Liam Neeson is taking over The Naked Gun franchise this weekend in Akiva Schaffer’s reboot/sequel to the classic comedy series, but everything started back in 1982 when Police Squad! aired briefly on ABC. Police Squad! was created by the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, collectively known as ZAZ, who were coming off a massive success with Airplane! in 1980. Airing as a mid-season replacement starting in March, Police Squad! aired only four episodes, with the final two being released in the middle of summer. Through airings on cable channels, the show developed a massive cult audience that transitioned to the The Naked Gun movie series. Leslie Nielsen starred in both the TV series and the movie series as Detective Frank Drebin, with Alan North and Peter Lupus co-starring in Police Squad! George Kennedy and O.J. Simpson would play their roles in the movie series. You can watch the first episode, entitled “A Substantial Gift (The Broken Promise),” below, where special guest Kathryn Leigh Scott plays a bank teller who tries to cover up her theft with murder.
