Al Geiger is a reporter has stumbled on something big while he's writing a profile...so big he is unsure of himself and could use some help. His boss suggests he go consult with Barnaby Jones to have him check out the facts. So, he visits who he THINKS is Barnaby and Jedediah...though the real ones were called away and two phonies posed as the detectives! Then, once they got what they wanted out of Geiger, he was killed! Not surprisingly, the real Barnaby and Jedediah get involved with the case...though whether or not they can figure out that there are phony versions of them out there...well that's for you to see.
While the idea of a phony Barnaby and Jedediah is neat, what isn't is the finale to this one...which simply is bad writing. Jedediah has mostly figured out the crime and he confronts the gang of criminals with absolutely no backup and no gun. Fortunately, Barnaby just happens to arrive and stop the folks from air conditioning Jedediah's skull. VERY weak indeed!
By the way, something very similar happened on the old "Hawaii Five-O" series when a group of fakes impersonated McGarrett and his staff! This faux team was shaking down people in order to destroy the reputation of Five-O ("Welcome to Our Branch Office", season seven episode eleven).
While the idea of a phony Barnaby and Jedediah is neat, what isn't is the finale to this one...which simply is bad writing. Jedediah has mostly figured out the crime and he confronts the gang of criminals with absolutely no backup and no gun. Fortunately, Barnaby just happens to arrive and stop the folks from air conditioning Jedediah's skull. VERY weak indeed!
By the way, something very similar happened on the old "Hawaii Five-O" series when a group of fakes impersonated McGarrett and his staff! This faux team was shaking down people in order to destroy the reputation of Five-O ("Welcome to Our Branch Office", season seven episode eleven).
