Reno 911! The Complete Third Season

Who knew one of Comedy Central’s most underrated original programs would be a spoof of Cops set in the biggest little city? Thanks to a process called retroscripting, wherein actors improvise around a loose, pre-generated plot, Reno 911! avoids the more tired structures of both sitcoms and sketch-comedy shows. In season 3, the series starts exploring longer “off-duty” story arcs than previously seen. As a result, there’s less time for the non-relevant “on-duty” moments that always bring the biggest laughs. Still, the jokes ride the humor highway between gross-out comedy and scathing social satire, thankfully never bogging down in either lane. A dysfunctional cast of cops—and some delicious, piping-hot Arby’s takeout—is all this show needs to keep the comedy from being DOA.