Danger 5

My best friend and i found this on Netflix... we did not expect what was about to happen. From the first episode on we were laughing out loud to the point of tears. I do not remember ever having seen anything this amazing in my life. I've shown it to several friends since then, and re-watched the first season multiple times and it keeps getting better every. single. time. Very similar in tone to Monty Python and the Mighty Boosh. I admit, season 2 is not nearly as hilarious as the first, bit it is still amazing and ball-shatteringly funny. Also Ilsa is literally the hottest thing, ever. 10/10: would watch on a desert island for the rest of my life.

The ridiculousness of this show is on a whole other level. This show looks and feels as though it was shot in the 70s. There's nazi dinosaurs, power ranger style mech robots, corrupt police dogs, mind control crystals and the lost city of atlantis. At one point they shoot someone through the telephone. All of the special effects are done with dolls or miniatures and make to look as intentionally corny as possible. The entire premise of the show revolves around killing Hitler, something they fail to do constantly and make mediocre accomplishments, usually foiling hitlers current hare brained plans while he escapes unscathed to plot again.

The humor in this show centers not so much around punchlines or jokes but the sheer absurdity of what is going on. At one point Hitler goes into hiding in a high school and danger 5 has to go undercover, 21 jump street style. Somehow every character who dies lives conveniently long enough to describe their perfect drink to the bartender dude in detail so he can make it to honor their memory. Ilsa speaks exclusively in Russian which makes no difference to the fact that everyone seems to understand her and respond in English as if she was speaking the same language. And every episode ends in one of those bond-esque cocktail parties, until the episode when they start doing cocaine and then its basically a cracked out version of their usual cocktail parties. Everything is so, like, groovy man.

Reminiscent of "A Fistful of Yen" (from Kentucky Fried Movie) and looking like "Mighty Morphing Power Rangers," "Danger 5" succeeds at one of TV and movie making's toughest goals; making a deliberately bad production that doesn't overshoot the mark.

"These two are part of a team the Allies put together to irritate me."-Adolf Hitler in "Danger 5."

Japanese Super Soldiers with swastikas on their helmets.

Armed dinosaurs.

A gold plated Panzer tank.

All this and more, played straight and at a pace that would challenge the focus of a 30 Rock fan. Doesn't seem funny out of context? That's the genius of "Danger 5." The context is hallucinogenic and yet the stories have a peculiar coherence that allow Eagle-headed commanding officers to seem both reasonable and laugh out loud funny.

Like I said, don't try to make sense of it. But watch a few episodes and there's a good chance you'll create your own way of "getting it." And if it doesn't make you laugh, for goodness sakes don't watch, because there's no "deeper meaning" in "Danger 5."

Shows this lame and campy are not easy to make. It takes a lot of time and thought to make it this way. Especially when made with cheese on purpose like Danger 5 clearly is. The amount of effort that goes into making this show is astounding. And is risky because it could totally backfire after so much is invested in it.

On Netflix it has a low rating because people who watch it don't get the satire that it is trying to portray. They likely think its old and lame. But really, it began in 2011 and if anyone thinks its not made like this on purpose, they're crazier then some of the set designs and characters. Speaking of characters, Nazi Dinosaurs? The mere concept is hilarious and ridiculous at the same time! Fortunately on IMDb people seem to get it.

Danger 5 is cheesy. Its campy. Its lame. Its terribly bad on purpose. Its original. Its SO SO GOOD!

I absolutely love this show. It's witty and clever and right on the nose. The model car and plane fight scenes put the hilarious camp over the top but it remains interesting and the novelty of the 60s TV show theme is not quick to grow stale. I know people who don't like this show for various reasons and I certainly think that you have to have the right sense of humor for it, but when you do, its a total riot. The second season is not quite as appealing to me as it takes a turn for the random more often than not but I see its merits and it still has me laughing often enough. I think that this is one of the most underrated shows of all time and cannot recommend the first season enough If you don't like it by the first two episodes however, it will probably never appeal to you.

I just got my Danger 5 patch in the mail the other day.