Shark Bytes

I love Barnaby Jones and wish it were out on DVD, but it jumped the shark for me when Jedediah entered the picture.

The show never jumped. Most of the detective shows way back then didn't seem to be based in reality. Whether it was a bald police detective or a private detective who is fat or old or lived in a trailer, all of those guys seemed to cut corners when it came to the law. So, whether any of these guys seemed to be athletic enough to be up to the job at that point really didn't matter to me. What I did not realize is how long the show had aired.

Loved it.Formula show #346.Make the cop old.(FAT,BALD,WHEELCHAIR etc.)It's not how often it's done,it's how well.This worked.

Barnaby Jones and Cannon, still are my 2 favorite TV shows. (I didn't know anyone else felt the same way) I do hope they release remastered DVD's, or put the 2 shows back on Hallmark or TV Land.

When that greasy snot nosed Dawn Lyn (Dodie from My Three Sons) appeared on the show it tanked.That putrid little girl made Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett look unsoiled.

If there's a pecking order among convicts, how low on the totem pole would someone be if he was collared by 110 year old Barnaby Jones? No self-respecting criminal should ever be taken alive by a PI wearing dentures. Barnaby never missed when drawing his pistol at the waist. Truly a horrible show.

I grew up watching Barnaby, and thought the show was really cool. You have to remember the network wanted to distinguish B.J. from other crime shows of the time, and since they already had the bald crimefighter (Kojak), the overweight crimefighter (Cannon), and the expensive exotic Hawaii Five-0, they were looking for something different. CBS for multiple decades was also known to cater to the oldest age-bracket of viewers, so putting on Barnaby Jones was actually a brilliant move.

By the way, Buddy Ebsen is deceased. Please ignore the comment by the guest who said he is still alive at age 95.

I though the show was lame even as an eight year old being forced to watch it with my mother. It was hokey and nonsensical back then watching some aging, grey haired, closeted homosexual track down villains all over California. And, what's up with those 1970's tv PI's driving those big tanks? Either way the show is good for some laughs.

I THINK BARNABY JONES IN MY OPINION WAS A GREAT SHOW LIKE OTHERS THE ROOKIES,THE FUGITIVE,STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO,CANNON,MANIX, I THINK IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME WHEN THESE SHOWS WILL COME OUT WHICH I HEAR A COUPLE ARE THIS YEAR THOUGH BARNABY JONES I REALLY AM HOPING FOR THAT CBS/PARAMOUNT WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN THIS YEAR? LEE MARYWEATHER WAS A GREAT BEAUTIFULL ACTRESS! IN BARNABY JONES & THE TIME TUNNEL,AGAIN I HOPE A DVD RELEASE WILL HAPPEN SOON!!

Jumped the first time Barnaby picked up the phone and said "Betty, call Lt. Biddle and tell him to meet me at the docks." One of those shows where the police arrive without fail one minute after the hero has subdued the bad guys.

Buddy Ebsen was one of my all-time favorite actors but this show, to me, was so bad I couldn't watch. I always liked the theme song- it's one of my favorites. I never felt the theme matched the type of show it was- sort of like attaching the theme to Twin Peaks to Mister Ed.

Not a shark jumper and good from beginning to end. The realism of the show was dramatically heightened by Buddy Ebsen's association with the far more outlandish Beverly Hillbillies. As for Lee Meriwether, yes she was rather sexy and interesting. I fantasized about being alone with her on a desert island.

Never jumped! Sure, they brought in JR to do Barnaby's legwork, but when one is a legendary detective like Barnaby Jones, you do the thinking, not the grunt work! Kojak did the same thing, he had Crocker run down the fleet-footed bad guys. Barnaby Jones was another of those great 1970s detective shows. Even as a kid I was impressed by this "old guy" who could kick ass in his own way. Like the time a crook was running from Jones and Barnaby fired a shot and then shouted out to him: "I only miss when I want to!" The thug stopped dead in his tracks and surrendered! I was a kid when these shows dominated television, and it saddens me that they are nowhere to be seen on tv nowadays. I have a nostalgia for them, as my grandparents seemed to watch every single 1970s detective show! Barnaby Jones also had a memorable theme by Jerry Goldsmith. I wish Hallmark Channel or TV Land would bring Barnaby Jones back, or better yet, a remastered and restored DVD release! And Lee Merriwether was HOT!!!

Who cares how realistic it was? The '70's wasn't exactly a haven for realism. With all the crime dramas on, none of the criminals ever cursed, ever? Barnaby, for all the people he shot, never killed anyone. Always shot them in the arm. A lot of you turkeys seem to think making fun of old people is cool. Might interest you to know that the "old man" Buddy Ebsen is still living 23 years after the show went off. He's 95 and is probably a better guitar player than anyone here. Some of you who haven't got past the whacking off stage might want to consider what he did right to last so long. Doubtful whether you or I will. Quinn Martin productions for ever!

This show was best watched in 1975 after smoking an illegal substance in my college apartment with like-minded Buddy Ebsen fans. If you thought he moved slow doing the hustle, you should have seen him after a joint or two. Memories that will never be shared with my children...