This series had some laughs, but it was no shock that it got canceled so quickly. Despite bringing back the main stars, the series didn't bring back the old spirit.
One thing that spoiled the series was that it came out at the worst possible time. The Cold War had ended and we Americans thought we had conquered all our threats and were going to be safe and happy forever-never mind the Islamist terror attacks of the 1990's that were downplayed until 9/11/01 finally woke the USA up to reality. Instead the villain was the KAOS Corporation bent on economic domination-which was hardly scary at the time either.
But the series had problems in its own right. Maxwell Smart was good as a field agent, but there was little for him to do as the new Chief of CONTROL. Also, the problem with 99 as a Congresswoman-she was never known by any other name as 99 in the whole series, opening up a can of worms there. As for Andy Dick being the son who would replace 86's role-he was too boyish and silly for that type of role, just as Roberto Benigni as the son of Inspector Clouseau proved an equally unsuitable replacement for the original. Even bringing Siegfried back was too little, too late.
Murphy's Law really took a toll on this series. If they had waited but seven years...
One thing that spoiled the series was that it came out at the worst possible time. The Cold War had ended and we Americans thought we had conquered all our threats and were going to be safe and happy forever-never mind the Islamist terror attacks of the 1990's that were downplayed until 9/11/01 finally woke the USA up to reality. Instead the villain was the KAOS Corporation bent on economic domination-which was hardly scary at the time either.
But the series had problems in its own right. Maxwell Smart was good as a field agent, but there was little for him to do as the new Chief of CONTROL. Also, the problem with 99 as a Congresswoman-she was never known by any other name as 99 in the whole series, opening up a can of worms there. As for Andy Dick being the son who would replace 86's role-he was too boyish and silly for that type of role, just as Roberto Benigni as the son of Inspector Clouseau proved an equally unsuitable replacement for the original. Even bringing Siegfried back was too little, too late.
Murphy's Law really took a toll on this series. If they had waited but seven years...