Bandits vs. Smokies

Like Cops by way of Mystery Science Theater 3000, BANDITS VS. SMOKIES offers viewers a highlight reel of real criminals' embarrassing encounters with the law. Full of misguided high-speed car chases, vehicle collisions, and just plain bad judgment calls, the series uses voice-over narration to put a comedic spin on cops' run-ins with dim-bulb crooks. Video footage taken from security tapes, surveying aircraft, and dash-mounted police cameras captures the subjects' missteps, which range from the mundane (a drunk pedestrian runs headfirst into a parked car) to the moronic (a driver veers off a highway sans exit ramp, sailing off the edge onto the treetops below). Running commentary gives made-up motives to the actions of both the criminals and the cops, attempting to put a funny spin on their thought processes and interactions. Some scenes are taken even further in the name of comedy -- in one, for example, a pedestrian darts through a busy street to avoid the cops, bumping into people and cars as he goes -- on screen, each contact earns points in a game of so-called "Bandit pinball."