Get Smart

It sucked. Andy Dick was pathetic. He was too effeminate to pull off this poorly written comedy. As a big fan of the original get smart, I am glad they pulled the plug on this stinker. What made the original series fun was the great schtick written by none other than Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.

I was a big fan of the original series. I was in third grade when it first came on and 7th when it ended. Our family watched it every Sunday night.

The problem with the remake, which was a new show trying to get the startup Fox TV Network going, was the main characters were not that exciting, one being the child of Maxell Smart. Frankly, Andy Dick who played smart's son, just did not have the charisma to carry the show. He's more like this annoying, contrived little twit you feel like smacking upside the head rather than laughing at.

What would have been the problem with Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 (Susan) as the main characters instead of just cameos at the beginning and end of each show, in 99's case just the first show? Better to watch funny older people than annoying young people. Maybe they would have made more than six episodes.

Reviving a TV series after 25 years since its last season, seems like a terrific idea. That's what I liked about this Fox version of Get Smart. It was great to see Don Adams return as Max, and Barbara Feldon return as 99. David Ketchum also returns, as Agent 13. My only complaint is that Max and 99 weren't the leading characters. It was now Zach and 66. Despite being old, it still would have been better if Max and 99 were still out there chasing Kaos Agents. But this series has its moments. Some of the best material is in Wurst Enemies (Episode 6) where Bernie Kopell returns as Siegfried. It doesn't surprise me that it was Siegfried and Max who made me laugh. I think Fox should re-run it, and it should also be shown in other parts of the world. It's worth watching.

I was one member of the small writing/producing staff on the remake of Get Smart. I can't argue with any of the comments left by the fans of the original.

Get Smart (the original) is my favorite show of all time. So you can imagine how thrilling it was to write new material for Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. (and Siegfried!) Andy Dick was really very, very funny. And Elaine Hendricks, who played his co-agent, is a gem still waiting to be discovered. But it is REALLY hard to re-do something that was almost perfect to begin with. Imagine remaking Casablanca or The Wizard of Oz -- Well, in the sitcom world, Get Smart was the equivalent. The standard was just too high.

So, the experience was great, and I have a picture of myself standing between Maxwell Smart and Siegfried that's worth a million bucks... Would you believe, a dollar-fifty?

With Pierce Brosnan rejuvenating the James Bond franchise, the time was ripe to bring back the greatest spy parody ever, _Get Smart_. And personally, I think the series would have worked if the lead character had been a suave but wimpy wannabe like Brosnan's Steele character was in the first couple of seasons on that show. This would have been a great contrast to the character of Maxwell Smart, who had the ability, just not the brains.

Instead, what we got was Andy Dick playing a character who had neither the brains nor the ability. His character was simply childish and annoying, leaving it completely in the hands of the writers to make the show funny. Sometimes they delivered; far more often they did not. I'm glad the show was put out of its misery quickly, and I'm equally glad we got to see Max and Siegfried square off one last time before that happened.