So when it comes to the current television comedies that are available out there. it's not exactly a secret that things aren't that great at the moment. It's not easy to find anything funny on television that would be even remotely worth watching.
After all, when you combine the fact that there hasn't been any new breakout hit tv comedies in years and that we're also dealing with the covid-19 outbreak, things are really looking break. It's almost impossible to turn on your tv and find a sitcom that could make you laugh.
Fortunately, even though pretty much none of the current tv shows are funny, I've been able to go back check some older stuff. I've managed to find time to watch comedies that aired decades ago and that I hadn't seen in a long time.
Indeed, the latest 'classic' show that I've watched with my friends is Leslie Nielsen's 'Police Squad'. This is a 'forgotten' six episode tv series that aired in 1982 that paved the way for the popular 'Naked Gun' movies that were made in the late eighties / early nineties.
Premise-wise, we're dealing with exactly the same scenario that we had in the film versions too. We have the doofus police lieutenant Frank Drebin as our main protagonist, who despite his 'stupidity' manages to solve the crimes that he's been sent to investigate.
Comedy-wise, one of the biggest reasons that the series works so well is that the 'gag' or 'joke' count here is absolutely incredible. Pretty much every single scene in every episode is filled with multiple verbal and audiovisual gags that are hilarious.
Acting-wise, there's no question that the veteran drama actor Leslie Nielsen was the perfect pick to play Frank Drebin's character. His ability to pull of deadpan acting and do physical comedy was simply amazing and something that very few actors are capable of doing.
Story-wise, when it comes to the storylines on 'Police Squad!', it has to be said that it wasn't easy to cram in all the needed story beats in only 25 minutes that would let you to tell a full story. This - as unfortunate as it is - is the weakest aspect of the series.
Indeed, even though the jokes in the series are funny, it's the story that in too many episodes is lacking. The resolution in most of the episodes comes a bit out of nowhere and isn't that well written or satisfying if we're being honest here.
In that sense, when you look at this thing as whole, considering that the series was turned into a successful movie series five years later, that is something that we should be happy about. Clearly the producers and the writers knew what they could do with their concept.
After all, when you were able to switch into a 90 minute movie format, that allowed the writers to develop and explore both the storylines and the characters a lot more. They weren't tied to the 25 minute format that put too many restrictions on the story.
Still, when it all is said and done, just because the 'Naked Gun' movies were better than the series was, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't give the series a try. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give it a chance if you haven't be able to watch it before.
On the contrary, despite its flaws, when you look at the series as a whole, 'Police Squad!' as a sitcom is genuinely funny and well made. It's a funny comedy series full of hilarious gags, so if you haven't seen it yet, you should definitely give it a go at some point.
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