Customer Reviews

Reno 911: The Complete Third Season (Uncensored Edition)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Comedy Central's Reno 911 is one of those rare shows that shouldn't work, and yet it surprisingly does. As the third season of the show opens, the inept officers of the Reno, Nevada sheriff's department are freed from prison and leading new lives, only to be re-united again and eventually re-instated as cops, much to their dismay. The improvised jokes and gags come as fast and furious as a long time fan of the show would come to expect, yet pretty much everything here still manages to feel fresh. Thomas Lennon (Dangle) and Robert Garant (Junior) are still the funniest attractions of Reno 911, and even when a new recruit (Mary Birdsong) joins the force, the show still keeps rolling along. There's plenty of other hilarity that ensues throughout the season, including Weigel (Kerry Kinney-Silver) planning to wed her serial killer boyfriend; not letting a little thing like him sitting on death row spoil her plans of matrimony. All in all, the third season of Reno 911 only improves everything that the surprising Comedy Central hit has laid out, and while these cops are definitely not the best, you can't deny that they're not the funniest.

You can try and emulate this show but it would be hard. Rarely have seven actors (eight now as Mary Birdsong joins after a few episodes, evening out the man-woman ratio) been able to create such vivid characters that are funny and pathetic and yet never cross over the line into stupidity. The chemistry among all the leads is amazing and no matter who they're paired up with, they pull it off every time.

Season Three begins with the conclusion of the story arc from Season Two. The cops are now in jail, in tight quarters and driving one another nuts. Once that storyline is resolved, they're back on the beat. Dangle meets a young man who could be his son and that's bad for Dangle -- because he's desperately attracted to the young man. Jones enjoys a brief moment in the spotlight as a voiceover artist. Garcia refuses to introduce the cops to a mystery woman, so of course they all spy on him. A children's TV host tries to do a show on location and it all goes very, very wrong. The scene with Junior rescuing a cat from a roof is one that seems pretty standard at first; we know something will go wrong (things ALWAYS go wrong with Junior), just not what. However, what does happen is so horrifying yet so blasted funny that you'll be staring at your TV set in disbelief while laughing so hard you can't breathe.

Thankfully Season Three, like Season Two, is uncensored and it's amazing what a world of difference that makes. All the bleeping from TV can make a scene seem disjointed, and I never thought I'd say this, but the profanity makes every situation funnier. Also, the more you watch an episode, the more you can pick up on the asides, and the off-the-cuff comments that enrich each scene even more.

I think the secret to what makes Reno so good is that while the characters and situations are nuts, there's something very real about the Reno cops. They live in substandard housing, they smoke, they drink, are unlucky in life and love, and they try to find their happiness wherever they can. This is illustrated in the scene when Jones tells Junior what he would do if he had two million dollars, that he'd tell off his family and when Junior asks him why he doesn't do that now, Jones states it's because his family is supporting him. Another scene shows the cops at the end of their shift, sitting on the front lawn of the station, smoking and making small talk and I got the impression they really didn't have anywhere else to go. (Not one of the characters is married, oddly enough.) I think if the actors played these characters straight, it would be too sad for words. They don't have much going for them, and it's only their job that gives them authority and power that they want. God love 'em. You may not want Dangle, Weigel, Jones and the gang in your precinct but there's no denying they're the funniest cops you'll see.

The 7th episode of the season features a series-best performance from Cedric Yarborough as Jones, who gains instant fame as the voice-over talent for High Sierra Carpets. The series is based on characters who have varying degrees of insanity and instability (but for the most part let those traits bubble just below the surface). In this episode, however, Yarborough gives an unrestrained, over-the-top tour de force performance. Deputy Jones proves that the higher they climb, the harder they fall, and the episode is laugh-out-loud hilarious. The fun doesn't stop there...the season starts with the entire cast in jail (picking up from season 2), moves toward their inevitable showdown with former D.A. (and part-time serial killer) Mike Powers, and much, much more. The eleventh episode...with the officers performing security duty on the set of "CSI"...features some of their best extended improv to date. The scene with Dangle and Junior guarding "M. Helgenberger's" trailer just keeps getting crazier and crazier. Apparently he REALLY wanted that towel! This is ensemble comedy at its finest.

I have recorded this entire 3rd season and it is hysterical !! The writers continue to come up with funny plots. Clemi tries to marry a dead guy in one episode. A SARS scare has Trudy, Dangle and Jones fearing for their lives in another episode. The Season Finale has Trudy marrying her serial killer boyfriend in prison minutes before he will receive a lethal injection. In the same episode Dangle and Garcia are left stranded in their patrol car in a snow blizzard in the mountains. The 3rd Season continues to deliver nonstop comedy and is a must for all Reno 911 fans !!! I have the DVD sets for Season 1 & 2 and definitely plan to buy Season 3.

Reno 911 is awesome. A perfect blend of dry, dead pan humor and slap stick goofiness. The first time I saw it on Comedy Central it sucked me in, and now I own all three seasons! The characters are hilarious, and their interactions with each other are so real, and often ridiculous... It's everything that "COPS" should be, and it's fun to watch any time, over and over!!

RENO 911! just gets better with each season.
I like the addition of Mary Birdsong; I think as the series progresses she will become as loved and entertaining as the other crazy coppers on the show.
If the movie is as good as the TV series thus far, us fans are in for a big treat.

In season three, Lieutenant Jim Dangle and the gang are released from prison and reinstated to the Reno Sheriff's Department. In episode three, Deputy Cheresa Kimball (played by Mary Birdsong) joins the force. Although she resists the charms of the male deputies, love is in the air in Reno. Deputy James Garcia's sister almost gets married, except for the fact that her fiancée is run out of town. Deputy Clementine Johnson's marriage to the Hot Tub King of Reno isn't considered legal, because he hadn't divorced his current wife. Also, just before the wedding ceremony took place, he died! In the season's final episode, Deputy Trudy Wiegel manages to marry someone who is still alive. However, he is a serial killer about to be put to death by lethal injection. Barring a last minute pardon from the governor, their chances for a long marriage are not good.

In episode ten, Lieutenant Jim Dangle may have a love child from a previous encounter during his time in the Coast Guard, while the squad gets a Hummer! I discovered an Easter Egg involving that episode. In disc two's main menu, there is a feature called Action Figure Promos, with a photo of an action figure. When you click on his sunglasses, episode ten plays, with audio commentary from the actors in character! Deputy Wiegel: "There is more trouble at that whorehouse...They have a great haunted house once a year. My favorite thing they do is stick your hand in the eyeballs." Deputy Garcia: "Those aren't eyeballs." Lieutenant Dangle: "And it's not your hand!" The characters really came into their own in the third season, allowing the stories to become more outrageous and funny. In addition to season four being broadcast on Comedy Central, there's more good news. In an introduction before episode one, Lieutenant Dangle and Deputy Travis Junior mention that their feature film, called "Reno 911!: Miami," will be released sometime in the coming year.

I really enjoy this series. It is hilarious. I recently got a portable DVD player from my wife for Christmas, and this will be my regular show I watch, as I can't watch this is front of my young children due to the excessive cursing.

I recommend this wholeheartedly. Great price too!

MC White

The third season of Reno 911 does not dissapoint! The antics are just as outrageous, the improv is even more hilarious.

What you have to look forward to:
~ Trudy has conjugal visits with her disturbing boyfriend
~ Jones's voice becomes locally famous
~ Dangle has a son???
~ Terry and other recurring troublemakers have more antics
~ The squad gets a Hummer (the car)
~ New recruits make the deputies look bad
~ Dangle's bike problems continue
~ The deputies ruin Garcia's life (again)

Of course, this season is uncensored and has a fair amount of extra footage, including some hilarious commentary. There are only 13 episodes, however, which makes for a remarkably short season, but I can live with their quality-over-quantity approach.

Now, I have to admit that I initially felt this show had run its course and it couldn't possibly come up with any more clever plot lines, but after watching the third season, I was proven wrong. Some of the jokes from earlier seasons are repeated here, but I noticed an even raunchier vibe to this show's third outing. My favorite episode is Episode 4 featuring Reading Ron, a Mr. Rogers knock-off. Nonstop laughs in that one. And this season introduces a new deputy portrayed by Mary Birdsong. She is just getting her footing and I hope the series capitalizes on the new character in the future, because right now she seems overshadowed by the current cast. Highlights include the Reno team serving as security for a location shoot of "CSI: Las Vegas". Let's just say they are not entirely inaccurate portraying "Hollywood" types as cynical and uncaring. And the introduction of a character who might be Dangle's long-lost son is great humorous fodder. Finally, Liberace's piano skit is hysterical. So, keep up the great work, Reno Sheriff's Department. Here's to many more adventures! Keep 'em coming! Excuse me now while I do some new boot goofin'.