They dont make television comedies like they used to, and few were ever made as brilliantly as Reno 911, the jewel of Comedy Centrals glorious mid-aughts lineup. But its back, and better than pretty much every new comedy on air right now, despite clocking in around seven minutes an episode.

In these trying times, happiness is an elusive sensation. The unbridled joy I felt one minute into the reboots premiere, having realized Reno 911 is returning to us in fine form, defies description. In Quibis hands, the show is back at its Bush-era peak, a relic from a time when few topics were off limits in comedy, and skillful humorists lampooned every one of them with equal vigor and delight. You cant fully understand the magnitude of this cultural loss until you see Jim Dangle work his way through a PSA on gender pronouns.

The PSAs are only of many gags from the shows original run that return in the reboot, which premieres on Monday, including Juniors universally ill-fated attempts to pull drivers over, and Dangles bicycle woes. Familiar faces like Patton Oswalt, Toby Huss (Big Mike), and Dave Holmes (Leslie Frost) make appearances as well, furthering the shows ability to channel its singular original spirit.

Speaking of which, Reno 911! left the air in 2009, but more than a decade later, its cultural commentaries hold up remarkably well. Revisit, for instance, the eighth episode of season five, presciently titled The Wall, for a taste of the shows lasting satirical value. Quibis reboot is similarly fearless, diving straight into the new politics of policing, transgenderism, paper straws, and gun control. Oswalts character is basically Alex Jones. With the exception, perhaps, of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, another holdover from the mid-aughts, theres just nothing like this on television anymore.

Reno 911 is a good fit for Quibis experimental model, which is to produce series with episodes under 10 minutes long, in vertical and horizontal formats optimized for smartphone viewing. The show actually used to air hodgepodge episodes with no narrative string at all, basically just a collection of sketches. Theres continuity in the Quibi episodes, at least the three made available to press before launch day, which works well for breezy shows like Reno.

Theres something odd about watching Reno 911! in 2020, about seeing its unchanged crassness applied to a world where cultural pressures have reined in most satireeven most good satire. Everything is overproduced and overwritten, two qualities that could never be used to characterize Reno 911! Thank goodness for that. Its liberating to revisit comedys not-so-distance past, and actually kind of revealing as to how exhausting those overproduced and overwritten shows have started to become.

What makes the consequences of political correctness difficult to measure is that we cant fully know whats not being made. The Reno reboot actually functions as a glimpse into the magnitude of that loss. Of course, Quibis decision to bring the show back without sanding away of its edges indicates some in the industry are still willing to test those waters, convinced theres a market for genuinely controversial comedy. Between YouTube and the booming podcast industry, that should be abundantly clear.

Like Michael Scott, a character even Steve Carrell believes wouldnt fly in todays Hollywood, the bumbling idiots of the Reno Sheriffs Department are used to satirize the ugliness of racism and sexism and xenophobia. Our laughter reinforces societys intolerance for bigotry. Thats a worthy effort, and comedy is one of our best tools to tackle it.

I dont know how Reno will be perceived by critics in legacy media, who typically enforce the narrowing standards of acceptable discourse, even if they allow for a little more wiggle room than the lefts most humorless detractors. For 2020, the writing on Renos seventh season is bold. Its also great.

Ill close by acknowledging whats behind the shameless enthusiasm of this glowing review. Reno 911! and Strangers With Candy and The Sarah Silverman Program were what I watched when my parents werent home. They were what taught me the value of satire. They were what made me appreciate the intellectual freedom that comes with comedy. But nostalgia aside, the reboot is worth your time.

Besides, if you dont watch, you will never know what happened to Trudy Wiegels hamster. And trust me, youre going to want to know what happened to Trudy Wiegels hamster.

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'Reno 911' Makes A Seamless Transition To Quibi, Harkening Back To Funnier Times - The Federalist