'Reno 911' Returns! Wendi McLendon-Covey on 'Surreal' Experience of Suiting Up Again (Exclusive)
Reno 911! has returned after a decade-long hiatus. The cult Comedy Central series about the men and women of a local Nevada sheriff’s department who have sworn to serve and protect the public from the wild antics of the town’s colorfully comical criminals has been revived for a seventh season of all-new episodes on Quibi.
Written, created by and starring Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Thomas Lennon, the series reunites all its original ensemble, including Niecy Nash as Deputy Raineesha Williams, Cedric Yarbrough as Deputy Sergeant Class II Sven Jones, Carlos Alazraqui as Deputy Sergeant Class III James Oswaldo Garcia and Wendi McLendon-Covey as Deputy Sergeant Class I Clementine Johnson.
“It was totally surreal because it’s been, you know, 13 years for me and I’ve done a lot since then,” McLendon-Covey tells ET’s Keltie Knight about suiting up again after last appearing on the series in 2008, during its fifth season.
In the years since, the actress has become one of the ensemble’s many breakout stars, going on to consistently bring the laughs in films like Bridemaids, Blended and her anticipated reunion with Kristen Wiig in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. She’s also earned two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Beverly on the long-running ABC sitcom The Goldbergs.
For McLendon-Covey, getting back into character was a “crazy” experience. During her time on the series as well as the 2007 film Reno 911!: Miami, Deputy Johnson was often portrayed as a promiscuous, drug-friendly cop who didn’t mind blurring the line between what was legal and what was fun.
“It was just in the past,” the actress admits, “so I thought, ‘I don't know if I can play this character again.’ But it was so much fun.”
Despite her time away from the series, McLendon-Covey brings Deputy Johnson back to life without missing a single beat. While the trailer for the new season teased all the familiar antics audiences can look forward to, ET has an exclusive look at the actress in true Johnson fashion as the police officer ditches her uniform for some runway fun (in the video above).
Reno 911! is now streaming on Quibi.
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