Reno 911: The Complete Second Season

Lieutenant Dangle (Thomas Lennon) and the rest of the outlandish Washoe County sheriff squad fine-tune their characters into a comic groove in this 16-episode sophomore season compilation of the Comedy Central-aired improv series, executive produced by Danny DeVito (who has a cameo). The premiere episode picks up right where the finale left off: with Deputy Jones (Cedric Yarbrough) waking up in the morgue to find his coworkers lying motionless all around him…which is actually just a nightmare Dangle's having, as he points out in bed with guest star Kenny Rogers, who both realize they're dreaming…and the whole scenario turns out be one of Deputy Garcia's (Carlos Alazraqui) recurring fantasies! Wacky? More than ever! On the job, the lackadaisical Reno crew get locked in a cell by a former prisoner-turned-televangelist, battle local firemen over dueling celebration dates, and have a hand in a fast-food restaurant worker's demise. In their private lives, Dangle pulls rank to keep the gang from missing his going-away bash for a basketball game (“It's mandatory. How ‘bout that? It's mandatory!”), Deputy Weigel (Kerry Kenney-Silver) takes up with a murderous boyfriend (she still needs convincing that he's a killer, even after the guy mentions he would cut her head off), Jones and Deputy Williams (Niecy Nash) explore the Nation of Islam in full attire, Garcia and Deputy Johnson (Wendi McClendon-Covey) enjoy a whirlwind doomed relationship, and Junior's (Robert Ben Garant) mail-order bride ends up driving away in their trailer home. Culminating in a two-parter that leaves the entire group without jobs, this second set nicely showcases the timing and talent of the ensemble cast. DVD extras include commentary on four episodes, 90 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, and the cast's performance at HBO's Comedy Arts Festival. Recommended. (J. Williams-Wood)