- Network: NBC
- Series Premiere Date: Mar 23, 2000
Critic Reviews
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It boasts an appealing star, a colorful ensemble cast, clever writing and no shortage of laughs. It is, in short, what good character comedy should be. [23 March 2000]
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The comedy here is anything but “The Sopranos” lite or neo-"Barney Miller,” much of its success resulting from Perkins’ easy, unmannered way with her likably nasty character. Although comedy begins with writing, Perkins doesn’t need much of a line to be funny, whether spinning sarcasm or lamenting being “up to my ears in hookers.”
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The show is not as original as ''Barney Miller,'' the last prime-time comedy hit set in a police station, but it has possibilities and a strong cast.
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Not to be missed by anybody who ever mourned the passing of Barney Miller.
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An intriguing blend of "Barney Miller" and "The Naked Gun," it's an ensemble comedy with an appealing cast and an off-center sensibility that makes it a keeper, or at least worth checking out the next few weeks.
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Battery Park shines brighter, thanks to punchier writing and a better ensemble. But it, too, suffers from sitcomitis: the urge to give viewers another version of something they've already seen. [23 March 2000]
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Battery Park isn't awful. Goldberg is too skilled at putting together slick ensemble comedies for that. It actually does click some of the time. But it's not quite charged up to the level of "Barney Miller," the gold standard for this type of show. [23 March 2000, p.49]
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Blessed with one of the most-coveted timeslots in television, series needs to find a consistent tone to find its own audience — the second half of the second episode demonstrates that it is possible.
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Bland at first but better next week, this new spring collection of plainclothes cops has an outside chance to fit in and maybe even wear well. [23 March 2000]
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Los Angeles Daily NewsNov 21, 2019Not one of the performers looks like anything beyond a pretty young performer biding his or her time until a better break comes along. [23 March 2000]
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Although terribly familiar in design and execution, Battery Park does manage stretches when it amiably spins along in a Big Appleish "Spin City" sort of way. Goldberg's touch hasn't completely deserted him. [23 March 2000, p.6E]
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The mostly forgettable "Battery Park"? It's strictly DOA -- Dull On Arrival. [23 March 2000]
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If you find that humorous -- and the annoyingly cranked-up laugh track sure did -- then you're set. If not, well, the lines don't get much better. [23 March 2000]
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It's an attempt to do a 1970s comedy like "Barney Miller" - but without the laughs. [22 March 2000]
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Unfortunately, Battery Park is a precinct I don't care enough about to come back for more. [23 March 2000]
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The comedy is stale; it's as if the writers were trying to make the funniest show of 1982. [23 March 2000, p.1E]
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The usually reliable producer Gary David Goldberg ("Spin City," "Brooklyn Bridge," "Family Ties") has imitated the props, plot devices and characters from the original ("Barney Miller"), but duplicating wit, mood and casting chemistry have proven more elusive.[23 March 2000, p.E-5]
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Producer Gary David Goldberg (the man behind ”Spin City”) infuses ”Park” with plenty of ”City”-esque pacing and ”walk with me” camera work, but he forgot to add the laughs.
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After years of "NYPD Blue," somehow this comedy doesn't hang together very well - although it might improve with time. Elizabeth Perkins stars as the strong-willed, self-absorbed police captain who wants to be mayor, leading a variety of cliched character cops.
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Maybe if the cardboard secondary characters develop more dimensions and if the writing improves, "Battery Park" will have a longevity similar to that of its closest cop comedy antecedent, "Barney Miller." But don't count on it.
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The feel is "Barney Miller," but the jokes and characters aren't. Gary David Goldberg, of "Family Ties" and "Spin City" fame, is behind this sitcom, so it's fair to hope for and expect very good things...In the case of this pilot, though, you don't get them. [23 March 2000]
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The real pathos is supplied by the network that has the gall to recycle this rickety relic in the first place. [23 March 2000, p.C01]
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It's aimless, stereotypical and runs out of juice pretty fast. [23 March 2000]
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Daddio and Battery Park are wisps of shows, so slight and feeble that they're not ready for prime time. They're not ready for anything, really. Lumping them with Friends and Frasier only makes them look punier.
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It's supposed to be funny. The evidence? An insistent laugh track and trace amounts of humor. Maybe this week's episode will clinch the case.
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The uninspiring comedy, slight and shockingly unfunny considering Goldberg's background, can only aspire to the levels of ABC's "Barney Miller."
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Quite frankly, it's just about the most unpleasant half hour as NBC has cooked up in quite some time. It's not just that it's not funny -- which it's not -- but Perkins' character in particular and the show in general are just plain unpleasant.
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