Get Smart

Get Smart
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Name	Get Smart
Genre	Sitcom, Spy-fi, Comedy
Creator	Mel Brooks, Buck Henry
Starring	Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt
Country	United States
Language	English
Num episodes	138
Executive producer	Leonard B. Stern
Company	Broadway Television, Talent Associates
Network	NBC, CBS
First aired	1965
Last aired	1970

Get Smart

Get Smart is an American television sitcom created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry that parodies the espionage genre and Cold War tropes. Starring Don Adams as Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, the series blends slapstick, wordplay, and gadgetry to satirize organizations such as SPECTRE-style villainy and the pervasive anxieties of the 1960s. Airing on NBC and later CBS from 1965 to 1970, it produced enduring catchphrases, memorable props, and a transmedia franchise spanning films, revivals, and merchandise.

Overview

The show presents a world of rival organizations led by the villainous KAOS and defended by the benevolent CONTROL. Created amid the popularity of the James Bond film series and the success of sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy, the series lampooned spy thrillers while commenting on contemporary events such as the Cold War and the Space Race. Production involved television veterans from Talent Associates and writers influenced by sketch comedy from Caesar's Hour and films produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

Television series

Premiering in 1965 on NBC, the series featured episodic missions resembling missions from Mission: Impossible and serialized elements reminiscent of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Episodes employed recurring set pieces akin to those in The Avengers (TV series) and utilized guest stars drawn from The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. The show's physical comedy echoed performers from The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, while its witty dialogue owed much to writers who had worked on Saturday Night Live and The Carol Burnett Show. Seasons migrated networks, moving to CBS for its final season, and the series earned nominations from institutions such as the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Films

The franchise expanded into features including a 1980 television film produced by ABC and a 2008 theatrical reboot starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, directed by Peter Segal. Earlier adaptations and reunions featured actors associated with The Love Boat and Tales of the Unexpected in cameo roles. The films updated gadgets first introduced on television—miniature communicators, disguised vehicles, and devices reminiscent of props from Yellow Submarine and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—while incorporating action choreography influenced by Hong Kong action cinema and stunt coordinators connected to Mission: Impossible 2.

Characters

Central figures include the bumbling yet earnest Maxwell Smart, the competent Agent 99, and the solemn Chief played by Edward Platt. Recurring adversaries and allies drew from archetypes established by characters in Goldfinger and serials from Republic Pictures. Guest appearances featured performers known for roles in Star Trek and Doctor Who, creating cross-pollination with genre audiences familiar with Doctor Zhivago-era actors and television veterans from The Andy Griffith Show. The series' supporting cast included actors with theater backgrounds from Broadway and television experience in series like Perry Mason.

Production and development

Conceived by Brooks and Henry following their collaboration on projects tied to 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures, development teams recruited writers with credits on The Carol Burnett Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Casting sourced talent from agencies linked to The Actors Studio and agents who represented performers from productions on Broadway and in Hollywood films produced by Universal Pictures. The show's iconic props were fabricated by craftsmen who previously worked for Walt Disney Studios and special effects houses associated with Ray Harryhausen. Music and theme elements were composed to evoke both Henry Mancini-style motifs and the brassy cues of Lalo Schifrin.

Cultural impact and legacy

The series influenced comedy and spy fiction through catchphrases, parody techniques, and visual gags adopted by creators of Austin Powers, James Bond (franchise), and animated series such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Academics at institutions like UCLA, NYU, and USC School of Cinematic Arts have analyzed episodes in relation to Cold War culture and televised satire. Collectors prize original props in auctions run by houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's, while retrospectives have appeared at festivals including Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, and the Paley Center for Media. Revival attempts, comic adaptations from DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, and stage adaptations in regional theaters have maintained the franchise's visibility in popular culture and media studies.

Category:American television sitcoms Category:Television series created by Mel Brooks Category:Works by Buck Henry