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 (occasionally, he would ''succeed'' 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.

* BearsAreBadNews: In "Bear de Guerre", when the Inspector goes quail hunting in a nature preserve and keeps running afoul of a brown bear who thinks he's the one being hunted with the bear warning the Inspector that there will be trouble if he doesn't watch his step. After repeated mishaps, where both the bear and the park ranger are accidentally shot/run over, respectively, the ranger gives the bear a hunting license to shoot the Inspector. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill With a ''cannon''.]]

** In "Unsafe and Seine", the Inspector receives word from a mysterious agent that his life is in danger. The Inspector and Deux-Deux go globetrotting on a wild goose chase, only to discover that the "agent" they were looking for is an insurance agent, who arranged for the Inspector to meet him in such dangerous locations to show him the hazards of police work, just to sell him a life insurance policy. The Inspector again is not very happy about this, but he ends up on the recieving end of a beating on this occasion.

** In "Unsafe and Seine", the Inspector receives word from a mysterious agent that his life is in danger. The Inspector and Deux-Deux go globetrotting on a wild goose chase, only to discover that their suspect is an insurance agent, who arranged for the Inspector to meet him in such dangerous locations to show him the hazards of police work, just to sell him a life insurance policy. The Inspector is also not very happy about this one either.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Is one of the ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' films. Ironically, it's more faithful to the films than the ''[[WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther Pink Panther]]'' cartoons are, which are instead based off of the animated opening sequences of the films.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Is one of the ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' films. Ironically, it's more faithful to the films than the actual ''[[WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther Pink Panther]]'' cartoons are, which are instead based off of the animated opening sequences of the films.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Is one of the ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' films. Ironically, while it does take some creative liberties, it's more faithful to the films than the actual ''[[WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther Pink Panther]]'' cartoons are, which are instead based off of the animated opening sequences of the films.

* AnimatedAdaptation: While the series differs in many ways from the live-action ''Pink Panther'' films, it's far more like an animated version of the films than the actual ''Pink Panther'' cartoons are, which are instead based off of the animated opening sequences of the films.

** In "Unsafe and Seine", the Inspector receives word from a mysterious agent that his life is in danger. The Inspector and Deux-Deux go globetrotting on a wild goose chase, only to discover that their suspect is an insurance agent, who arranged for the Inspector to meet him in such dangerous locations to show him the hazards of police work, just to sell him a life insurance policy.

** The Inspector tries repeatedly to do this in "Le Escape Goat"; after letting a dangerous criminal seeking revenge on the Commissioner escape, he gets suspended and his repeated attempts to apprehend the criminal on his own end up hurting or endangering the Commissioner to the point that he orders the Inspector to be apprehended as well and later tries to shoot him.

* NeverMyFault: At the end of "The Pique Poquette of Paris", when the Inspector gets sent to prison on [[CounterfeitCash a counterfeit rap]] due to using children's play money he took from Deux-Deux, he said that upon getting out, he'd clobber the sergeant, even though Deux-Deux never got a chance to tell him about the money being fake, with the Inspector ordering Deux-Deux not to argue and to follow orders.

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Spider Pierre, the pickpocket from "The Pique Poquette of Paris" has four arms the look like that of an actual spider.

* LaserGuidedKarma: In "Les Misèrobots", the Commissioner got rid of the Inspector by replacing him with a robotic officer. The robot was so competent [[JobStealingRobot he also got the Commissioner's job,]] and both the Commissioner and Inspector find themselves eating soup at a greasy spoon of a homeless shelter.

* TheBadGuyWins: The Inspector very rarely solves cases successfully, and even when he does, the crooks still tend to find some way to screw him over. However, the bad guys are almost always brought to justice or punished in some way, notable exceptions being "Pierre and Cottage Cheese," and Matzoriley brothers and the Blotch getting away completely in "The Great [=DeGaulle=] Stone Operation" and "Cirrhosis of the Louvre" respectively.

* TheBadGuyWins: The Inspector very rarely solves cases successfully, and even when he does, the crooks still tend to find some way to screw him over.
** Actually, the bad guys are almost always brought to justice or punished in some way, one notable exception being "Pierre and Cottage Cheese." Also the Matzoriley brothers and the Blotch get away completely in "The Great [=DeGaulle=] Stone Operation" and "Cirrhosis of the Louvre" respectively.

* BrickJoke: In "That's No Lady, That's Notre Dame", the Inspector orders Deux-Deux to dress as a lady to catch a purse snatcher. Later on, after the Inspector himself pretends to be his sister and unsuccessfully returns, [[spoiler: Deux-Deux successfully nabs the purse snatcher]].

* ButtMonkey: The Inspector only rarely wins at the end, and is usually screwed over when he does.

* AwfulWeddedLife: The Commissioner and his wife in "That's No Lady, That's Notre Dame", when the Inspector disguises himself as his sister, and he ends up being henpecked. It gets worse when Deux-Deux, who has disguised himself as his sister, is invited by the chief to talk about the successful mission in his office, and the chief's wife shows up and beats the daylights out of him, with Deux-Deux leaving the office just in the nick of time.

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: In "Les Miserobots", the Inspector's attempts to get rid of his mechanical replacement backfire horribly.

* CatchPhrase: When the Inspector assigns a task to Deux-Deux, he will usually say "That's an order, Deux-Deux".

* ClearMyName: The Inspector tries repeatedly to do this in "Le Escape Goat"; after letting a dangerous criminal seeking revenge on the Commissioner escape, he gets suspended and his repeated attempts to apprehend the criminal on his own end up hurting or endangering the Commissioner to the point that he orders the Inspector to be apprehended as well and later tries to shoot him.

* HyperCompetentSidekick: In the episode "Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat", Crab Louie appears to be this for Captain Clamity.

* KarmaHoudini: Quite a few of the villains the Inspector goes after manage to either get away scot free or get the last laugh against him. Even the Commissioner gets away with doing things (usually acts of violence/abuse against the Inspector) that would get a real-life law enforcement official suspended/fired and investigated, if not outright arrested.

* ClearMyName: The Inspector tries repeatedly to do this in one episode; after letting a dangerous criminal seeking revenge on the Commissioner escape, he gets suspended and his repeated attempts to apprehend the criminal on his own end up hurting or endangering the Commissioner to the point that he orders the Inspector to be apprehended as well and later tries to shoot him.

* IceCreamKoan: Wong of the Maxi-o-riley 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 Charlie gets prepared to testify against Edna in court, the Inspector reveals that he only came to give Charlie a jury duty summons.

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(Occasionally, he would ''succeed'' 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.

* NeverMyFault: At the end of "The Pique Poquette of Paris", when the Inspector gets sent to prison on [[CounterfeitCash a counterfeit rap]] due to using children's play money he took from Deux-Deux, he said that upon getting out, he'd clobber the sergeant, and Deux-Deux never got a chance to tell him about the money being fake, with the Inspector ordering Deux-Deux not to argue and to follow orders.

* MadBomber: One comes after the Commissioner in "Napoleon Blown-Aparte."

* AnimatedAdaptation: While the series differs in many ways from the live-action ''Pink Panther'' films, it's far more like an animated version of the films than the actual ''Pink Panther'' cartoons are.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Sergeant Deux-Deux's name is "two two" in French. Whether or not you were aware of that, it's still a DoubleEntendre.
** 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.
** In the same episode a chicken slaps the Inspector (in his chicken disguise) when he tries to say something in their language. Clearly he said something offensive without realising.

* ClearMyName: The Inspector tries repeatedly to do this in one episode; after letting a dangerous criminal seeking revenge on the Commissioner escape, he gets suspended and his repeated attempts to apprehend the criminal on his own end up hurting or endangering the Commissioner to the point that he orders the Inspector to apprehended as well and later tries to shoot him.

* PhraseCatcher: Deux-Deux's "Sí- I mean, 'oui'..." when the Inspector reminds him "Don't say 's´', say 'oui'."

** Actually, the bad guys are almost always brought to justice or punished in some way, one notable exception being "Pierre and Cottage Cheese." Also the Maxi-o-riley brothers and the Blotch get away completely in "The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation" and "Cirrhosis of the Louvre" respectively.

* 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. [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill With a ''cannon''.]]