Get Smart is an American television sitcom that spoofed the popular spy genre of the 1960s. It premiered on NBC in September 1965 and later moved to CBS, running through 1970. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the series combined broad physical comedy with clever lampooning of espionage conventions, turning the normally serious world of spies into a source of absurd situations and recurring visual gags.

Premise and main characters

The show centers on Maxwell Smart, also known as Agent 86, an earnest but inept field agent whose confidence often outstrips his competence. He works for a U.S. government counterintelligence organization called CONTROL and routinely opposes the foreign criminal organization KAOS. Maxwell Smart was played by Don Adams, while his calm, competent partner Agent 99 was portrayed by Barbara Feldon. The agency chief — their immediate superior and frequent foil — was played by Edward Platt. The series used the familiar rules and motifs of the secret agent genre to generate unexpected comic twists.

Tone, style and recurring elements

Get Smart's humor relied on a mix of slapstick, wordplay and satirical reversal. Episodes often featured improbable gadgets (the shoe phone is the best known), elaborate but malfunctioning inventions, and deliberate misunderstandings. Maxwell Smart’s verbal tics and one-liners became memorable catchphrases: for example, his incredulous leads-ins and the comic measuring of a failed attempt with lines such as "Missed it by that much." The series balanced episodic spy plots with running jokes about bureaucracy, surveillance, and the Cold War context in which spy fiction thrived.

Production history and screen adaptations

After the original television run, Get Smart generated a number of screen adaptations and revivals. A theatrical feature titled The Nude Bomb was released to cinemas (theaters) in 1980 and attempted to translate the show’s tone to film. In 1989 a television movie, Get Smart, Again!, reunited much of the original cast for a one-off special. The property returned to television in a new form when FOX aired a short-lived revival series in the 1990s with Don Adams appearing as the head of CONTROL. A later big‑budget film adaptation was released in 2008 (the 2008 feature), starring Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as the chief; that film reintroduced the characters to a new generation and prompted renewed interest in the original series.

Legacy and cultural impact

Get Smart left a lasting imprint on popular culture through its blend of satire and affectionate parody. The show earned recognition during its run, influencing later comedy that parodies genre conventions. Its visual gags and recurring props (notably the shoe phone and improbable gadgets) are often cited in discussions of television comedy history. Don Adams’s performance in particular won critical praise and awards during and after the series’ original broadcast. The series remains a reference point for creators combining genre homage with comedic inversion.

Notable facts

  • Creators: Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, who deliberately set out to lampoon contemporary spy stories.
  • Central organizations: the protagonists work for CONTROL while their adversaries belong to KAOS.
  • Signature prop: the shoe telephone, one of the most recognizable television gadgets of the era.
  • Adaptations: a 1980 film (The Nude Bomb), a 1989 TV movie, a 1990s revival, and a 2008 major‑studio film (2008 adaptation) starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway.
  • Original networks: premiered on NBC and later moved to CBS.

For viewers exploring the series today, Get Smart offers both period entertainment and a clear example of how comedy can subvert and comment on a dominant popular genre. Its combination of memorable characters, recurrent jokes and clever plotting keeps the show relevant as both a piece of television history and a touchstone of comedic parody.