''Joe Bash'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on

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from March 28 to May 10, 1986. Starring Peter Boyle as a weary and embittered

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beat cop, it was created by

Danny Arnold Danny Arnold (born Arnold Rothmann; January 23, 1925 – August 19, 1995) was an American producer, writer, comedian, actor and director known for producing '' Barney Miller'', '' That Girl'', and '' Bewitched''. Early life Born in New York ...

following his

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

''. The production company was Tetagram Ltd., with Arnold and

Chris Hayward Christopher Robert Hayward (June 19, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the television shows ''The Munsters'' (1964) and ''My Mother the Car'' (1965), and the cr ...

serving as the show's executive producers. All six episodes were written by the team of Arnold, Hayward and Philip Jayson Lasker, with Arnold directing all but the fifth episode, which was directed by

John Florea John Florea (born in Alliance, Ohio on May 28, 1916; died in Las Vegas on August 25, 2000) was an American television director and a photographer. Career Florea started as a photographer for the San Francisco Examiner, then was signed onto the ...

Synopsis

A darkly urban comedy-drama shot without a studio audience or

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...

, the series starred Peter Boyle as a veteran, semi-corrupt cop marking time until retirement, and

Andrew Rubin Andrew Harold Rubin (June 22, 1946 – October 5, 2015) was an American actor most known for his role of George Martín in the 1984 film ''Police Academy''. Early years Rubin was born June 22, 1946, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. His father, ...

as his naive rookie partner, Officer Willie Smith. Series creator

described the lead character as "a beat patrolman with thirty years on the force. He's become so completely disillusioned and such a terrible cynic that he's written off the world." In recurring roles were DeLane Matthews as streetwalker Lorna, the only person with whom the misanthropic Bash could be even somewhat close;

Val Bisoglio Italo Valentino Bisoglio (May 7, 1926 – October 18, 2021) was an American character actor primarily known for his work on television. Biography Bisoglio was born in New York City, New York, on May 7, 1926. He may be best known for his recurri ...

as Sgt. Carmine DiSalvo; Michael Cavanaugh as Lt. Pendleton; and

Larry Hankin Larry Hankin (born ) is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in ...

as diner-owner Stu. It was set in the 33rd Precinct in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, represented via a deliberately theatrical set reminiscent of a stage play. As Arnold described it, "The show came out to be sort of strange. ...

said, 'What kind of show is this? We don't know how to sell it.' ... 'Joe Bash' is not a situation comedy and it's not a drama. It's a behavioral comedy, a comedy whose roots are in drama." He chose the name "Bash" because it "sounded like an aggressive hitter, a victim who is striking back and totally cynical because he's accomplished nothing in his life."

Reception

''Joe Bash'' won positive notices from critics. ''

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'' placed the series on the magazine's 1986 best-of list, calling it "a moody tragicomedy on loneliness. Peter Boyle was outstanding as a grumpy cop in this undeservedly short-lived series". In an earlier review, the magazine remarked on how the two lead characters would "traverse the desolate city streets and cope with the unglamorous trivia of everyday police life. ... In Boyle's sharp and unsentimental portrayal, crustiness never becomes cute, and there are echoes of authentic urban despair in the patter". ''

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'' wrote favorably that, "There is no

to signal the viewer as to whether Joe's misanthropy is really supposed to be funny. ''Joe Bash'' moves to its own special beat, apparently bent on demolishing every well-established cliché in sitcom territory". Lee Margulies of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote that the show is "not entertaining in the usual TV sense, but the intriguing premise and the captivating performance by Boyle nevertheless leaves one interested in tuning in again".

Cast

* Peter Boyle as Off. Joe Bash *Andrew Rubin as Off. Willie Smith

Episodes

Other crew

*Associate producer: Martin J. Gold *Director of photography: Mike Berlin *Editor: Paul Bonat *Production designer: Ed LaPorta *Music: Jack Elliott *Lighting director: Mark Palius *Casting: Eleanor Ross (

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), David Tochterman (

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) *Makeup: Holly Bane *Wardrobe: Barbara Murphy

References

External links

* *{{BFI, 4ce2b731bb247
''Joe Bash''
cast and crew at

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Episode 4
at YouTube.com 1986 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1980s American comedy-drama television series American Broadcasting Company original programming Bash, Joe Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department Television shows set in New York City English-language television shows Television series by Sony Pictures Television