What’s On Netflix reports that Leslie Nielsen‘s iconic 1982 series Police Squad will make its debut on the streaming platform next month.
Every single episode of the show will be collated under Police Squad!: The Complete Series on Netflix’s United States catalog, with a page already created for the show in advance of the episodes’ arrival.
The series is best known for introducing audiences to Frank Drebin, the unlikely police hero played by Leslie Nielsen, who later starred in The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad! in 1988. The series (and later the film) was an enormous success with critics, who widely praised its dry sense of humor and bold comedic performances.
Police Squad was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, who had broken into the comedy scene two years prior with their film Airplane!, which is still regularly cited among the funniest and most creative comedy movies ever made. Today, the film still holds an impressive 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, proving just how well this trio’s comedic writing has aged.
Unfortunately, Police Squad wasn’t much of a success with audiences when it was first released in 1982. Many audiences believed that it failed to live up to the stellar reputation of Airplane!, and that the shorter, episodic format didn’t work to the writers’ benefit.
Thankfully, that never deterred the show’s writers and producers from giving it their full attention and effort. “I refer to it as a failed TV show, but in a way, it’s a backhanded compliment,” said producer Robert Weiss in 1988, just months befoe The Naked Gun was released. “This is the best revenge a failed TV show could have: a loyal following that persists over six years. This is just desserts for us, to be able to do a movie of it.”
To the surprise of almost everybody involved, The Naked Gun was an enormous success that completely flipped the show’s reputation on its head. The film made audiences fall in love with Nielsen’s protagonist, which in turn spurred them to go back and check out the show where it all started—and suddenly, Police Squad was a hit. The Naked Gun was later named the best comedy movie of all time by Variety.
All six episodes of Police Squad will be available to stream on Netflix in the United States from November 1, 2026.
