The co-creator of Reno 911! opens up about the future of the comedy franchise. A parody of Cops told in the style of a mockumentary, Reno 911! originally aired from 2003 to 2009 on Comedy Central. The series, which chronicled the incompetent workers of the fictional Reno Sheriff’s Department, featured an ensemble cast that included Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Mary Birdsong, and Kerri Kenney-Silver. It has proved surprisingly durable, spawning two movies and a television revival that continued earlier this year on The Roku Channel.
Kenney-Silver, who created the mockumentary with Lennon and Garant, addressed Reno 911! in an interview with ScreenRant. Although a ninth installment has not been officially announced, the co-creator was unequivocal about her desire to continue the story. She explained that this was partly a reflection of the current entertainment landscape, where popular movies and shows rarely go away for good and are frequently rebooted or revived, but she also stressed how much the cast and crew genuinely enjoyed working together. Her quote is included below:
Never, never. Because you can't really do that in this day and age where things just keep coming back. I mean, like you said, we've killed people on the show and they've come back. [Chuckles] So there's really no such thing as final for this, which is very comforting, I think to us all. It's like coming home, I think, for all of us. It's like coming home, and no matter what other projects we're doing, no matter what the level of them is, it's always, always, fun to come back and play with your best friends with your family.
Why RENO! 911 Continues To Be A Fan-Favorite
There were a few factors that have helped Reno 911! to stand out, particularly its improvisational nature. It stood out because, as a general rule, only the basic plot outline of an episode would be planned. The dialogue and banter between characters, however, were regularly improvised. This helped give the mockumentary an added layer of hilarious realism. The meta element of Reno 911! was often referenced as well, with characters complaining about how only their moments of ineptitude were being highlighted.
Any good work that they did, they tended to insist, was unfairly ignored. This was a bit of clever commentary on the supposedly real programs, like Live PD, which Reno 911! was meant to spoof. Those programs present law enforcement, unfailingly, as conquering heroes that face off against unruly criminals. But in actuality, those reality shows have been condemned for being heavily edited and staged in a way to elicit certain responses.
Reno 911! flips the script, in any case, making their cops the reliable punchline. The chemistry of the cast tops it all off, as the ensemble has an excellent way of playing off one another. Cameos from popular actors, like Jamie Lee Curtis, also add to the charm. Even if Reno 911! isn't immediately brought back for season 9 or another movie special, the update from one of the show's co-creators and stars makes it sound like the actors and crew will reunite again down the line. It's a show that has a history of bouncing back and returning, even after many years off the air, and that at least partially stems from the camaraderie between those involved with the project.