Operation Good Guys is easily one of the best 'fly on the wall' spoofs seen in recent years, particularly when you consider that in 1997 it was one of the first of this style genre and therefore in unchartered territory. I sincerely doubt that other programme makers would admit to this, but, it is apparent that some of the filming techniques (and even jokes) have made their way into other, more popular shows, namely The Office.
The fact that the scripts were genuinely improvised gives a far more authentic representation of any scene in question, particularly in the lighter moments (were there any other types of moments??) where clearly the joke intended for the viewer was also amusing to the cast too. This technique allows the viewer to become far more involved in the performance, rather than simply watching a stale and static scene that, whilst undoubtedly amusing, has been rehearsed to perfection.
Episodes/scenes to note:
Series 2 - Mark Kemp's and Bones' portrayal of Guardian Angels, along with the comedic head-gear and uniforms.
Series 2 - DI Beach's elephant man sketch, brought on by a severe case of sunburn.
Series 2 - Mark Kemp's comedy dance routines (taken from Elton John's 'The Passenger' video???), and particularly the bongo playing clip from the Baldy Song.
Series 3 - Mark Kemp's superb take-off of Don King, difficult to see how the cast/crew were able to keep straight faces throughout those scenes.
Series 3 - DI Beach's immortal line, in the episode named "That's Entertainment", "Get me a midget!!!"
All in all, Operation Good Guys was a brilliantly acted and improvised show that sadly never seemed to receive the credit that it truly deserved; there are probably more fans, particularly those people writing/acting in other similar style shows, than care to admit it.
