A couple of years after both MTV and CBS networks gave up on the 11-stone comedy troupe known as The State, a small network called Comedy Central came to the rescue by allowing a few of its members a new sketch-oriented program called Viva Variety. It died out in the same year a little program called South Park also made its premiere. For the next several years, there was precious little other than Wet Hot American Summer and Stella to satiate fans of the old days, as many of the comics took to TV sitcoms and commercials to find work. But in 2003, the creative trio of Thomas Lennon, Ben Garant (now known as Robert Ben Garant) and Kerri Kenney (to be known as Mrs. Kenney-Silver after marrying in 2004) managed to debut a little program that could. Their new show was not modeled after television’s past but its contemporary fascination with reality television, primarily COPS, as well as the comedy of embarrassment via shows like The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In Reno, Nevada, “the biggest little city in the world,” seven chosen individuals serve and protect the glitzy town day and night against all manner of crackheads, loiterers and petty thugs. They are the Reno Sheriff’s Department, and they are the most inept police squad one could ever make the mistake of calling for. If you thought the Police Academy cadets were plum loco, you don’t really know crazy until you’ve seen these lawless lawmen on patrol. They are individualistic to the point of self-absorption and lunacy, with each of the officers fulfilling a basic characteristic.

Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Lennon) may be obligated to fight crime, but in his skimpy shorts (ones he lobbied for by reasoning that he needs to be able to move “like a law enforcement cheetah”), you could arrest him for smuggling plums. Deputy Travis Jr. (Garant), the Southern man with the crew cut, hides behind big black aviator sunglasses and deals unsuccessfully with both traffic violators and German-trained K9 cops. Deputy Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash) is the sassy Sistah who cites the opportunity to beat up lowlife males as the main perk of her job. She once had a fling with Deputy S. Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), a bulky black playboy who has a heated partnership with a seasoned Mexican-American officer named James Garcia (Taco Bell Chihuahua voice actor Carlos Alazraqui) and a secret affair with busty hippie chick Clementine Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey). Finally, there’s Trudy Wiegel (Kenney), a neurotic and heavily medicated basket case who has a dozen pet cats and a collection of baby clothes.

In the course of the fourteen inaugural 22-minute episodes of RENO 911!, alliances will be formed, tested and pushed to their breakpoints. Doubts will be experienced about whether or not the Reno Sheriff’s Department can stand up to the big leagues, primarily the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. One of the deputies will be kicked off the force and shamed into demotion. Another will have a surprise pregnancy and/or attempt suicide. The series will end in a Mexican standoff that could spell doom for many of the deputies.

But more importantly, our intrepid heroes will scramble to find someone who is over six feet tall, smokes crack, has an animal tattoo, and is of Jewish descent, all in the name of scoring a seat to the execution of an unnamed perp.

One of the great things about RENO 911! is that the humor is not just bold and satirical in ways that leave no sacred cow un-slaughtered, but the seven primary cast members deliver wells of sparklingly absurd characterizations and dialogue without the benefit of a completed script. Not too many modern television programs make side-splitting use of improvisational humor, but the off-the-cuff exchanges and out-of-nowhere punch lines keep you off guard and on the floor. The fun is doubled by necessity seeing as how most of the cast also moonlight as the suspects as well, be it Kenney as a shrill prostitute named Jackie, Nash as the crazed, midget-fighting T.T. and Alazraqui as Chief Carl (“I’m making a surfboard for my cactus beetle”). Their faces may be blurred, but their personalities and comic timing shine through. My personal favorite, which occurs in the first episode, involves Ben Garant as a mime who is placed in a chokehold by the short-tempered Garcia.

Although the show would accumulate more guest stars in the forthcoming seasons (there’s no Patton Oswalt to be found), many of the series’ most beloved miscreants make appearances in the first season, from the likes of Big Mike, Gary the Klansman, Steve Marmella, and Terry, known in the credits simply as “Roller Skating Hustler.” And if you are familiar with The State, you will have fun spotting cameo appearances by the likes of Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, David Wain, and Michael Patrick Jann, the latter serving as director for all 14 episodes.

For further comments about the show as well as an idea of what to expect, read on through these episode synopses.

“Pilot”
“There is some racial tension on the squad…I think it’s normal. But I think, unfortunately, it all stems from one guy: Officer Garcia. And, I mean, the poor guy can’t help it, he’s Mexican.”
- Deputy Trudy Wiegel.

Beginning with a birthday surprise gone violently awry and ending with a marijuana-fueled bonfire, the first episode of the Comedy Central run (the show was originally developed for Fox) establishes well the quirks and eccentricities of the seven primary officers. No love lost is spared between the officers as they confess their pet peeves with each other in front of the camera and engage in spirited conversations about the tolerance policy in regards to a particular racial slur. There’s also German attack dogs, a pervert with a birdhouse, a suspect line of topless dancers and a deep cover vice operation. Dangle patrols the streets on a zero-tolerance day only to get in a fender bender which may render him the only criminal in town.

“Burning Man Festival”

Lt. Dangle, dressed in an a**less devil costume, is accompanied by Travis and Jones on a trip to the Burning Man Festival in order to catch some acid eaters. Before they leave, he assigns Clementine to take part in a marijuana sting which goes awry even before the DEA swoops in. And Garcia is ordered to use the $1200 in funds received from the Healing Hands organization to reform Jackie, who proceeds to wreak verbal abuse inside a restaurant. Dangle also goes undercover on the first of many prostitution stings only to become the director of his double girl fantasy. And the street mime does battle with a tough young boy selling candy in front of a store.

“Clementine Gets Married”

“People can do whatever they want to do. We don’t live in communist China. I’m not going to tell her, ‘Hey, this is a bad guy with a rap sheet. This is a guy who’s an attempted arsonist, a repeat B&E.’ Is it my place to say, ‘Hey, this guy was wanted on statch a couple years back…shot his cousin, you know, back in ‘81.’ People can do whatever they want. This isn’t communist China.”
- Lt. Jim Dangle.

Clemmy agrees to a proposal from her GED school sweetheart, Steed Lankershim (Timothy Brennan, a friend of McLendon from the Groundlings). Raineesha throws a bachelorette party and invites some strippers, one of whom happens to be Deputy Jones. Dangle and Travis stop by for the first in the community outreach school appearances performing “The Meth Song.” And Jones and Garcia miss the obvious signs from the drive-thru girl at a taco stand that a robbery is in progress. Chris Tallman, best known as the recurring character of Gary the Klansman, stars as a greasy hotel room porno director, and Jim Rash makes his first appearance as Andrew, the nerdy brothel frequenter. Kenney silver nearly steals the episode with her monologue to the camera near her own headstone, placed between her parents’ plots, involving two minorities she would like to see banished from the cemetery.

“Fireworks”
“I will not hesitate to beat your a** with your own shoe!” - Deputy S. Jones

The mayor orders a crackdown on illegal fireworks after his son blows off his thumb with an M80. But Deputy Travis Jr. begs to differ and recalls what went down at the party. Wiegel goes undercover as a prostitute in order to make a bust, whereas Dangle encounters a man with a missing dog (State alumni cameo alert!). Clemmy and Raineesha lose their squad car to a fleeing deviant and decide to get their spin straight. And Jones and Garcia mess with a couple of door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses. An ice cream truck full of confiscated party pyrotechnics is the catalyst for the show’s explosive finale. The previews for next week includes some material which will surface in later episodes.

“Execution Tickets”
“Gettin’ tickets to this execution is kinda like gettin’ two tickets right up front at NASCAR, and you know Jeff Gordon’s gonna die” - Deputy Travis Jr.

The squad vies for a pair of passes to witness an execution in Carson City by competing in a scavenger hunt. Five points are awarded for anyone busted over six foot five, 15 for the best looking hooker and double points are granted to any arrested Jew. The deputies go about setting up as many arrests as they can without resorting to planting evidence. Jones and Garcia order a pizza and throw in a $20 tip for the driver should he arrive within 15 minutes, only to arrest the tall delivery man on sight for a speeding violation. Dangle and Travis pay a visit to known tweeker Big Mike (Toby Huss, Carnivale), and discover he has a dragon tattoo. Raineesha auditions a group of prostitutes for a makeover, whilst Wiegel makes a reach in her arrest of a good Samaritan.

“Jones Gets Suspended”
“Let’s Xanadu it into the car now.”
“You Xana-don’t it.”
- Lt. Dangle and Terry.

After Garcia makes a bad racial joke at the expense of Halle Berry, Jones punches his partner in the face and is suspended from the force. Jones gradually begins to warm up to his latest job as a school crossing guard but receives a lot of attention from his old co-workers. Garcia’s got a new partner in Jones’ absence: Trudy Wiegel. The episode marks the first appearance of the Milkshake Man, who is chased down and assaulted by Dangle and Travis, who also pay a visit to soliciting sex criminal Terry (Nick Swardson). Wiegel makes an appearance at the high school warning about the pros and cons of getting raped.

“Clementine’s Pregnant”

In the wake of a mandatory drug test, Clementine learns that she is seven weeks pregnant. Jones earnestly proposes that he become the father of her child, but Clementine favors Dangle. Jones and Garcia investigate a rooftop trespassing complaint involving kids attempting daredevil tricks on their bicycle and encourages one of them to make the near-fatal jump. Dangle and Travis stake out a motel room in order to nab a drug dealer but are distracted by a neighbor who looks like Leonard Nimoy. The highlight of this episode is a guest turn by Michael Ian Black as Kevin the Sex Offender, who casually introduces himself to his neighbors as he seeks to attain court-ordered signatures.

“Help from the FBI”

“The thing is, I don’t see what’s so great about the FBI. I know everybody here gets a boner every time they come by. What’s so great about it? They wear suits and handle the fluids of dead people. That is not sexy to me. I like being in the streets with the common people. I like driving a car. And I’m not going through that background check! Forget about it!” - Deputy Johnson

A serial killing in Reno brings in the involvement of the FBI, led by Agent Cowen (Shulie Cowen), who then proceed to make coffee run lackeys out of Dangle and Co. However, it isn’t long before the officers, who had previously laid to rest their old and busted microwave with a tear gas grenade, get hands-on in the Bureau’s investigation. Deputy Wiegel finds a potential boyfriend in Craig (Kyle Dunnigan), a man who reports that two youths stole his snow cone. They don’t go out on a date just yet, but the series would eventually give their relationship a much larger arc later on. Back at the school, Jones and Garcia teach about gun safety by reluctantly admitting they can’t do a thing to keep them unarmed. They even advertise a few specific types of firearms for potential prom dates and wrestlers.

“Weigel Suicide Watch”

Wiegel’s failed attempt to kill herself puts her on 72-hour suicide watch. But rather than take the task, Deputies Garcia and Williams are paired together reluctantly to catch a parole violator at a wedding. Wiegel uses the newfound attention to get creepily intimate with Lt. Dangle and brandish a shotgun during a robbery-in-progress call. The squad must also deal with an internet predator who stalls an undercover bust as well as an abused stripper eager to bare it all for Dangle and Travis. Both the Wiegel and Raineesha/Garcia arcs follow through on the promise of Kenney’s adorably unhinged characterization of Wiegel and the spirited interplay between Nash and Alazraqui.

“Garcia’s Anniversary”
“I will not let some little papier-mâché pendejo with a smile on his face ruin my 15 year anniversary. [shoots a piñata at point blank] Yeah! Who’s smiling now, pendejo?! MOTHER----ER!”
- Deputy Garcia.

Having served in Reno for 15 years, the embittered and remorseful Garcia is given an impromptu desert surprise party in the desert. When that doesn’t cheer him up and only fuels memories of his long lost daughter, the male officers decide to take him to a strip club. Although Alazraqui takes precedent over this episode with aplomb, one of the stray encounters gets to the witty core of the series when it comes to the interaction between the cops/perps and the film crew. When Travis helps break up a violent brawl between a family of yahoos only to be thrown through a glass window, he feels so hurt by the stunt not being captured on camera (psyche!) that he willfully restages the confrontation just so he can have that footage to show to his friends. Social commentary and physical humor sit together in the back of the same squad car.

“Terrororist Training: Part 1”

Captain Duane Hernandez (Oscar Nuñez, The Office) and Lt. Susie Kim (Cathy Shim) arrive in Reno from the Department of Homeland Security to give the Washoe County wipe-outs a week-long crash course in deflecting terrorism and biological & chemical weaponry. When not inviting outright paranoia (Dangle and Travis anticipate the next big terrorist attack will happen by someone with a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker and a Toby Keith CD), the outsiders stir the loins of many of the deputies, including even Lt. Dangle (and he’s riding with Susie). In the most bizarre turn of events, Hernandez encourages the sociopathic yet smitten Deputy Wiegel to bloom. Other highlights of this episode include a guest appearance by Cheryl Hines as a lady yokel in a domestic dispute plus a politically correct cross-burning attempt on the front lawn of Gary the Klansman (“it’s a T…for tolerance!”).

“Dangle’s Moving Day”

Deputy Jones spends some quality time with his superior as Lt. Dangle celebrates moving out of his old home. The trouble is that Jones is the only person who has arrived to help his boss pack up, and the bandana-baring Dangle is all too eager to mix up margaritas and crank up the dance music. Life goes on-duty for the remaining officers as Wiegel and Clemmy receive a distress call from a mailman being attacked with paintballs, Raineesha runs into a young man she once babysat during a prostitution sting and Travis Jr. leads a junior deputy program prison tour, regaling the young charges with disturbing anecdotes involving electrified metal bars and “Circle the Wagons” bunk beds.

“Halloween”

Sheriff Walter Chechekevitch (Tracey Walter) arrives on the most dangerous of nights to deliver a rare motivational speech before his deputies go on patrol. The night doesn’t go very well for either Wiegel or Williams, both of whom are the butt of practical jokes that may or may not involve “those f---ing Koreans” Dangle warns about. Clemmy has more success converting a group of Satan-worshipping vandals to Wicca, whereas Jonesy and Garcia must deal with both the nightstick-snatching, leg-humping T.T. and resident pervert Steve Marmella (Jack Plotnick), whose house of horrors scares one woman out of her mind but for all the wrong reasons. But tragedy strikes the Reno Sheriff’s Department when one particular prank backfires big time. And thus, this would be the lead-in to the show’s eventual second season although there is one more episode on this DVD.

“Terrorist Training: Part 2”

After surviving their first suspected bioterrorist attack with the help of their mentor, the Reno Sheriff’s Department remain clueless despite Captain Hernandez’s lectures. By the end of seven days, the officers must take their exam and rely upon Travis Jr. to grease the wheels to victory. In the meantime, Clemmy pulls over a DUI suspect and subjects him to her own peculiar sobriety test and the feisty T.T. wreaks havoc inside a drugstore. Although this episode appears as the last on this DVD, it would’ve been better placed before the Halloween episode, as that previous episode’s cliffhanger is the one that carries over into the show’s second season.

The fourteen episodes are well-preserved on DVD in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and with Dolby 2.0 audio tracks. Color saturation and sharpness levels are high caliber and capture the mock-documentary intent of the camerawork spot-on. All of the settings look as natural as the flesh tones of the performers be they shot in either day or night. The opening music for this season is noticeably different than what composer Craig Wedren would offer for all succeeding seasons, but the musical cues sound good given the stereo separation, including the organ-fueled “spooky” variant used on the “Halloween” episode. Dialogue is rooted in the center and sounds pitch-perfect consistently. All of the episodes are closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

(Sidenote: Although later season sets would employ the "uncensored" hook, there is a modicum of profanity in these episodes both bleeped and not bleeped. F and S-words are always censored save for the special features outtakes, but uses of sexual and racial terms are more inconsistently censored.)

Four of the episodes on this disc include audio commentaries: Thomas Lennon & Niecy Nash sit together for “Pilot,” Michael Patrick Jann & Wendi McLendon-Covey team up for “Clementine Gets Married,” Ben Garant & Kerri Kenney are heard on “Wiegel’s Suicide Watch,” and Cedric Yarbrough & Carlos Alazraqui talk about “Halloween.” The Lennon/Nash and Garant/Kenney pairings offer up the most amusing mixes of production specifics and droll humor, touching on the location details, costume choices and the editing process whilst still finding ample time to goof around. Jann all but evaporates next to McLendon-Covey, whereas Yarbrough and Alazraqui (the one cast member who would constantly ruin takes via spontaneous laughter) react more to specific scenes and fall into the narration trap. Still, there is fun to be had and insights to be gleamed from these four tracks as a whole.

On disc one, you can access a bonus commentary for “Burning Man Festival” during which the seven main performers attempt to recreate the dialogue and sound effects from memory. Naturally, they deviate from the script and lampoon their characters and the situations in the process.

The second disc presents over a half-hour’s worth of alternate/extended takes (a total of nine, which can be also accessed individually) which allow for a more visual understanding of what Garant and Kenney discuss in their commentary track. When filming a scene, the actors are encouraged to just come up with a gag or quip from off the top of their heads, and the results are edited down for broadcast. The first clip, for example, shows Garcia and Jackie the pickle-throwing hooker at the restaurant as he tries to keep the exhibitionist in check. Although there are some funny bits, there is a better sense of rhythm when you watch the finished material in the “Burning Man Festival” episode. The same goes for the raw Duane Hernandez material culled from “Terrorist Training.”

However, a lot of fun stuff is sacrificed. The antics in the coroner’s room as seen in “Help from the FBI” present a lot of whip-smart improvisational goofiness. And watching the scenes with the more flamboyant criminal characters, there’s a lot of humorous give-and-take which makes this option a must-watch for fans of the first, second or third degree. Nick Swardson’s Terry, Jim Rash’s Andrew and Chris Tallman’s hotel porno director cut loose and often inspire the principal actors to greater heights of absurd comedy. Even the most inconsequential of outtakes, wherein Alazraqui and McLendon-Covey crack each other up repeatedly, is forgiven because of the joyously ribald and spontaneous results allowed when the camera is simply rolling and the actors riff away.

A couple of Comedy Central quickies round off the contents on disc two.

Movie rating: 4.5/5.
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5.
Extras: 3.5/5.
Final grade: 5/5.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age