It’s not always easy to predict what will be a hit, so actors don’t always make the right choice. Case in point: Gregory Sierra. Sierra was part of the original cast of “Barney Miller” in the mid ’70s, but didn’t stick around long — unfortunately for him.
Sierra’s big break came on “Sanford and Son,” one of the best shows of the ’70s. He appeared in 12 episodes as the Sanford’s neighbor, Julio Fuentes. From there, he joined the original cast of “Barney Miller,” which took off after a slow start in the ratings. Sierra, though, had other plans according to castmate Hal Linden. “Gregory Sierra was a bigger name than I when we started,” Linden said in an interview with the Television Academy. “He was waiting for his own show in a deal he’d made. I never found any problem with Gregory, but he found one with me.”
In turns out Sierra may have had problems with several people on set, including “Barney Miller” creator, Danny Arnold. While the timelines are a little blurry, it seems as though Sierra was promised a starring role in his own series by Arnold. However, it was taking a while to get off the ground, so Arnold offered him the role of Detective Chano Amengual in “Barney Miller,” something Sierra was not completely on board with.
Sierra’s time on Barney Miller ended well before the show did
Gregory Sierra lasted two seasons on “Barney Miller,” when series creator Danny Arnold finally got the go ahead to make the show he promised to Sierra in the first place — “AES Hudson Street.” The series was billed as a sitcom revolving around a downtrodden New York Adult Emergency Service Hospital, but when the pilot was filmed, Sierra was not involved. Rumors around the show were that Sierra and Arnold were not on good terms at the time, due to Sierra’s frustrations with “Barney Miller.” So, Arnold replaced him with F. Murray Abraham for the pilot.
That pilot would end up being passed on by ABC, so Arnold went back to Sierra, patched things up, and tried again with Sierra in the lead role. This time around, ABC approved the series and positioned it right after “Barney Miller” in their lineup. The lead-in, however, would not pay off. “AES Hudson Street” was a flop and ABC pulled the plug after just five episodes.
Meanwhile, “Barney Miller” continued to flourish following Sierra’s exit, and ended up being considered one of the best-written shows of all time. The series ran for another six seasons, winning three Emmys — all after Sierra had left the show. While he’d go on to appear in various projects afterward, the late Sierra’s most notable role remains the part he played on “Barney Miller.”