7.526 minSeason 1 • Episode 6
LatestA struggling comedian owes money to the owner of a nightclub. When his body is discovered at the bottom of a cliff in a car crash, all the clues point to suicide. It is later discovered that the comedian was also a police informant on a drug ring he infiltrated at his nightclub. Frank steps in and takes the place of the deceased at the nightclub in order to gather more clues.
In this cult parody of cop dramas, replete with farce and sight gags, Lieutenant Frank Drebin and his fellow officers from Police Squad bungle their way though crime investigations.
Writing
ZAZ at peak pun density—three jokes layered per frame.
Acting
Leslie Nielsen's stone-faced commitment to absolute nonsense.
Direction
Visual gags timed with surgical precision, then immediately undercut.
Creators
Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
ABC canceled it after four episodes because, reportedly, executives believed viewers had to 'pay too much attention' to get the jokes.
Every episode title was structured as 'The Big ___'—a direct parody of Dragnet episode naming conventions that viewers in 1982 would have instantly recognized.
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