As a long-running faux-reality series on Comedy Central, Reno 911! regularly transcended the mile-wide obviousness of its concept—the bumbling adventures of Reno, Nevada's idiot-ridden police force, caught in the vérité style of Cops—by filling in the crude outline with intricately inspired lunacy. The Cops spoofing played itself out early, but what kept people coming back for four seasons were the characters: a psychotic collection of dim bulbs, horny whores, and bursting-out-of-the-closet cases, who held court at the center of a chaotic world where the stupidest people were literally in charge.

Even better, the characters were embellished with dazzlingly insane little details, which regularly grew weirder and uglier and more hilarious than you'd ever imagine, thanks to the wit and fearlessness of the actors/writers/improvisers, the best of whom—Thomas Lennon, Niecy Nash, Kerri Kenney—infused their respective stereotypes with unnerving depth and pathos. At its best, Reno 911! was cringe humor done mercilessly right. At its worst, it was weird and upsetting, and between those extremes it seemed a worthy movie could be made.

Reno 911!: Miami is not that movie. Within minutes, it becomes clear that more thought and enthusiasm went into pitching the film than making it—the movie is slow and dumb and repetitive in a way the show never was. Six months from now, you'll find it playing on Comedy Central, where you'll watch it for 20 minutes and understand exactly what I'm talking about. Until then, trust me.

schmader@thestranger.com