What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedGet Smart
Buck Henry · Series · 1965
If you loved Get Smart, start with Get Smart (Peter Segal, 2008) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to Get Smart across media.
If you loved Get Smart, you appreciate how a bumbling protagonist navigates an absurd world of institutional incompetence and satire.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Get Smart
Peter Segal · Film · 2008
Books on the same thread
Get Shorty
Elmore Leonard · Book · 1990
Explores: Fish-out-of-water, Hollywood satire, Mobster in Hollywood.
Much like the fish-out-of-water dynamic in Get Smart, this story follows a mobster entering a new world where his specific brand of incompetence creates hilarious Hollywood satire.
Catch-22
Joseph Heller · Book · 1961
Explores: Bureaucratic absurdity, Existential dread, The insanity of war.
You will recognize the bureaucratic absurdity found in Get Smart, as this dark satire highlights the institutional logic traps that frustrate the protagonist in the face of war.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams · Book · 1979
Explores: Existentialism, Bureaucracy, The Absurd.
If the bureaucratic incompetence of Get Smart resonated with you, you will enjoy this journey through a universe where systemic failures and absurdity define the main character's survival.
James Bond
Ian Fleming · Book · 1953
Explores: International Intrigue, British Intelligence, Gadgets.
While Get Smart parodies the genre, these books provide the foundational international intrigue and gadget-filled espionage tropes that the show so expertly and comedically dismantled for its audience.
Films on the same thread
The Producers
Mel Brooks · Film · 1968
Shares a thread with Get Smart: Parody.
Since you enjoyed the satirical tone of Get Smart, this Mel Brooks classic will satisfy your taste for elaborate, greedy schemes that spiral into chaotic, funny, and disastrous outcomes.
Blazing Saddles
Mel Brooks · Film · 1974
Shares a thread with Get Smart: Parody.
This film shares the sharp, satirical edge of Get Smart, using anachronism and breaking the fourth wall to expose political corruption in a way that feels both familiar.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
David Zucker · Film · 1988
Shares 3 threads with Get Smart: Incompetence, Parody, Slapstick.
Fans of Get Smart will immediately connect with Frank Drebin, a bumbling investigator whose total lack of awareness during high-stakes political intrigue perfectly mirrors the show's comedic style.
Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks · Film · 1974
Shares a thread with Get Smart: Parody.
This parody echoes the creative spirit of Get Smart, as it takes a serious subject and transforms it into a hilarious, satirical romp through a classic cinematic legacy.
Podcasts on the same thread
SmartLess
Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett · Podcast · 2026
Explores: camaraderie, spontaneity, shared life experiences.
The organic hilarity found in Get Smart carries over into this podcast, where the spontaneous camaraderie and shared experiences of the hosts provide a similar sense of lighthearted entertainment.
Grumpy Old Geeks
Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister with Dave Bittner · Podcast · 2026
Explores: cynicism, digital culture, corporate skepticism.
If the cynical, satirical commentary of Get Smart appealed to you, this podcast offers a similarly unfiltered, skeptical look at the failures of modern corporate and digital culture.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Who created the original Get Smart television series?
The television series Get Smart was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. It was developed at the request of Daniel Melnick, a partner at Talent Associates, to capitalize on the popularity of the secret agent genre during the mid-1960s.
Is the 2008 Get Smart movie a direct continuation of the 1965 show?
The 2008 movie titled Get Smart is an adaptation of the original 1965 television series. While both share the same title and satirical take on the secret agent genre, the film serves as a modern cinematic reimagining of the source material created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.
Who starred in the original 1965 Get Smart series?
The original 1965 television series Get Smart starred Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Edward Platt. The show was produced by Talent Associates, a company led by Daniel Melnick, Leonard Stern, and David Susskind, to satirize the secret agent genre.
What was the inspiration behind the creation of Get Smart?
Get Smart was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry to capitalize on the popularity of the secret agent genre. The project was initiated by Daniel Melnick, who was a partner at Talent Associates along with Leonard Stern and David Susskind.