With the success of the three "Naked Gun" films, I´m still surprised that ABC did not allow the Jim Abrahams and Zucker brothers´ series to survive longer than the six episodes that managed to survive of "Police Squad!" during 1982. The trio of writers had already proven their ability at parody and slapstick with "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Airplane!," and the television show found critical acclaim and an audience following that was strong enough to warrant the first film, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" in 1988 and two eventual sequels. Featuring one of the true great actors of comedy, Leslie Nielsen, "Police Squad!" is a visual feast of sight gags and goofy behavior on-screen that delivers laugh after laugh and is just as entertaining as the three profitable films that followed the series on the big screen.
"Police Squad!" features the misadventures of super cop and detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) as he haphazardly solves mysteries and crimes. Along with his Captain, Ed Hocken (Alan North) and undercover police officer Nordberg (Peter Lupus), Frank Drebin uses any means necessary and shows amazing capacity to solve crimes though his cognitive thinking is far from impressive. Drebin routinely looks towards police scientist Ted Olsen (Ed Williams) for assistance in solving crimes, or paying shoeshine informant Johnny (William Duell) to give him information that is usually invaluable to solve crimes. Of course, Johnny aids Tommy Lasorda in his pitching advice, offers up surgery tips to a doctor and assists Dr. Joyce Brothers with advice. He is the man everybody goes to.
Leslie Nielsen is brilliant as Frank Drebin and the going gags and stories of each of the six episodes are brilliantly funny. Each show featured a guest star that was killed before the opening credits were completed, Johnny the Snitch gave his advice to anybody needing it as long as they had a buck and Scientist Ted showed children some morally questionable experiments. If you enjoy the Zucker brothers´ brand of humor, then you´ll absolutely love their short lived excursion onto television. This is pure comedy genius. The six episodes of "Police Squad!" are as follows:
"A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)"
Frank must investigate a shooting at a local bank. Sally Decker witnessed the shooting of Ralph Twice and the bank teller, Jim Johnson. The episode features a high death count as Frank Drebin shoots numerous police officers to test some ballistics theories and works hard to discover that a number of visits to a dentist are perhaps the motives behind the shooting and the double homicide at the bank was not an open and shut case involving a man holding up a bank teller.
"Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)"
In "Ring of Fear," Frank Drebin must pose as a boxing coach and promoter for a young fighter, Bobby and force a fight against "The Champ" to discover if a recently murdered boxer was killed by his trainer when he refused to throw a fight. The local boxing promoter refuses to allow Drebin´s man to box, but when Drebin manages to talk the Champ into it, the promoter resorts to kidnapping to try to change Drebin´s mind.
"The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)"
A girl is kidnapped from a Japanese Garden and the kidnappers, not the police lab, are demanding a million dollars. With little information to go on, Frank must interrogate a mime and work with Nordberg to tap a phone to find the location of the kidnapped girl and save her from a potentially horrible fate. This show features an 8-track tape that is used to help solve the crime and some of the better sight gags of the show.
"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)"
William Shatner is the special guest star who dies during the opening credits. That enough is good enough to make this a special episode. In this episode, Frank Drebin must stop a serial bomber who has bombed judges and others and blazed a trail that seemingly points to a recently paroled convict, Edward Casales. He has an ex-wife and a girlfriend and Drebin believes they need to be protected, as they may be potential targets of the mad bomber. Only Frank´s special detective skills can help him find out who the true bomber is.
"Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)"
Frank Drebin and Nordberg must go undercover as locksmiths to discover the identity of a local crime lord that forces local shops to pay a hefty protection fee. A lovely young Ballet Teacher becomes a target for the mob and Drebin is forced to go deep undercover and nearly avoid death by an assassin to get into Dutch Gunderson´s gang and bring down the thugs that have targeted Jill as their next victim, as she is unable to pay the protection fee they are seeking.
"Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don´t Laugh)"
"Testimony of Evil" finds Frank Drebin capturing the hearts of audiences as a stand up comic and singer for an expensive nightclub when the former singer and entertainer is killed. Frank knocks ´em dead in the audience, as he shows off his deftness as Tony Dawonder. The club´s owner is a woman who is a real nutbreaker and watches Frank with a careful eye as she works to keep her dangerous secrets from the master detective.
"Police Squad!" is a damn funny show. From what has been said by various people attached to ABC or the show, it appears that the show was canceled because it required the audience to actively watch the show for all of the sight gags and physical comedy. In my opinion, this is a horrendous reason to cancel a show. However, considering the average American believes that "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" are entertaining, I can believe it. The state of television today is just pathetic. If it weren´t for "Lost," "Heroes" and "My Name is Earl," I would have zero reason to sit down and turn on network television. "Police Squad!" is a slapstick comedy that some would call stupid, but ABC apparently thought us viewers were not smart enough or had long enough of an attention span to truly enjoy it.
"Police Squad!" features the misadventures of super cop and detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) as he haphazardly solves mysteries and crimes. Along with his Captain, Ed Hocken (Alan North) and undercover police officer Nordberg (Peter Lupus), Frank Drebin uses any means necessary and shows amazing capacity to solve crimes though his cognitive thinking is far from impressive. Drebin routinely looks towards police scientist Ted Olsen (Ed Williams) for assistance in solving crimes, or paying shoeshine informant Johnny (William Duell) to give him information that is usually invaluable to solve crimes. Of course, Johnny aids Tommy Lasorda in his pitching advice, offers up surgery tips to a doctor and assists Dr. Joyce Brothers with advice. He is the man everybody goes to.
Leslie Nielsen is brilliant as Frank Drebin and the going gags and stories of each of the six episodes are brilliantly funny. Each show featured a guest star that was killed before the opening credits were completed, Johnny the Snitch gave his advice to anybody needing it as long as they had a buck and Scientist Ted showed children some morally questionable experiments. If you enjoy the Zucker brothers´ brand of humor, then you´ll absolutely love their short lived excursion onto television. This is pure comedy genius. The six episodes of "Police Squad!" are as follows:
"A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)"
Frank must investigate a shooting at a local bank. Sally Decker witnessed the shooting of Ralph Twice and the bank teller, Jim Johnson. The episode features a high death count as Frank Drebin shoots numerous police officers to test some ballistics theories and works hard to discover that a number of visits to a dentist are perhaps the motives behind the shooting and the double homicide at the bank was not an open and shut case involving a man holding up a bank teller.
"Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)"
In "Ring of Fear," Frank Drebin must pose as a boxing coach and promoter for a young fighter, Bobby and force a fight against "The Champ" to discover if a recently murdered boxer was killed by his trainer when he refused to throw a fight. The local boxing promoter refuses to allow Drebin´s man to box, but when Drebin manages to talk the Champ into it, the promoter resorts to kidnapping to try to change Drebin´s mind.
"The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)"
A girl is kidnapped from a Japanese Garden and the kidnappers, not the police lab, are demanding a million dollars. With little information to go on, Frank must interrogate a mime and work with Nordberg to tap a phone to find the location of the kidnapped girl and save her from a potentially horrible fate. This show features an 8-track tape that is used to help solve the crime and some of the better sight gags of the show.
"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)"
William Shatner is the special guest star who dies during the opening credits. That enough is good enough to make this a special episode. In this episode, Frank Drebin must stop a serial bomber who has bombed judges and others and blazed a trail that seemingly points to a recently paroled convict, Edward Casales. He has an ex-wife and a girlfriend and Drebin believes they need to be protected, as they may be potential targets of the mad bomber. Only Frank´s special detective skills can help him find out who the true bomber is.
"Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)"
Frank Drebin and Nordberg must go undercover as locksmiths to discover the identity of a local crime lord that forces local shops to pay a hefty protection fee. A lovely young Ballet Teacher becomes a target for the mob and Drebin is forced to go deep undercover and nearly avoid death by an assassin to get into Dutch Gunderson´s gang and bring down the thugs that have targeted Jill as their next victim, as she is unable to pay the protection fee they are seeking.
"Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don´t Laugh)"
"Testimony of Evil" finds Frank Drebin capturing the hearts of audiences as a stand up comic and singer for an expensive nightclub when the former singer and entertainer is killed. Frank knocks ´em dead in the audience, as he shows off his deftness as Tony Dawonder. The club´s owner is a woman who is a real nutbreaker and watches Frank with a careful eye as she works to keep her dangerous secrets from the master detective.
"Police Squad!" is a damn funny show. From what has been said by various people attached to ABC or the show, it appears that the show was canceled because it required the audience to actively watch the show for all of the sight gags and physical comedy. In my opinion, this is a horrendous reason to cancel a show. However, considering the average American believes that "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" are entertaining, I can believe it. The state of television today is just pathetic. If it weren´t for "Lost," "Heroes" and "My Name is Earl," I would have zero reason to sit down and turn on network television. "Police Squad!" is a slapstick comedy that some would call stupid, but ABC apparently thought us viewers were not smart enough or had long enough of an attention span to truly enjoy it.
With the success of the three "Naked Gun" films, I´m still surprised that ABC did not allow the Jim Abrahams and Zucker brothers´ series to survive longer than the six episodes that managed to survive of "Police Squad!" during 1982. The trio of writers had already proven their ability at parody and slapstick with "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Airplane!," and the television show found critical acclaim and an audience following that was strong enough to warrant the first film, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" in 1988 and two eventual sequels. Featuring one of the true great actors of comedy, Leslie Nielsen, "Police Squad!" is a visual feast of sight gags and goofy behavior on-screen that delivers laugh after laugh and is just as entertaining as the three profitable films that followed the series on the big screen.
"Police Squad!" features the misadventures of super cop and detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) as he haphazardly solves mysteries and crimes. Along with his Captain, Ed Hocken (Alan North) and undercover police officer Nordberg (Peter Lupus), Frank Drebin uses any means necessary and shows amazing capacity to solve crimes though his cognitive thinking is far from impressive. Drebin routinely looks towards police scientist Ted Olsen (Ed Williams) for assistance in solving crimes, or paying shoeshine informant Johnny (William Duell) to give him information that is usually invaluable to solve crimes. Of course, Johnny aids Tommy Lasorda in his pitching advice, offers up surgery tips to a doctor and assists Dr. Joyce Brothers with advice. He is the man everybody goes to.
Leslie Nielsen is brilliant as Frank Drebin and the going gags and stories of each of the six episodes are brilliantly funny. Each show featured a guest star that was killed before the opening credits were completed, Johnny the Snitch gave his advice to anybody needing it as long as they had a buck and Scientist Ted showed children some morally questionable experiments. If you enjoy the Zucker brothers´ brand of humor, then you´ll absolutely love their short lived excursion onto television. This is pure comedy genius. The six episodes of "Police Squad!" are as follows:
"A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)"
Frank must investigate a shooting at a local bank. Sally Decker witnessed the shooting of Ralph Twice and the bank teller, Jim Johnson. The episode features a high death count as Frank Drebin shoots numerous police officers to test some ballistics theories and works hard to discover that a number of visits to a dentist are perhaps the motives behind the shooting and the double homicide at the bank was not an open and shut case involving a man holding up a bank teller.
"Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)"
In "Ring of Fear," Frank Drebin must pose as a boxing coach and promoter for a young fighter, Bobby and force a fight against "The Champ" to discover if a recently murdered boxer was killed by his trainer when he refused to throw a fight. The local boxing promoter refuses to allow Drebin´s man to box, but when Drebin manages to talk the Champ into it, the promoter resorts to kidnapping to try to change Drebin´s mind.
"The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)"
A girl is kidnapped from a Japanese Garden and the kidnappers, not the police lab, are demanding a million dollars. With little information to go on, Frank must interrogate a mime and work with Nordberg to tap a phone to find the location of the kidnapped girl and save her from a potentially horrible fate. This show features an 8-track tape that is used to help solve the crime and some of the better sight gags of the show.
"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)"
William Shatner is the special guest star who dies during the opening credits. That enough is good enough to make this a special episode. In this episode, Frank Drebin must stop a serial bomber who has bombed judges and others and blazed a trail that seemingly points to a recently paroled convict, Edward Casales. He has an ex-wife and a girlfriend and Drebin believes they need to be protected, as they may be potential targets of the mad bomber. Only Frank´s special detective skills can help him find out who the true bomber is.
"Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)"
Frank Drebin and Nordberg must go undercover as locksmiths to discover the identity of a local crime lord that forces local shops to pay a hefty protection fee. A lovely young Ballet Teacher becomes a target for the mob and Drebin is forced to go deep undercover and nearly avoid death by an assassin to get into Dutch Gunderson´s gang and bring down the thugs that have targeted Jill as their next victim, as she is unable to pay the protection fee they are seeking.
"Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don´t Laugh)"
"Testimony of Evil" finds Frank Drebin capturing the hearts of audiences as a stand up comic and singer for an expensive nightclub when the former singer and entertainer is killed. Frank knocks ´em dead in the audience, as he shows off his deftness as Tony Dawonder. The club´s owner is a woman who is a real nutbreaker and watches Frank with a careful eye as she works to keep her dangerous secrets from the master detective.
"Police Squad!" is a damn funny show. From what has been said by various people attached to ABC or the show, it appears that the show was canceled because it required the audience to actively watch the show for all of the sight gags and physical comedy. In my opinion, this is a horrendous reason to cancel a show. However, considering the average American believes that "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" are entertaining, I can believe it. The state of television today is just pathetic. If it weren´t for "Lost," "Heroes" and "My Name is Earl," I would have zero reason to sit down and turn on network television. "Police Squad!" is a slapstick comedy that some would call stupid, but ABC apparently thought us viewers were not smart enough or had long enough of an attention span to truly enjoy it.
"Police Squad!" features the misadventures of super cop and detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) as he haphazardly solves mysteries and crimes. Along with his Captain, Ed Hocken (Alan North) and undercover police officer Nordberg (Peter Lupus), Frank Drebin uses any means necessary and shows amazing capacity to solve crimes though his cognitive thinking is far from impressive. Drebin routinely looks towards police scientist Ted Olsen (Ed Williams) for assistance in solving crimes, or paying shoeshine informant Johnny (William Duell) to give him information that is usually invaluable to solve crimes. Of course, Johnny aids Tommy Lasorda in his pitching advice, offers up surgery tips to a doctor and assists Dr. Joyce Brothers with advice. He is the man everybody goes to.
Leslie Nielsen is brilliant as Frank Drebin and the going gags and stories of each of the six episodes are brilliantly funny. Each show featured a guest star that was killed before the opening credits were completed, Johnny the Snitch gave his advice to anybody needing it as long as they had a buck and Scientist Ted showed children some morally questionable experiments. If you enjoy the Zucker brothers´ brand of humor, then you´ll absolutely love their short lived excursion onto television. This is pure comedy genius. The six episodes of "Police Squad!" are as follows:
"A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise)"
Frank must investigate a shooting at a local bank. Sally Decker witnessed the shooting of Ralph Twice and the bank teller, Jim Johnson. The episode features a high death count as Frank Drebin shoots numerous police officers to test some ballistics theories and works hard to discover that a number of visits to a dentist are perhaps the motives behind the shooting and the double homicide at the bank was not an open and shut case involving a man holding up a bank teller.
"Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment)"
In "Ring of Fear," Frank Drebin must pose as a boxing coach and promoter for a young fighter, Bobby and force a fight against "The Champ" to discover if a recently murdered boxer was killed by his trainer when he refused to throw a fight. The local boxing promoter refuses to allow Drebin´s man to box, but when Drebin manages to talk the Champ into it, the promoter resorts to kidnapping to try to change Drebin´s mind.
"The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)"
A girl is kidnapped from a Japanese Garden and the kidnappers, not the police lab, are demanding a million dollars. With little information to go on, Frank must interrogate a mime and work with Nordberg to tap a phone to find the location of the kidnapped girl and save her from a potentially horrible fate. This show features an 8-track tape that is used to help solve the crime and some of the better sight gags of the show.
"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)"
William Shatner is the special guest star who dies during the opening credits. That enough is good enough to make this a special episode. In this episode, Frank Drebin must stop a serial bomber who has bombed judges and others and blazed a trail that seemingly points to a recently paroled convict, Edward Casales. He has an ex-wife and a girlfriend and Drebin believes they need to be protected, as they may be potential targets of the mad bomber. Only Frank´s special detective skills can help him find out who the true bomber is.
"Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)"
Frank Drebin and Nordberg must go undercover as locksmiths to discover the identity of a local crime lord that forces local shops to pay a hefty protection fee. A lovely young Ballet Teacher becomes a target for the mob and Drebin is forced to go deep undercover and nearly avoid death by an assassin to get into Dutch Gunderson´s gang and bring down the thugs that have targeted Jill as their next victim, as she is unable to pay the protection fee they are seeking.
"Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don´t Laugh)"
"Testimony of Evil" finds Frank Drebin capturing the hearts of audiences as a stand up comic and singer for an expensive nightclub when the former singer and entertainer is killed. Frank knocks ´em dead in the audience, as he shows off his deftness as Tony Dawonder. The club´s owner is a woman who is a real nutbreaker and watches Frank with a careful eye as she works to keep her dangerous secrets from the master detective.
"Police Squad!" is a damn funny show. From what has been said by various people attached to ABC or the show, it appears that the show was canceled because it required the audience to actively watch the show for all of the sight gags and physical comedy. In my opinion, this is a horrendous reason to cancel a show. However, considering the average American believes that "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" are entertaining, I can believe it. The state of television today is just pathetic. If it weren´t for "Lost," "Heroes" and "My Name is Earl," I would have zero reason to sit down and turn on network television. "Police Squad!" is a slapstick comedy that some would call stupid, but ABC apparently thought us viewers were not smart enough or had long enough of an attention span to truly enjoy it.
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