Cedric Yarbrough talks cop

Cedric Yarbrough was dressed in a pimp costume with Arsenio Hall and Brian Mcknight on the set of the blaxploitation parody "Black Dynamite" when he came to a realization: \n"When you look at my life, it's pretty damn ridiculous," Yarbrough said. "And it's due to the success of 'Reno 911.'" \nYarbrough plays Deputy S. Jones on Comedy Central's hit series "Reno 911." The show is a parody of reality law-enforcement programs such as "Cops." It began as a sketch comedy titled "Ugly Americans," Yarbrough said. \nThe pilot episode of "Ugly Americans" was shot for Fox, but it sat on the shelf for two years until another network decided to give it a try.\n"Comedy Central picked it up, and away we went," Yarbrough said.\n Comedy Central will air the first episode of the show's fifth season Jan. 16. The new season will pick up where the last season left off by revealing the father of Deputy Trudy Wiegel's baby. It will also feature several guest stars, including Christina Applegate and George Lopez.\n"Our guest stars are phenomenal," Yarbrough said. "They really get our show."\nGuest stars on the show have to be quick-witted because, while basic plot elements are scripted, much of the dialogue on the show is improvised, Yarbrough said.\nEven though 90 percent of the show is improvised, Yarbrough said, the Writer's Guild of America strike still effects the cast of "Reno 911."\n"It affects all of Hollywood," Yarbrough said. "I stand with the writers. I don't only do 'Reno,' I do other movies and TV, and without words it's difficult to do a show or movie."\nOther cast members such as Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant have supported the strike by participating in picket lines, Yarbrough said.\nComedy Central is able to air the newest season of "Reno 911" because filming was completed before the strike began, Yarbrough said. Scripts for other projects Yarbrough has been involved with, such as a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn titled "Four Christmases," were also written before the strike.\n"Several movies were written before (the strike) and stockpiled because people knew it would happen," Yarbrough said.\nNew movies will continue to be released to the public for now, but if the strike continues into February and March "people will really feel the pinch," Yarbrough said.\nIn spite of the strike and being set on the shelf, the show is now in its fifth season and Yarbrough is still having a great time playing Deputy S. Jones.\n"I love waking up to do the show," Yarbrough said. "We're like kids playing cops and robbers. It doesn't get any better than that."\nPlaying cops and robbers can, however, have its drawbacks, because you never know how police officers will react to you, Yarbrough said. When he and the rest of the show's cast members flew into Reno, Nevada, for a Comedy Central event, they were greeted by members of the city's police department. The cast didn't know what kind of reception they would receive. \n "I was prepared to get flogged," Yarbrough said.\nThe officers' reaction to the cast's arrival was like a scene from a movie, Yarbrough said. One person in the back of the crowd began clapping and others joined in until the entire group was applauding the cast.\n"Most police really get the show and like the show," Yarbrough said.\nYarbrough said countless police officers have told him scenes on "Reno 911" are similar to the situations they encounter.\n"They deal with criminals that are drunk and disorderly or fighting over a sandwich, and it happens to them on a daily basis," Yarbrough said. "They have to hold a straight face, but they want to laugh."\nYarbrough said he has done "drive alongs" with officers and some of the things he has seen are "pretty damn funny."\n"We really are hitting close to home," Yarbrough said.