Would you believe that despite a deceptive marketing plan by Sony this is not the original Get Smart? How about that, despite being featured on the box, Don Adams and Barbara Feldon only had small roles and that the series actually starred Andy Dick and Elaine Hendrix? It's all true. This is a wretched and ill-conceived remake that aired for only seven episodes in 1995 as a “star vehicle” for Andy Dick. Maxwell Smart is now the Chief of CONTROL and 99 is a rarely seen Congresswoman. Their super-geeky and awkward son Zach (Dick) becomes a CONTROL agent and is paired up with the ultra-violent Agent 66 (Hendrix), whose adventures drive the show. None of the wordplay, clever characters, or solid plots of the original series are evident in this remake, which suffers from poor acting, weak directing, and lame writing. To make matters worse, Adams and Dick hated each other (Adams pronounced the series “miscast” and Dick openly campaigned for its cancellation), and their lack of chemistry is readily apparent onscreen. Hendrix is solid as a hyper-aggressive female agent, but Dick's portrayal of Zach is so weak and directionless that any attempts at humor fall flat (the only funny moment in the entire series finds Bernie Kopell reprising his role as Siegfried and meeting up with Adams again). DVD extras include bonus episodes of Newsradio and TJ Hooker. Sorry about that, Chief, but not recommended. (C. Birkmeyer)
Get Smart: The Complete Series
Sony, 158 min., not rated, DVD: $19.95 Volume 23, Issue 5
Get Smart: The Complete Series
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