"Reno 911" (Comedy Central, TV Series/Movie)

[pkristen]

Summary:
Starting as a parody of the “reality” series “Cops”, but with original characters portrayed by actors skilled in the art of improv. This show focuses on the fictional members of the Reno’s Sheriff’s Department, some of whom make you nervous that they’re legally allowed to carry firearms.

Thoughts:
I ignored the show until I got wind that the stories were driven by improv acting and one of the main characters was gay. So of course, I had to go check it out, and I got hooked.

What I love most about the series is that the more you are aware of the different levels of self-parody, the more hilarious it is. I’ve seen comments from people who approach the show with a very simple appreciation of what is being shown and still enjoy it, but I personally find intellectual richness more rewarding, and this show delivers.

Now, I’m not saying all scenes are of high-intellectual caliber, but it’s definitely not for people who can be offended easily and take comments personally. But I admit it's a fine line.

From the LGBT perspective, one of the biggest gems is obviously Lt. Jim Dangle, the only member of the sheriff’s department in short shorts. However, I am also a fangrrl of Officer Cherish Kimball, the “I’m not a lesbian” lesbian, whose portrayal of the archetype sarcastic, take charge cop is hilarious in my mind.

Unfortunately, while the TV show and the movie hinted at Kimball’s quasi-lesbianism, from denial to signs of her dating women, she wasn’t really give her time to shine in general. If you like Officer Kimball, the best scenes which featured her were in the supplemental movie footage that was released on DVD as "Reno 911: Miami - Unrated More Busted Edition."

The movie had so much footage that the German version was 4 hours long. Obviously the US release couldn’t be that long so it was cut down to regular expectations. But this supplemental DVD has the extra footage that wasn’t included in the original US (unrated) release.

Yes, I was bummed when she and my bigger favorite Officer Clementine Johnston didn’t appear in season six. But it’s a series that I still regard with a certain fondness.

And I’ll get around to watching the rest of season six one of these days.