When you think of Reno, you think of casinos, but for American comedy fans, there is also the legendary sitcom Reno 911!

It is a police comedy in a fake documentary style that has been airing since 2003. It's too clumsy to be a drama and too funny to be a reality show. 'Reno 911' parodies the actual police documentary program Cops, following officers with a camera. However, the police officers featured are all incompetent yet overflowing with confidence.

It's a situation that makes no sense, yet the point of the show is that they pretend to be serious about their investigations. For example, they often pull out guns while issuing parking tickets or get into fights among themselves while trying to catch a suspicious person. The incidents are always trivial, but the police reactions are exaggerated, making you laugh out loud.

Especially, the team leader, Deputy Dangle, is a symbol of this show. He always wears short shorts over his police uniform, leading to jokes that traffic accidents in Reno have increased because of those shorts. Daniel is overly serious, but his actions are always absurd, creating problems even when there are none. For instance, he once claimed, while conducting a traffic stop, that "I smell marijuana in this car," only to find out it was the scent of an air freshener in his pocket.

The charm of this series goes beyond simple comedy; it satirizes the reality of local police in America. Instead of solving cases in a cool way like in detective shows, it reveals the realistic (?) incompetence, misunderstandings, and quirky humanity of the police. Just as 'The Office' is a workplace comedy, 'Reno 911' can be seen as the police version.

For example, when the police are in a meeting saying, "I hope there are no incidents today," someone immediately receives a call reporting, "A stray cat has knocked over a trash can." Yet, all the police rush out in response. The scene of them seriously chasing a stray cat is a highlight.

Another memorable scene is when the police try to arrest a suspect but treat him like a fan instead. When the suspect, who likes the TV show Reno 911, asks for a selfie, the officers momentarily forget their duty and take a selfie with him. In the meantime, the suspect escapes. The scene where they rationalize, saying, "We are citizen-friendly police," in the meeting room is truly hilarious.

This series is known for having a script, but most of it is created through improvisation. The actors know only the general situation, and the rest is ad-libbed on the spot. This makes the dialogue feel natural and like a real documentary. The cameraman shaking the camera to hold back laughter is even a characteristic of 'Reno 911'. It's hard to tell if it's intentional or not haha.

In reality, after the filming of the show in Reno, the number of tourists increased. People come asking, "Is this really Reno?" There were even quite a few who imitated the actors wearing short shorts in front of the casinos.

Ultimately, 'Reno 911' is more than just a simple comedy. It intricately mixes the ordinary life of Reno and the essence of American humor, which is self-deprecation. Thanks to the police who take their jobs seriously even in absurd situations, viewers burst into even bigger laughter.

There are many die-hard fans among my American friends, and I heard it was even made into a movie once haha.