Dick Van Patten, Hal Linden, and Barbara Eden. The third episode, titled "The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller," later became the foundation for the hit sitcom Barney Miller, which launched in January 1975 and ran for seven seasons. After the original pilot didn't sell, the concept was overhauled with a new cast and the removal of most of Miller's home life, though the series premiere largely reused the pilot's script.