Partner up with
Reno, Nevada's biggest little police force! Join the
officers of
Reno 911 as
they attempt
to keep the
streets safe -
mainly from themselves. This first season brings some of their
best moments, from accidentally destroying evidence
to easing the
pains of
midget conflict
to corralling an
ill-tempered mime. These peacekeepers know the
finer points of law
enforcement - and
they won't hesitate
to beat you
with your own shoe.
CRITIQUE
"We have two
passes to be witnesses at an execution. I know we all want these,
so we're gonna do this the way we generally handle these things
and we're gonna have a scavenger hunt." - Lt. Jim Dangle
Reno 911 is
not just another reality-based program. In fact, it's an
improvisational spoof based on the show COPS that follows
police officers around on the job. Created by Gen Garant, Kerry
Kenney and Thomas Lennon, Reno 911 is usually pretty funny
for a couple of reasons. First, the cast of characters are
completely different and they each have their own
ticks/personality. They are Deputy S. Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), Deputy Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash), Deputy James Garcia (Carlos Alazraqui),
Deputy Travis Junior (Ben Garant), Deputy Trudy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney), Deputy
Clementine Johnson (Wendy McLendon-Covey) and Lieutenant Jim Dangle
(Thomas Lennon). Second, the comedy is fresh and original. Third, the
actors play their parts very convincingly. Fourth, well, you'll
just have to watch the show.
Just like the show
COPS, Reno 911 blurs the faces of some offenders and
bleeps out every expletive deemed too harsh for television.
However, after watching all fourteen episodes of the first season,
I noticed several things: some locations double for two different
situations, some of the actors play dual roles, and the
"confessionals" of the officers to the camera are all filmed in a
row, meaning a sense of continuity is not present (but who cares).
Reno 911 is
improvisational in the sense that two characters will sit inside
the patrol car driving around or next to each other inside the
station talking about various topics and each other, such as
Johnson's pregnancy, Garcia's lack of romance, Wiegel's mental
instability, and many other things. However, the basic outline of
the show is scripted, especially the various situations the
officers encounter. The cameras follow them to 911 calls, domestic
disturbances, undercover stakeouts, prostitution stings, etc. The
dialogue is all stuff from the actors. Their responses to the
strange people they encounter are generally funny, but some scenes
also miss the comedy mark.
Keep in mind that
these officers of the Reno police department are not the most
adept. Sometimes they'll have their bats taken away or chased
around, and at one point some of them even recreate a brawl
outside a trailer park to get the "action" on tape.
Other funny
occurrences include Officers Jones and Garcia betting a
12-year-old kid that he can't jump across from roof to roof with
his BMX bike, Lt. Dangle singing a (funny) song to high schoolers
as part of the community outreach program, the officers
inadvertently blowing up incriminating evidence and skewering the
neighborhood to complete a scavenger hunt for two tickets to an
execution, Deputy Junior explaining in detail some horrific
stories from the local prison while giving a tour to a group of
kids, Dangle and Jones playing a deadly prank (pun intended, sort
of) on the others during the Halloween episode, Deputy Wiegel
talking to her dead mother at the cemetery, and many many more.
However, every other episode features a scene or sketch that isn't
all that funny.
Inside the DVD
packaging is a short summary of what you can expect from each
episode. Here is that text.
Disc 1:
Episode 101 -
Dejected after a day of unsuccessful crime fighting, Officer
Dangle rear-ends a civilian and realizes he’s the only criminal in
town. Episode 102 - When the Sheriff’s Department is given $1200
to get people off the streets, Garcia decides to help a hooker
improve her life. Episode 103 - Clemmy’s degenerate boyfriend Steed surprises
everyone when he shows up at the Sheriff’s Department to ask her
to marry him. Episode 104 - When the Mayor’s kid blows his thumb off with
an illegal explosive, the officers are put on the line to rid Reno
of contraband fireworks. Episode 105 - When the Sheriff’s Department is given only
two tickets to an upcoming execution, the officers compete in a
scavenger hunt to win a spot at the event. Episode 106 - Deputy Jones takes a job as a crossing guard
after his suspension from the force for punching Garcia for making
a racial comment. Episode 107 - When the entire Reno Sheriff’s Department is
given a drug test, Deputy Johnson discovers that she is pregnant.
Episode 108 - When the FBI comes to town to investigate a
homicide, the Reno Sheriff’s Department tries to put their best
foot forward.
Disc 2: Episode 109: Officer Wiegel enjoys the attention when she
tries to commit suicide and everyone is assigned to her 72-hour
suicide watch. Episode 110: It’s Garcia 15-year anniversary on the force
and the guys end up taking him to a strip club to celebrate,
Reno-style. Episode 111: The Office of Homeland Security comes to Reno
to teach the Sheriff’s Department protocol in case of a terrorist
attack. (Part 1 of 2) Episode 112: When Dangle needs help moving out of the house
and asks the Department for help, Jones is the only one who shows,
or is he the only one invited? Episode 113: The officers must deal with all of the
Halloween mayhem and debauchery, some of which they actually cause
themselves. Episode 114: Deputy Junior helps the department cheat to
pass their Homeland Security training. (Part 2 of 2)
THE VIDEO
Paramount presents Reno
911 in 1.33:1 fullscreen format. Colors are bright and
clear, and there are no issues with softness or bleed. Image
quality is very nice with a good amount of detail and sharpness
to the picture. Compression artifacts do not appear, but
shimmering shows up in some scenes. The show looks very nice on
DVD, a very good effort.
THE AUDIO
Paramount presents Reno
911 in English 2.0 Dolby Surround. There's nothing major to
report here as everything is located in the front. However, the
front speakers do a pretty good job emitting clearly audible
dialogue, nice sound effects, and good music. It's a perfectly
fine audio presentation.
THE EXTRAS
This second
installment of Paramount's "Comedy Central presents" line-up
features about the same type of bonus material as the first
release that is
Chappelle's Show.
There are five
audio commentaries on select episodes. On the first disc we
find actors Thomas Lennon and Niecy Nash teaming up on episode
1, and director Michael Patrick Jann and actress Wendy
McLendon-Covey talking over episode 3. The second disc features
actors/co-creators Ben Garant and Kerri Kenney discussing
episode 9. They provide good/ and fun information on things like
the show's improv, locations, and editing, as well as telling us
about a jar of cash that fills up every time someone of the cast
cracks a laugh. Interestingly, it's Carlos Alazraqui who Garant
says lost some $300 dollars because of cracking up. Lastly,
actors Cedric Yarbrough and Carlos Alazraqui speak on behalf of
episode 13, but it's the least interesting track. A hidden
commentary by the whole cast is available for the second episode
with the actors trying to recreate every sound effect and line
of dialogue.
Also found on the
second disc are some 30 minutes of deleted scenes. Most
of them are extensions, while others are new. Interestingly,
they're presented in uncensored form. I didn't find these to be
all that funny, but it's nice to have them included on this DVD.
Rounding out the extras are DVD Previews for South Park Is
Gay (funny as hell) and Chappelle's Show.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Reno 911 is a
funny, improvisational, and fresh show that makes fun of COPS
by showing us a group of police officers who are everything but adept
at what they do. There are a few jokes or scenes that don't quite
work, but that's alright. Paramount's video/audio presentations are perfectly
fine, and the commentary on episode 9 is quite informative, the rest
are okay. For fans and newcomers alike, this 2-disc set is worth a
purchase.
