Reno 911! Season 3

Comedy Central's Reno 911 is one of those rare shows that shouldn't work, and yet it surprisingly does. As the third season of the show opens, the inept officers of the Reno, Nevada sheriff's department are freed from prison and leading new lives, only to be re-united again and eventually re-instated as cops, much to their dismay. The improvised jokes and gags come as fast and furious as a long time fan of the show would come to expect, yet pretty much everything here still manages to feel fresh. Thomas Lennon (Dangle) and Robert Garant (Junior) are still the funniest attractions of Reno 911, and even when a new recruit (Mary Birdsong) joins the force, the show still keeps rolling along. There's plenty of other hilarity that ensues throughout the season, including Weigel (Kerry Kinney-Silver) planning to wed her serial killer boyfriend; not letting a little thing like him sitting on death row spoil her plans of matrimony. All in all, the third season of Reno 911 only improves everything that the surprising Comedy Central hit has laid out, and while these cops are definitely not the best, you can't deny that they're not the funniest.

You can try and emulate this show but it would be hard. Rarely have seven actors (eight now as Mary Birdsong joins after a few episodes, evening out the man-woman ratio) been able to create such vivid characters that are funny and pathetic and yet never cross over the line into stupidity. The chemistry among all the leads is amazing and no matter who they're paired up with, they pull it off every time.

Season Three begins with the conclusion of the story arc from Season Two. The cops are now in jail, in tight quarters and driving one another nuts. Once that storyline is resolved, they're back on the beat. Dangle meets a young man who could be his son and that's bad for Dangle -- because he's desperately attracted to the young man. Jones enjoys a brief moment in the spotlight as a voiceover artist. Garcia refuses to introduce the cops to a mystery woman, so of course they all spy on him. A children's TV host tries to do a show on location and it all goes very, very wrong. The scene with Junior rescuing a cat from a roof is one that seems pretty standard at first; we know something will go wrong (things ALWAYS go wrong with Junior), just not what. However, what does happen is so horrifying yet so blasted funny that you'll be staring at your TV set in disbelief while laughing so hard you can't breathe.

Thankfully Season Three, like Season Two, is uncensored and it's amazing what a world of difference that makes. All the bleeping from TV can make a scene seem disjointed, and I never thought I'd say this, but the profanity makes every situation funnier. Also, the more you watch an episode, the more you can pick up on the asides, and the off-the-cuff comments that enrich each scene even more.

I think the secret to what makes Reno so good is that while the characters and situations are nuts, there's something very real about the Reno cops. They live in substandard housing, they smoke, they drink, are unlucky in life and love, and they try to find their happiness wherever they can. This is illustrated in the scene when Jones tells Junior what he would do if he had two million dollars, that he'd tell off his family and when Junior asks him why he doesn't do that now, Jones states it's because his family is supporting him. Another scene shows the cops at the end of their shift, sitting on the front lawn of the station, smoking and making small talk and I got the impression they really didn't have anywhere else to go. (Not one of the characters is married, oddly enough.) I think if the actors played these characters straight, it would be too sad for words. They don't have much going for them, and it's only their job that gives them authority and power that they want. God love 'em. You may not want Dangle, Weigel, Jones and the gang in your precinct but there's no denying they're the funniest cops you'll see.

The 7th episode of the season features a series-best performance from Cedric Yarborough as Jones, who gains instant fame as the voice-over talent for High Sierra Carpets. The series is based on characters who have varying degrees of insanity and instability (but for the most part let those traits bubble just below the surface). In this episode, however, Yarborough gives an unrestrained, over-the-top tour de force performance. Deputy Jones proves that the higher they climb, the harder they fall, and the episode is laugh-out-loud hilarious. The fun doesn't stop there...the season starts with the entire cast in jail (picking up from season 2), moves toward their inevitable showdown with former D.A. (and part-time serial killer) Mike Powers, and much, much more. The eleventh episode...with the officers performing security duty on the set of "CSI"...features some of their best extended improv to date. The scene with Dangle and Junior guarding "M. Helgenberger's" trailer just keeps getting crazier and crazier. Apparently he REALLY wanted that towel! This is ensemble comedy at its finest.

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