The title of Adult Swim’s newest comedy, NTSF:SD:SUV, makes the target of its satire plainly obvious: the high-octane crime procedural. With its shakey-cam action sequences, melodramatic dialogue, and cash-in/spin-off model of programming, the genre is rife for parody. Appropriately, NTSF began as a fake promo on its Adult Swim neighbor, the hospital-drama parody Childrens Hospital. Like Childrens, it’s creator-lead actor (Paul Scheer) has surrounded himself with a hilarious cast. Here’s a breakdown of the NTSF team.
Character: Trent Hauser, lead agent
A combination of: The no-holds-barred techniques of 24‘s Jack Bauer and the snappy one-liners of CSI: Miami‘s Horatio Cane
Played by: Paul Scheer
Seen before as: Douchebag, MD Andre on The League, one third of sketch troupe Human Giant.
Character: Kove, head of NTSF
Inspiration: Nick Fury’s eye patch
Played by: Kate Mulgrew
Seen before as: Kathryn Janeway, captain of the USS:Voyager on the mediocre Star Trek series of the same name
Character: Jessie Nichols, lab tech
Trope parodied: The “ugly” girl who just needs to lose the glasses
Played by: Rebecca Romijn
Seen before as: Mystique in the X-Men films, Alexis Meade on Ugly Betty
Character: Alphonse, Trent’s partner
One-line bio: Field agent with an irrational fear of science
Played by: Brandon Johnson
Seen before as: Background characters in your favorite comedies
Character: Piper, Trent’s other partner
Major malfunction: Trigger-happy with something to prove
Played by: June Diane Raphael
Also known as: Scheer’s life partner and Casey Wilson’s (Happy Endings) comedy partner.
Character: Sam, head of communications
Not to be confused with: S.A.M., his robotic nemesis
Played by: Martin Starr
Cult TV roles: The lovable Bill Haverchuck on Freaks and Geeks and the loathable Roman on Party Down
While that covers the NTSF crew, the cast doesn’t stop there. Guest stars include, among others, Adam Scott, Jerry O’Connell, JK Simmons, Rob Riggle, John Cho, and even the bad guy from The Karate Kid.
“If you’re a terrorist planning on attacking San Diego, you better think again… twice.” NTSF:SD:SUV airs Thursdays at 12:15am on Adult Swim.
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