# Reno 911! (2003)

> A squad of incompetent Reno deputies bungles 911 calls while a documentary crew captures their politically incorrect opinions.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2074

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 88
- Episode runtime: 21 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney, Robert Ben Garant
- Network: Comedy Central
- Cast: Thomas Lennon, Cedric Yarbrough, Kerri Kenney, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Robert Ben Garant, Niecy Nash-Betts, Mary Birdsong
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370194/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, irreverent, absurd, satirical

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its improvisational, mockumentary-style absurd comedy and the ensemble's cringe-inducing incompetence.

## Synopsis

Reno 911! (2003-2009) is a United States cable mockumentary police comedy created by Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney and Robert Ben Garant for Comedy Central. Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) leads a sloppy squad of Reno sheriff's deputies, including Deputy Sven Jones (Cedric Yarbrough), Deputy Trudy Wiegel (Kerri Kenney) and Deputy Clementine Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey), whose 911 calls keep spiraling into chaos. The engine of the show is the gap between the department's self-importance and its real competence: each episode strings together speeding tickets, prostitution stings and drug den stakeouts that go wrong in escalating ways. Shot in a fly on the wall style, the series leans on partly improvised performances and candid confessional asides in which the officers airily criticize one another and reveal their prejudices. Across six seasons and 88 episodes it runs as a case of the week sitcom rather than one continuing story, so each outing feels like a fresh ride-along. The tone is deadpan, irreverent and absurd, and it sits in the tradition of The Office (US) and Party Down, with fans of parodies of reality television finding the same satirical bite.

## Shows like Reno 911!

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- [Tacoma FD (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/73812)
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- [Son of the Beach (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/821)

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