Barnaby Jones is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law.

Halfway through the series' run, Mark Shera was added to the cast as a much younger cousin of Ebsen's character, who eventually joined the firm.

After Barnaby Jones (Buddy Ebsen) had worked as a private eye for many years, he decided to retire and left the business to his son Hal.

After this case, his widowed daughter-in-law, Betty Jones (Lee Meriwether), went to work for him at the detective agency.

[2] In 1976, the character of Jedediah Romano "J.R." Jones (Mark Shera), the son of Barnaby's cousin, joined the show.

Character actress Lurene Tuttle played Emily Carter, Betty's aunt, in the 1980 episode "The Killin' Cousin".

stars Pernell Roberts, Gregory Harrison, and Charles Siebert all made guest appearances on one episode.

Future WKRP in Cincinnati stars Loni Anderson and Gary Sandy made guest appearances, as well.

During the mid-1990s, Meriwether and Shera expressed interest in a Barnaby Jones reunion television movie, but could not talk Ebsen into joining the project.