Reno 911! goes Miami

The Reno Sheriff's Department is filled with the most incompetent and abusive deputies you'll ever meet. Civil liberties and constitutional protections are as mythological to Reno's deputies as Democrats are to fictional Deputy Junior Travis.

Fortunately, the Reno sheriff's department only exists in the Comedy Central series, Reno 911!. As a spoof of reality cop shows, Reno 911! relies heavily on improvised dialogue for comedy in the series. While the success of the show relies on the full cast.

Up until now, the antics of the Reno Sheriff 's Department have been confined to the greater Reno area. Reno 911!: Miami moves the deputies all the way down to Miami Beach, Fla. to attend a law enforcement convention. After they're denied admission to the convention, the deputies fall into the middle of a terrorist plot involving a chemical attack, drug kingpins and scheming city politicians. Somehow they bumble their way through.

Reno 911!: Miami delivers what fans of the series have come to expect. The film's loaded with the suggestive comedy and improv dialog of the series, along with the skewed sense of humor that makes the series so entertaining. An early scene involving the Reno deputies sharing motel rooms is easily the highlight of the film and impossible to keep a straight face through.

As the only available law enforcement officers, the Reno deputies assume responsibility for the safety of Miami Beach. How much safety they actually provide the public is debatable.

As with the cable series, Reno 911!: Miami has deputies responding to 911 calls. Since this isn't Reno, the deputies are somewhat out of their element; particularly when they're confronted with an alligator on an animal control call.

Thomas Lennon (Lt. Jim Dangle) and Robert Ben Garant (Deputy Travis Junior) appeared at a press roundtable held at DFW Gun Range in Dallas as part of the fi lm's publicity tour. Lennon and Garant declined to answer questions related to their previous work, choosing to be interviewed in character.

When Dangle and Junior were asked why they chose to be interviewed at a gun range, Dangle said that they were “constantly in a perfect state of perfecting our lethality.” Both were given a chance to prove their ability with an Uzi and a Glock 17 later at the range. The results were surprising. Despite Garant's character being one of the more accurate shooters on the show, in actuality Lennon easily bested Garant.

Over the course of the interview, Dangle and Junior were given the chance to express their views on topics ranging from gay marriage in Reno (they're all for anything that brings in money) to alternative uses for police equipment (tasers are great for popping popcorn). As for the future of police work, the Reno deputies see less human involvement and more robots, particularly since substances thrown at robots are “easy to sponge off”.

As for the future of Reno 911!, though Lennon and Garant wouldn't comment directly, a sequel taking the Reno Sheriff's Department to Scotland Yard is strongly hinted at during the closing scene of Reno 911!:Miami.

Reno 911!:Miami opens in theaters Feb. 23.