I binge-watched the entire Police Squad tonight. Only six episodes. The show was cancelled by dumbass execs.
Leslie Nielsen is sublimely ridiculous as straight-faced clown, detective lieutenant Sgt. Frank Drebin. Alan North is his boss, Capt. Hocken. Other regulars inc. police scientist Doc. Olson (Ed Williams), officers Norberg (Peter Lupus), and Al (‘Tiny Ron’ Taylor), and ‘word on the street’ guy, Johnny (William Duell).
Each episode has a pointless celebrity guest star, who expires during the credits. The humour is very broad, and both visual and verbal. It’s great fun.
The gags are often very formulaic. But the formulae are hugely enjoyable. Drebin is always crashing his beautiful and very long green car (a ‘73 Plymouth Continental?) into trash cans, bicycles, other cars, etc.
Whenever he gets word from his source in the street, shifty shoe shine Johnny, the next customer is a specialist of some sort, and Johnny always has the required ‘info’, be it gossip column advice or heart-surgery.
I believe the show only really works as well as it does because in Leslie Nielsen the Zucker Abrahams Zucker team found the perfect actor for their brand of humour. All the other actors are like lesser planets in orbit around the sun that is Nielsen’s gift for comedy.
It’s such a shame the Columbia TV dullards axed the show. As it’s a simple but effective premise; the TV ‘Cop Show’ being absolutely ripe for spoofing. And as slight as the ingredients may be, it could’ve run forever.
As a wee footnote… I love Frank’s wheels! Green is my favourite colour. I think the paint colour of his Plymouth is Amber Sherwood (metallic). Whatever it is, I adore it! I’d love to have a car like this! It’s pretty huge though. And left-hand drive, of course. And no doubt a real gas-guzzler. Oh well…