Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. It was created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry and 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 to capitalize on “the two biggest things in the entertainment world today”: James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. 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…”, “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”. 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.”