History WesternAnimation / TheInspector

The second animated series from [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]], and something of a SpinOff from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series (specifically ''Film/AShotInTheDark''), ''The Inspector'' can best be described as what would happen if you turned the MindScrew of the ''Pink Panther'' films UpToEleven, while dialling down the incompetence of its main character. The cartoons feature the titular Inspector attempting to solve surreal crimes in his home country of France, and generally failing miserably. The other main characters are the Inspector's dim-witted Spanish assistant, Deux-Deux, and the Inspector's boss, the Commissioner. Music/HenryMancini (the composer of the films) did the series' soundtrack.

The second animated series from [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]], and something of a SpinOff from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series, ''The Inspector'' can best be described as what would happen if you turned the MindScrew of the ''Pink Panther'' films UpToEleven, while dialling down the incompetence of its main character. The cartoons feature the titular Inspector attempting to solve surreal crimes in his home country of France, and generally failing miserably. The other main characters are the Inspector's dim-witted Spanish assistant, Deux-Deux, and the Inspector's boss, the Commissioner. Music/HenryMancini (the composer of the films) did the series' soundtrack.

** Actually, the bad guys are almost always brought to justice or punished in some way, one notable exception being "Pierre and Cottage Cheese."

* NonFatalExplosion: In "Napoleon Blown-Aparte", the Commissioner is targeted by a MadBomber and he keeps getting subject to various bomb attacks that leave burnt and humiliated despite the inept efforts of the Inspector to protect him. At the end, the Commissioner is so annoyed that he attacks the Inspector with a bomb with the same effects.

* TakeThat: "London Derierre" is basically one gigantic Take That against the British Police, mocking them because they don't carry guns.

The second animated series from [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]], and something of a SpinOff from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series, ''The Inspector'' can best be described as what would happen if you turned the MindScrew of the ''Pink Panther'' films UpToEleven, while dialling down the incompetence of its main character. The cartoons feature the titular Inspector attempting to solve surreal crimes in his home country of France, and generally failing miserably. The other main characters are the Inspector's dim-witted Spanish assistant, Deux-Deux, and the Inspector's boss, the Commissioner.

* BearsAreBadNews: In "Bear de Guerre", when the Inspector goes quail hunting and keeps running afoul of a brown bear who thinks he's the one being hunted. After the bear gets shot at accidentally, he warns the Inspector that there will be trouble if he doesn't watch his step. After repeated mishaps, when the park ranger is accidentally shot, the ranger gives the bear a hunting license to shoot the Inspector.

* IceCreamKoan: Wong of the Mazzarelli brothers is prone to this in "The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation", with the [[Creator/{{Confucius}} Confusion say]] proverbs "Three heads not always better than one", and "Place for hot ice is in glass of cold water."

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: In "Le Ball and Chain Gang", when the Inspector is trying to reach Charlie, the husband who is being hassled by his nagging wife to confess to the crime, Charlie panics. turning off the lights and clubs Edna when he was aiming for the Inspector, and just when he gets prepared to testify against Edna in court, the Inspector revealing that he only came to give Charlie a jury duty summons.

** Edna, the sarcastic wife and suffering husband Charlie in "Le Ball and Chain Gang"; the Inspector tries to get in touch with the husband urging him to fess up to the crime, and Charlie panics, turning out the lights to try and clobber the Inspector, only to hit Edna, and as she regains consciousness, he's prepared to testify against his wife in court, only for the Inspector to reveal that [[INeverSaidItWasPoison he merely came to give Charlie a jury duty summons]], and Edna starts beating him up with a wooden club.

** Actually, the bad guys are almost always brought to justice or punished in some way, one notable exception being "Pierre and COttage Cheese."

* {{Expy}}: The Inspector himself, for the live-action Inspector Clouseau. Unlike Clouseau, the animated Inspector isn't dangerously incompetent, and while he certainly isn't very good at his job, he's much more prone to bad luck than bad judgement. Likewise, the Commissioner is in effect an animated version of Dreyfus from the live-action films (Creator/HerbertLom's Dreyfus debuted in ''Film/AShotInTheDark''), though he only lashes out at the Inspector in anger rather than actually plotting to kill him. He did throw a bomb at the Inspector for failing to protect him from a bomber, though this being a cartoon series, [[NonFatalExplosions being blown up is just a minor inconvenience]].

* TheBadGuyWins: The Inspector very rarely solves cases successfully, and even when he does, the bad guys still find some way to screw him over.

* ExploitingTheFourthWall: In one Inspector Clouseau episode the inspector told the artist to comply with law and put the criminal he was chasing behind bars.

* BearsAreBadNews: In "Bear De Guerre", when the Inspector goes quail hunting and keeps running afoul of a brown bear who thinks he's the one being hunted. After the bear gets shot at accidentally, he warns the Inspector that there will be trouble if he doesn't watch his step. After repeated mishaps, when the park ranger is accidentally shot, the ranger gives the bear a hunting license to shoot the Inspector.

** The episode "Cock-A-Doodle Deux-Deux" ends with the Inspector and Deux-Deux looking through a stash of Can-Can girl peep-shows, with the typical cartoon male response. Said shows are in ''eggs''--make of that what you will. Heck, even the [[{{Foreshadowing}} title]] itself could fit under this trope.

The second animated series from [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises DePatie-Freleng Enterprises]], and something of a SpinOff from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series. ''The Inspector'' can best be described as what would happen if you turned the MindScrew of the ''Pink Panther'' films UpToEleven, while dialling down the incompetence of its main character. The cartoons feature the titular Inspector attempting to solve surreal crimes in his home country of France, and generally failing miserably. The other main characters are the Inspector's dim-witted Spanish assistant, Deux-Deux, and the Inspector's boss, the Commissioner.

There were 34 cartoons produced between 1965 and 1969, making it DFE's longest running series apart from the animated ''Pink Panther'' shorts. ''The Inspector'' was also the companion series for the ''Pink Panther'' cartoons in ''The Pink Panther Show'' for its first three seasons, after which it was replaced by ''WesternAnimation/TheAntAndTheAardvark''. The eponymous Inspector also appears in the AnimatedCreditsOpening of the 1968 live-action film ''Inspector Clouseau''.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Inspector_6253.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:The Inspector and Deux-Deux.]]
The second animated series from Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, and something of a SpinOff from ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series. ''The Inspector'' can best be described as what would happen if you turned the MindScrew of the ''Pink Panther'' films UpToEleven, while dialling down the incompetence of its main character. The cartoons feature the titular Inspector attempting to solve surreal crimes in his home country of France, and generally failing miserably. The other main characters are the Inspector's dim-witted Spanish assistant, Deux-Deux, and the Inspector's boss, the Commissioner.

There were 34 cartoons produced between 1965 and 1969, making it DFE's longest running series apart from the animated ''Pink Panther'' shorts. ''The Inspector'' was also the companion series for the ''Pink Panther'' cartoons in ''The Pink Panther Show'' for its first three seasons, after which it was replaced by ''WesternAnimation/TheAntAndTheAardvark''.