Get Smart is an American
comedy television series that
satirizes the
secret agent genre. It was created by
Mel Brooks with
Buck Henryand had its television premiere on September 18, 1965. The show stars
Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86,
Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and
Edward Platt as Thaddeus, the Chief. Henry said that they created the show at the request of
Daniel Melnick[1] to capitalize on "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today":
James Bond and
Inspector Clouseau.
[2] Brooks said: "It's an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy."
The show generated a number of popular
catchphrases during its run, including "Would you believe...", "Good thinking, 99", "Missed it by
that much!", "Sorry about that, Chief", "The old (such-and-such) trick", "And
loving it", and "I
asked you not to tell me that".
[4] The show was followed by the films
The Nude Bomb (a 1980 theatrical release) and
Get Smart, Again! (a 1989 made-for-TV sequel to the series), as well as a
1995 revival series, and a
2008 film remake. In 2010,
TV Guide ranked
Get Smart's opening
title sequence at No. 2 on its list of TV's Top 10 Credits Sequences as selected by readers.
The show ended its 5-season run on May 15, 1970, with 138 episodes. The
Museum of Broadcast Communications finds the show notable for "broadening the parameters for the presentation of
comedy on television."