Reno 911!

''Reno 911!'' is an American television sitcom created by Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver for Comedy Central. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically '' Cops'', with comic actors playing the police officers. Lennon, Garant and Kenney-Silver all starred in and are billed as creators of the series.

The series initially aired from 2003 to 2009 on Comedy Central. A revival premiered on May 4, 2020, on streaming platform Quibi, which was renewed for an additional season (the show's eighth) on September 3, 2020. Quibi later announced in October 2020 that it would be shutting down while the eighth season was in production. According to star Niecy Nash, the eighth season would debut on another platform, which was later revealed to be The Roku Channel. The eighth season, entitled ''Defunded'', premiered on February 25, 2022, on The Roku Channel.

Premise

The show is a direct parody of the reality show '' Cops'', which follows actual police officers through their daily duties, such as chasing criminals, and intervening in domestic disputes. ''Reno 911!'' features members of the fictitious, massively inept "Reno Sheriff's Department" (in reality, Reno is under the jurisdiction of the Reno Police Department and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office). In the course of their duties patrolling both the city of Reno and the rest of Washoe County, Nevada, the deputies sometimes address the camera directly (as though being interviewed for a documentary). The show deals heavily in politically incorrect and racy humor, including many jokes about race, sexual orientation, substance abuse, rape, pedophilia, and mental disorders. Another main comedic aspect of the show is the outlandishly severe incompetence of the deputies—often resulting in their being outsmarted by the criminals they are attempting to control.

Unlike ''Cops'', which the show parodies, ''Reno 911!'' Sheriff's deputies are constantly cursing, causing much of their dialogue to be censored for broadcast. The actors often perform their own stunts. Criminals on the series are portrayed by a variety of comedians, and sometimes by main cast members performing a dual role; in these instances, the cast member's face will be blurred in the style of ''Cops''.

The show's characters occasionally refer to their own program. They insist that the show's producers told them the videotaped footage was going to be used for a Fox Television documentary series titled ''Heroes on Patrol'', and often say in frustration that they have no control over what is aired, and that the show only seems to capture their moments of incompetence. The many "good" incidents, they allege, are left out of the (show-within-a-show's) final edit. Also, some suspects in the show refer to the film crew, and the program being aired on television; occasionally, they will attempt to get arrested just to be on TV.

History

Development

In Lennon's words, ''Reno 911!'' came about, "like the best of ideas, through total desperation." The Sound of Young America
Interview with Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney-Silver, May 22, 2008.
/ref> Following the end of '' Viva Variety'', ''The State'' alumnus worked on a series of pilots for the Fox Broadcasting Company, one of which, after a year's worth of dedicated writing, was terminated the day before shooting. It was scheduled to begin in the fall of 2000. With a month left before the pilot was expected to be due (and half of the budget still unused), the team asked if they could produce another pilot with the remaining resources, and the Fox executives agreed. Working quickly to take advantage of this, the initial ''Reno 911!'' pilot was conceived and shot in five days. Cedric Yarbrough, who had been hired for the cast of the canceled pilot, said that the cast was advised to "come up with heirown characters" and return for filming.

As originally written, the sheriff's department material would have served as link material between traditional comedy sketches; the canceled project was being considered for the Fox Saturday lineup, and the team thought at the time that the ''Cops'' format was a natural framework for sketch comedy. However, during the shooting—and especially the editing—they realized the police element was more interesting than the sketches, and the finished pilot was, according to Garant, "remarkably similar" to the series that eventually aired. Nevertheless, Fox turned down the completed pilot. According to Lennon, their decision not to pick the show up was influenced by a scene, preserved in the eventual Comedy Central pilot, involving Lt. Dangle passionately kissing a man. It was another two years before Comedy Central greenlit the project.

Filming

Establishing shots were filmed on location in Reno, with everything else in Los Angeles and Carson, California, with some parts in Oregon.

Starting from the fifth season onward, certain segments are also shot in the small town of Piru, California. The exterior and interior shots of the Reno Sheriff's Department station were filmed on location at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department substation in Carson. Many of the main scenes of the show were shot over the course of many hours, such as the briefing room scenes. According to the third season DVD commentary, all morning briefing scenes for a season may be filmed on one 10-hour day with different basic plot elements to be used in different episodes. Actors would contribute their dialogue as they were inspired to do so.

Original run

''Reno 911!'' continued for two additional seasons with a special, entitled ''Off Duty'', on March 21, 2004.

The first half of the fourth season, comprising 7 episodes, began on July 9, 2006. In February 2007, a theatrical film, '' Reno 911!: Miami'', was released in North America, featuring the complete series cast. It was a moderate box office success, grossing $22 million worldwide. The second half of season 4, another 7 episodes, drew 1.3 million viewers during the week of March 26 to April 1, 2007.

On October 9, 2006, Comedy Central confirmed 13 new episodes to make up a fifth season, though the season actually contained 16 episodes. Production started in January and wrapped in April. Season 5 premiered on January 16, 2008.

On March 27, 2007, Superstation WGN acquired the first four seasons for a two-year run. The syndicated ''Reno 911!'' is a part of their late night comedy block. Reruns are syndicated to broadcast stations. Lennon and Garant later appeared in-character on a comedy compilation CD, ''Comedy Death-Ray'', released on September 11, 2007, singing a song about why not to use drugs.

On November 10, 2008, Comedy Central confirmed 10 new episodes to make up a sixth and final season. Principal photography was done between November and December 2008. Carmen Electra was a guest star on an episode filmed December 5, 2008 at Grant High School in Los Angeles. Season Six premiered on April 1, 2009, on Comedy Central. Season 6 consisted of fifteen episodes. Cast members Alazraqui, McLendon-Covey and Birdsong did not return for the final season and their characters' absences were explained as fatalities from an explosion in the fifth season finale. Additionally, actors Ian Roberts and Joe Lo Truglio were added to the principal cast as Sergeant Jack Declan and Deputy Frank Salvatore Rizzo, respectively.

On August 13, 2009, Lennon announced through Twitter that the show had ended its six-year run.Comedy Central Cancels "Reno"
''Hollywood Reporter'', August 13, 2009 In response to the cancellation, Reno residents and officials petitioned to save the show.Jayne Clark

''USA Today''. August 27, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2010.

Revival

In October 2011, a story broke that the producers were in negotiations with the streaming service Netflix for a revival.Netflix looking to revive Reno 911!
"Afterdawn.com", October 9, 2011 The primary reason producers wanted to revive the show was because only 88 episodes were produced, and they and syndicating networks would have liked for the show to reach 100 episodes.
"Vulture.com" However, at the time, Comedy Central, who still held sole rights, had not been involved in any negotiations. Furthermore, Lennon and Garant were attached to other projects.

It was announced on December 6, 2019, that the series would be revived in 2020 on streaming platform Quibi. The revival featured the return of the original series creators Lennon, Garant and Kenney-Silver. In a statement, Lennon said: "''Reno 911!'' holds a special place in our hearts, and it will be a delight to get the original cast back together for 're-boot goofin'. Hopefully Nick Swardson can still roller skate. Quibi's short format seems custom made for our show."

Filming of the seventh season started in early 2020, where the production crew was spotted in Piru, California on February 23, 2020. On April 10, 2020, it was announced that the revival was set to premiere on May 4, 2020. On September 3, 2020, the show was renewed for an eighth season. On October 23, 2020, it was announced that Quibi would be shutting down. The eighth season, titled ''Reno 911! Defunded'', made its debut on The Roku Channel on February 25, 2022. On September 7, 2023, it was reported that the series was removed from the service. All seasons of ''Reno 911!'' are currently available on the streaming service Paramount+.

Episodes

Characters

Season six newcomers Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts had appeared as guest stars in past seasons, and both also appeared in ''Reno 911: Miami''. As a member of ''The State'', Lo Truglio is an old friend of the three creators and has worked with them on numerous projects. Roberts is a founding member of the popular Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy troupe, who had their own Comedy Central sketch show from 1998 to 2000. Other members of the troupe ( Matt Besser and Matt Walsh) also appeared in recurring guest roles throughout the seasons. Amy Poehler is the only member of the "UCB 4" to have never appeared on the show in any form.

Throughout the show's run, all three main cast members from '' Stella'' (who were also from ''The State'') made appearances as characters. While Michael Showalter was the exception on the TV series, he appeared in the film, along with all of the cast members of ''The State''.

Main crew members

* Danny DeVito – executive producer
* Michael Shamberg – executive producer
* Stacey Sher – executive producer
* John Landgraf – executive producer
* Peter Principato – executive producer
* Paul Young – executive producer
* Robert Ben Garant – creator
* Kerri Kenney-Silver – creator
* Thomas Lennon – creator
* Michael Patrick Jann – director

Awards and nominations

Films

The series spawned a film released in 2007. In the film, the deputies are called in to save the day after a terrorist attack disrupts a national police convention and locks over 2,000 police officers in a hotel in Miami Beach during spring break.

In December 2017, Nash said another film is in the works, but it is unknown if it evolved into anything that came after.

On December 23, 2021, ''Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon'' was released on Paramount+. The film involves the deputies of the Reno Sheriff's Department as they hunt for Q, the one behind all of the QAnon conspiracies. Their efforts cause them to get stuck at a QAnon convention at sea.

On October 28, 2022, a third movie was announced to be released on Comedy Central. A Christmas movie titled ''Reno 911! It's a Wonderful Heist'': it premiered December 3, 2022.

Home media

Best of Releases

References

External links

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{{Quibi

2000s American LGBTQ-related comedy television series
2000s American mockumentary television series
2000s American parody television series
2000s American police comedy television series
2000s American single-camera sitcoms
2003 American television series debuts
2009 American television series endings
2020 American television series debuts
2020s American LGBTQ-related comedy television series
2020s American mockumentary television series
2020s American parody television series
2020s American police comedy television series
2020s American single-camera sitcoms
2022 American television series endings
American television series revived after cancellation
Comedy Central sitcoms
American English-language television shows
Quibi original programming
Reality television series parodies
Reno, Nevada in fiction
Television series about television
Television series by MGM Television
Television shows adapted into films
Television shows set in Nevada