Get Smart

Maxwell Smart is a well-meaning but bungling agent working for the secret U.S. agency CONTROL, partnered with the calm, resourceful Agent 99. The show sends up spy pictures of the 1960s by pitting Smart's absurd confidence and slapstick incompetence against the shadowy international syndicate KAOS. Episodes mostly follow missions that look serious at first, then unravel into comic misunderstandings, gadget failures, and improbable escapes. Thaddeus, the agency chief, tries to keep order while Smart's combination of luck and accidental brilliance somehow gets the job done. The tone stays light, leaning on sight gags, wordplay, and parody instead of darker espionage stakes.

Get Smart premiered in 1965, created by Buck Henry and Mel Brooks, and was produced by Talent Associates. Don Adams led the cast as Maxwell Smart, with Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Edward Platt as the Chief. The series ran on network television through the late 1960s and later inspired spinoffs and screen adaptations.

During its run the series received industry recognition, including nominations from major television awards, reflecting appreciation from peers for its writing and performances. Specific wins and tallies varied over time, but the show became a recurring presence in awards conversations for TV comedy of the era.

The program left a clear mark on pop culture, thanks to its oddball gadgets and visual jokes that audiences still remember. Elements like the now-iconic shoe phone and Smart’s comic routines turned into shorthand references in later media. In 2010 TV Guide readers ranked the show’s opening title sequence very highly, a sign of how its style stuck with viewers long after original broadcasts.

Critics and viewers generally responded well to the series, which holds a solid average rating among contemporary audiences. Reviewers highlighted the chemistry between Adams and Feldon, and praised the way the show lampooned spy mania while staying funny and accessible. Major themes include bureaucratic absurdity, the contrast between image and competence, and how luck can masquerade as skill.