Hey, Reno 911! returns to Comedy Central this month

Reno 911! is back. Again.

After more than a decade off cable, relegated to the shifting interests, names, and runtimes of Quibi, Paramount+, and The Roku Channel, Lieutenant Dangle is bringing those getaway sticks back to Comedy Central. Per a network press release, the series returns on Wednesday, October 19, at 10:30 p.m.

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Now, don’t get too excited. Despite the press release claiming Comedy Central was premiering “all-new episodes,” judging by the trailer, it looks like we’re getting a repackaged version of the Roku Channel’s most recent season. Reno 911! Defunded was the second season of the show’s 2020 revival. Before that, Quibi ran Reno 911! through its 10-minute video format before the crew put together a feature-length film for Paramount+, Reno 911!: The Hunt For QAnon, which speaks to the concept’s elasticity. After that, a second season of the Quibi revival was ordered, with production outliving the app that greenlit it.

Reno 911

Earlier this year, The Roku Channel, which purchased all those Quibis after Jeffrey Katzenberg went out for cigarettes and never returned, aired the eighth season of the series under the Defunded moniker. Comedy Central apparently dropped the Defunded tagline, placing the show much more comfortably on the shelf with the rest of the Comedy Central seasons.

For those who don’t know, perhaps because you came of TV watching age in the 10 years between seasons, Reno 911! is a parody of the controversial reality series Cops. However, instead of offering viewers a look inside the real-life world of harassing people of color, people experiencing homelessness, people struggling with drug addiction, and those living through effects of economic instability and inequality, Reno 911! presented an inept sheriff’s department on the verge of hurting themselves and others. Honestly, it’s basically the same thing as Cops, except you can watch it without wanting to throw up.

New episodes of Reno 911! (well, new to anyone that doesn’t watch The Roku Channel) premiere on October 19 on Comedy Central.