Reno 911! - Profile

By Patrick Bromley, About.com Guide

The Season Six cast of Reno 911! on Comedy Central.

Photo by Seth Olenick/© Comedy Central

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Premiere Date:

July 23, 2003

Last Air Date:

July 8, 2009

Episodes:

Reno 911! Overview:

A spoof on the "reality" show COPS, Comedy Central's Reno 911! follows the inept deputies of the Reno sheriff's department. The mostly-improvised show plays like sketch comedy, with an overall plot for each episode being broken up by smaller vignettes of traffic stops, busts gone awry and other general character comedy. The show embraces just about every kind of comedy, from raunchy humor (sex and nudity provide many of the laughs) to broad jokes to dark comedy.

Reno 911! Cast:

Carlos Alazraqui (Dep. Garcia) [Seasons 1-5]
Mary Birdsong (Dep. Cherisha Kimball) [Season 3-5]
Robert Ben Garant (Dep. Travis Junior)
Kerri Kenney-Silver (Dep. Trudy Weigel)
Thomas Lennon (Lt. Jim Dangle)
Joe Lo Truglio (Dep. Franky Rizzo) [Season 6]
Wendy McLendon-Covey (Dep. Clemetine Johnson) [Seasons 1-5]
Niecy Nash (Dep. Raineesha Williams)
Ian Roberts (Sgt. Jack Declan) [Season 6]
Cedric Yarbrough (Dep. S. Jones)

Recurring and Prominent Reno 911! Characters:

Terry, the gay, rollerskating male prostitute played by comedian Nick Swardson
T.T., the crazed, bra-less woman with the blurred-out face played by cast member Niecy Nash.
Boozehammer of Galen, the geeky live action role player played by Patton Oswalt.
Mayor Hernandez, the corrupt Reno mayor played by George Hernandez.
Jackie, a drugged-out and haggard prostitute played by cast member Kerri Kenney-Silver.
Frisbee, a gun-toting white trash bus-dweller played by Zach Galifianakis.
Craig Pullin, the serial-murdering, incarcerated husband of Weigel, played by comedian Kyle Dunnigan.

Background:

Reno 911! was born out of the late MTV sketch comedy The State. After that show (and one more after it, the short-lived Viva Variety!) was canceled, several State members -- Lennon, Garant, Jann and Kenney-Silver -- joined together to create a new series for FOX (the network that airs COPS) in 2001. After sitting on the shelf for two years, Reno was finally picked up by Comedy Central in 2003.

Reno 911!: Miami:

A big-screen version of Reno 911!, called Reno 911!: Miami, was released in February of 2007. The film featured all of the cast members in a plot about the sherrif's department flying to Miami for a convention and thwarting a criminal conspiracy. Though the film did decent box office (about $21 million), it received mostly negative reviews.

The movie, directed by Garant, also marked the first time that all members of The State reunited for a project in nearly 10 years.

The film featured guest appearances from Paul Rudd, Dwayne Johnson, Patton Oswalt, Danny DeVito and Paul Reubens.

Where to Find Reno 911!:

In addition to a pretty steady rotation on Comedy Central, Reno 911! went into syndication in 2007.

The first six seasons of Reno 911! are also available on DVD, complete with many deleted scenes, outtakes and cast commentaries.

Additional Reno 911! Facts:

Joe Lo Truglio, who joined the cast of Reno 911! for Season Six, is also an alumnus of The State.
Ian Roberts, who also joined for Season Six, was a cast member of Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central.