Police Squad starring Leslie Nielsen

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:11.640
Callarogas Shark Media. Welcome back to
another enthralling episode of TV in the Basement,

2
00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:16.519
the podcast that unearths the Bury Treasures, celebrates the classics, and dives

3
00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:21.399
deep into the unsung heroes of television
history. I'm your host, Journey Joe

4
00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:26.239
Mitchell, and today we're delving into
the hilariously underrated world of Police Squad.

5
00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:30.000
So fasten your seat belts, put
on your detective hats, and get ready

6
00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.039
for some slapstick humor, because we're
about to explore the mad cap brilliance of

7
00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:39.719
Police Squad. Police Squad that's right
with the exclamation point was a short lived

8
00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:44.159
TV series that burst onto the scene
in nineteen eighty two. Created by the

9
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:49.679
comedic genius duo of Jim Abraham's David
Zucker and Jerry Zucker, the same team

10
00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:55.039
behind the iconic Airplane film. This
show was a hilarious parody of police procedural

11
00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:00.640
dramas. Now let's set the stage. Police Squad starred the legendary Less Nielsen

12
00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:06.400
as Detective Frank Dreben, a bumbling
but well intentioned police officer. Dreben was

13
00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.840
a master of comedic deadpan delivery and
had an uncanny ability to find humor in

14
00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:15.920
the most absurd situations. The show
also featured the talents of Alan North as

15
00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:21.400
Captain ed Hockin and Peter Lupis's officer
Norberg. But here's the twist. Police

16
00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:25.719
Squad was ahead of its time in
more ways than one. It consisted of

17
00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:30.200
only six episodes. Yes, you
heard that right, just six. The

18
00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:34.920
creators intentionally designed the show to be
short and sweet, believing that the rapid

19
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.480
fire humor and sight gags might not
sustain itself over a full length series.

20
00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:45.120
Each episode was a half hour of
pure comedic brilliance. The premise of Police

21
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.439
Squad was simple, yet absurd.
Detective Frank Dreben, our clueless protagonist,

22
00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:55.079
worked in the fictional Police Squad,
a division of the police department tasked with

23
00:01:55.239 --> 00:02:00.319
solving bizarre and often surreal crimes.
The show parodied the convention of traditional police

24
00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:06.400
procedurals with relentless puns, visual gags, and absurd humor. One of the

25
00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:10.560
hallmarks of Police Squad was its rapid
fire delivery of puns and sight gags.

26
00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:16.280
Whether it was Dreben's deadpan one liners
or the background antics happening during dialogue scenes,

27
00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:21.000
the show never let up on the
humor. For instance, in one

28
00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:25.039
episode, Dreben asks a bartender for
a black Russian and the bartender hands him

29
00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:30.560
a Russian man dressed in black.
Another running gag was the opening credits,

30
00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:35.919
where each episode featured a different celebrity
guest star who would meet a hilariously tragic

31
00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:39.360
fate in the very next scene.
The absurdity of this recurring bit set the

32
00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:44.280
tone for the entire show. But
it wasn't just puns and sight gags that

33
00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:50.080
made Police Squad memorable. The show
was a masterclass in visual humor. Slapstick,

34
00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:53.879
wordplay, and absurdism all found their
place in the world of Frank Dreben.

35
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:58.159
Whether it was a car chase involving
a vehicle with one flat tire,

36
00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:02.000
or Dreben repeatedly gets slapped in the
face with a fish during an undercover operation

37
00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:07.240
at a fish market. The comedic
brilliance was non stop. With only six

38
00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:13.199
episodes, we have time to recap
all of them. Episode one a substantial

39
00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:17.080
gift the broken Promise. In the
pilot episode, Detective Frank Dreben and his

40
00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:23.680
team investigate a series of suspicious deaths
connected to a charity telethon a mysterious donor

41
00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:28.560
has been sending lethal gifts, including
exploding cigars and a poisonous beeper. Episode

42
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:32.800
two, Ring of Fear a dangerous
assignment. This episode sees Dreben and his

43
00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:38.800
colleagues delving into the world of professional
boxing. They investigate a rigged boxing match

44
00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:44.159
and encounter a range of humorous situations, including Dreben disguising himself as a boxer.

45
00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:47.879
Episode three, The Butler Did It
A Bird in the Hand. The

46
00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:53.080
third installment finds Dreben and the police
squad dealing with a high society murder mystery.

47
00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:58.120
A wealthy widow has been murdered,
and Dreben goes under cover as her

48
00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:03.120
butler to uncover the truth behind her
des Episode four Revenge and Remorse the guilty

49
00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:09.199
Alibi. In this episode, Dreben
and the team investigate a string of murders

50
00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:13.280
linked to an exotic dance club.
Dreben goes under cover as a club performer

51
00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:16.839
to uncover the killer's identity. The
episode is filled with humorous dance routines and

52
00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:24.120
gags. Episode five Rendezvous at Big
Gulch, Terror in the Neighborhood. The

53
00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:28.519
fifth episode takes Dreben and his colleagues
into the world of espionage and neighborhood watch

54
00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.399
programs. They uncover a plot involving
secret agents and a housewife turned spy.

55
00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:39.920
The episode parodies spy tropes and suburban
life. Episode six, Testimony of Evil

56
00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:45.079
Dead Men Don't Laugh. The final
episode of Police Squad has Dreben and his

57
00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:48.279
team trying to solve the murder of
a comedian. They navigate the world of

58
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:53.959
stand up comedy while investigating the case, leading to a humorous courtroom trial.

59
00:04:54.839 --> 00:05:00.000
This episode features a memorable closing scene
where the cast members interact with the audience.

60
00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:05.600
These six episodes of Police Squad exemplify
the show's unique brand of rapid fire

61
00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:12.519
humor, wordplay, visual gags,
and absurd situations. While the series may

62
00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:16.680
have been short lived, each episode
left an indelible mark on television comedy and

63
00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:24.639
set the stage for the Naked Gun
film series that followed. It's important to

64
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:29.959
note that Police Squad was a critical
darling. Critics praised its irreverent humor and

65
00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:34.160
rapid fire delivery. However, despite
the critical acclaim, the show faced an

66
00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:41.079
unfortunate fate cancelation after just six episodes. But why well? There are a

67
00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.079
few theories. First, the show's
format may have been a bit too ahead

68
00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:49.399
of its time. In nineteen eighty
two, traditional police procedurals ruled the airwaves,

69
00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:54.160
and audiences might not have been ready
for such a radical departure from the

70
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:59.480
norm. The fast paced comedy may
have left some viewers bewildered. Second,

71
00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:03.519
the Neel Wilson ratings, which measure
TV viewership, showed that Police Squad struggled

72
00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:09.000
to find a consistent audience. It
faced stiff competition in its time slot,

73
00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:14.000
and the rapid fire humor may not
have resonated with everyone. Third, the

74
00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:18.279
show's cancelation might have been influenced by
network executives not fully understanding the unique brand

75
00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:24.279
of humor Police Squad offered. Television
networks are known for making swift decisions when

76
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:28.199
it comes to ratings, and Police
Squad might not have had the time to

77
00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.879
cultivate a dedicated following. But here's
where the story takes an interesting twist.

78
00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:38.519
Despite its brief television run, Police
Squad didn't fade into obscurity. In fact,

79
00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.199
it paved the way for something even
bigger. Just a few years after

80
00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:46.600
the show's cancelation, the creators of
Police Squad took their brand of humor to

81
00:06:46.639 --> 00:06:50.639
the big screen with the Naked Gun
film series, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank

82
00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:56.000
Dreben. Once again, the films
expanded on the show's comedic universe. The

83
00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.839
Naked Gun movies, including The Naked
Gun from the Files of Police Squad and

84
00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:03.240
its sequels, became iconic. Until
next time, keep the remote close and

85
00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:08.000
the snacks closer. I'm Journey Joe
Mitchell, and I'll be watching TV in

86
00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:08.600
the basement.