Great Sit-Com Moment: Barney Miller

Speaking of Barney Miller, Season 3's "Abduction" is a great episode. Throughout the episode, characters demonstrate a gap between appearance and reality, meaning and delivery. When Captain Miller informs the parents that he cannot remove their twenty-two-year-old daughter from an entirely voluntary job (however hippy-ish), the father scowls and says sarcastically, "I just want to say how thankful we are for all your help."

"Oh, yes," his sweet wife proclaims sincerely. "Thank you for trying."

"Don't contradict me!" the husband snaps.

Then the daughter's boss shows up. Sure, he looks like the ultimate money-don't-matter-to-me hippie. But he knows exactly how much money his organic restaurant takes in a year (profit).