(Credit: Amazon.com)
Created by:
Ben Garant
Kerri Kenney
Thomas Lennon
Cast:
Cedric Yarbrough …. Deputy S. Jones
Niecy Nash …. Deputy Raineesha Williams
Ben Garant …. Deputy Travis Junior
Thomas Lennon …. Lieutenant Jim Dangle
Carlos Alazraqui …. Deputy James Garcia
Wendi McLendon-Covey …. Deputy Clementine Johnson
Kerri Kenney …. Deputy Trudy Wiegel
Steven Keys …. Rufus
Mather Zickel …. Mike Powers
Brian Unger …. Reading Ron
Mary Birdsong …. Rookie Cheresa Kimball
Ken Marino …. Rookie Jared Reese
Kyle Dunnigan …. Craig Pullin
Boy if every Police Department were like the Reno Sheriff’s Department, we’d all be in big trouble. For its third season, the troopers of Comedy Central’s Reno: 911 keep rocking their hilariously dimwitted Cops spoof with easy going laughs. While Season 3 doesn’t quite reach the highs of the previous year with its slam bang finale, its still solid, often crude, yet unpretentious entertainment.
The episodes pick up right where the previous season’s cliff hanger left off, with the Sheriff’s Deputies in jail for various charges of misconduct. This first episode is absolutely hilarious, as the gang is having a hard time adjusting to prison life. A scene where Trudy (Kerri Kenney) is getting a tattoo is particularly funny, and also hilarious is Travis Junior (Ben Garant) who hopes to improve his reputation with a swastika that apparently is made of shoe polish. Low and behold the group is freed on parole when it’s learned that District Attorney Mike Powers (Mather Zickel), the man that put them away, is actually a mass murderer.
My favorite episode of the season may be its second, as the group has to adjust to civilian life. Jones and Garcia (Cedric Yarbrough and Carlos Alazraqui) get a gig living it up on easy street as security guards at a local mall, Trudy opens a bed and breakfast in her own very small house, Clementine (Wendi McLendon-Covey) fulfills her lifelong dream of being a professional groupie, Deputy Raineesha Williams becomes the worst real estate agent ever and Lieutenant Dangle (Thomas Lennon) gets rejected in his bid to become the next American Idol. Don’t worry, by the third episode, the Deputies’ dreams are all shattered when they have to get back to work protecting the streets of Reno.
I was quite happy to see Ken Marino in episode 3 of this season. Marino, along with Thomas Lennon and others were veterans of the Cult MTV sketch comedy show, The State. It was like a mini reunion for those of us that loved The State and I wish the show would do more things like that. The State is one of the reasons I tuned into Reno in the first place.
One of the things I really love about this show is that’s it never gets bogged down in the semblance of a plot it has for each episode by flashing back and fourth with either another plotline or random instances of protecting and serving. For example in the season’s fourth installment, SARS Outbreak a local Public Television Kid’s Show called Reading Ron visits with the Sheriff’s Department for the day. This is hysterical, as every time the camera seems to turn on, something horrible happens, the best (or worst as you may see it) is the saving of a cat from a roof, when things turn absolutely horrific. This storyline is side by side with Jones, Dangle and Trudy being quarantined in a house where a man may have died of SARS, which is equally funny as the three of them have to occupy themselves for 36 hours.
The season’s final episode is a complete winner as Trudy wants to marry her longtime boyfriend Craig (Kyle Dunnigan) who people may recognize from Season 2. The problem is that on the same night Craig is scheduled to be put to death for being a serial killer. Other than that, he’s a really nice guy though and the Sheriff’s Department would hate to see one of their own unhappy, so they all jump into action, as Junior and Clementine try to seduce the Governor into giving a stay of execution and the rest of the bunch tries to put a wedding together. Well, I say the rest of them, but Jones and new Sheriff’s Deputy Cheresa Kimball (Mary Birdsong) actually spend the entire episode lost in a parking garage looking for their car.
At any rate, it’s a funny conclusion, complete with cliffhanger, to a fairly successful season. While each episode is pretty funny, it would have been nice to have some more running jokes throughout the season besides Trudy and Craig’s conjugal visits, the “Police Tek 2000” commercials, and the occasional appearance of Mike Powers. Not all of the episodes are completely engaging, but at least have a passing interest. Also, the joke with the cat in the season’s fourth episode is also the biggest laugh of the whole season.
Still there’s plenty to like here and Reno 911 looks to be going strong into its fourth year as well as gearing up for a feature film, Reno 911: Miami. The jokes come fast and furious and even if they seem kind of tired sometimes, there’s another laugh just around the corner. From Junior and Dangle having to run through town with nothing but their pistols after a botched stakeout to Jones putting the moves on Trudy because she may be the last woman he sees alive, the show keeps going strong in season 3, and let’s hope its keeps it up for seasons to come.
Score: 7.5/10
The Video
This looks just fine. I’ve got no problems with the print here as it looks decent the entire way through. The show is presented in Fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
The Audio
The audio here is just as good. Dialogue is never too low that you can’t hear it over whatever ridiculous thing is happening in the background. The track is in Dolby Digital 5.1.
SPECIAL FEATURES: DVD Intro, Audio Commentaries, Extended Outtakes, Action Figure Commercials, Trailers
DVD Intro – This is basically just a trailer for Reno 911: Miami. It features Dangle and Junior arguing about Police Academy movies and other things of the like.
Cast and Crew Audio Commentaries – These appear on five of the thirteen episodes and feature various cast members as well as directors of some of the episodes. The best of the bunch is Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon who act as if they’re smoking a bong during the commentary. Another funny one has Mary Birdsong comparing her experience with doing her first commentary with that of a porn star doing anal.
Extended Outtakes – Doesn’t seem like a lot of Extras does it? Then I realized that there’s nearly an hour of outtakes on the two discs. They’re pretty hilarious to boot.
Action Figure Commercials – It sure looks like we’re about to get a pretty awesome set of Reno 911 figures available till I realized these commercials are fake. Too bad.
Trailers – These are trailers for several Comedy Central materials.
Score: 7.0/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Reno 911 – The Complete Third Season | |
