Reno 911!

As the episodes have continued, something unexpected happens - the action begins to take a backseat to characters. It's not so much that you begin to care about this collection of cartoonish misfits, but the depth and breadth of their weirdness becomes the show's primary source of entertainment. Reno 911! ends up being more a surreal soap opera than a Cops parody. [25 Aug 2003]

It is laugh-out-loud hilarious -- if your drink doesn't spew out your nose at least once an episode, you're not paying enough attention. [19 Aug 2003]

Outrageous. ... Thanks to inspired editing, it all hangs together. [14 Jul 2003]

An exceedingly funny spoof of Cops that also manages to dismantle the entire crime-show genre. [23 Jul 2003]

Often hilarious. [23 Jul 2003]

An entertainingly raunchy spoof of reality TV. [23 Jul 2003]

"Reno 911!" isn't quite as rich and subtle as the best improvised comedy - the basic format becomes repetitive, and the performers sometimes drive the material into absurd directions when it might have been funnier to keep things smaller - but all in all, it's still a very funny show. [23 Jul 2003]

The opening episode sometimes feels like a "Mad TV" sketch that's going on too long, and that doesn't bode well for the long haul. But that's not to say there's not plenty to laugh at - and even admire - in Wednesday's deadpan debut. [20 Jul 2003]

'Reno 911!' is not as ambitious or witty as Comedy Central's best offering, 'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.' It is not as wickedly funny as 'The Office,' a parody of office life in a dull corporate outpost of London, on BBC America. But it is in the same tradition, and in the same spirit. And that is close enough.

The result: extreme silliness but more than enough laughs to make the half-hour investment worthwhile. [23 Jul 2003]

Has some funny moments and shows promise it might improve, but early episodes are dragged down by lulls, redundancies and the fact that this isn't exactly fresh fodder.

This brand of humor can be an acquired taste, but fans with a tolerance for out-there buffoonery will want to make the trip to "Reno." [20 Jul 2003]

For all the great flashes of improvisation from this fine comic team, there's an overall feeling of weariness to the effort, of perspiration rather than inspiration. [23 Jul 2003]

The action moves quickly, from one incident to the next, and the whole ends up a little more than the sum of its parts. "Reno 911!" may not be truly arresting television, but it sure looks like it, and is fun to watch. [23 Jul 2003]

So aggressive is RENO 911!'s low-budget affect (not to mention its inconsistent pace and sometimes flat humor) that Cops looks positively polished by comparison. ... Still, and especially in its improvisational moments, RENO 911! offers occasionally engaging spontaneity.