What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedPolice Academy
Film · 1984
If you loved Police Academy, start with Police Squad! (Jerry Zucker, 1982) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Police Academy across media.
If you loved Police Academy, you appreciate how incompetent misfits and chaotic ensembles find their footing within rigid, humorless institutional structures.
Books on the same thread
My Hero Academia
Kohei Horikoshi · Book · 2015
Explores: coming of age, underdog protagonist, morality of power.
Just like the recruits in Police Academy, the students here must survive a rigorous academic environment where their unconventional traits are initially viewed as liabilities by the institution.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Dario Fo, Gavin Richards · Book · 1987
Explores: Police Corruption, Abuse of Power, Political Conspiracy.
This play mirrors the institutional satire of Police Academy by using farce to expose the absurdity and corruption inherent in the police forces that claim to protect us.
The Academy
Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham · Book
Explores: social hierarchy, reputation management, academic pressure.
Like the chaotic classrooms of Police Academy, this story focuses on the social hierarchies and reputations of students navigating the pressures of a demanding and rigid academic institution.
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole · Book · 1980
Explores: eccentric protagonist, social misfit, anachronistic worldview.
Ignatius J. Reilly is the ultimate social misfit, sharing the same disruptive energy and inability to conform that made Mahoney such a memorable lead in Police Academy.
Series on the same thread
Police Squad!
Jerry Zucker · Series · 1982
Shares 2 threads with Police Academy: Incompetence, Slapstick Comedy.
If the bumbling incompetence of the officers in Police Academy kept you laughing, this parody offers the exact same brand of slapstick crime investigation and absurd situational humor.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Daniel J. Goor · Series · 2013
Explores: Ensemble Cast, Underdog, Character-Driven.
This ensemble comedy perfectly captures the workplace dynamic of Police Academy, featuring a reluctant slacker who must navigate his new life in a precinct filled with eccentric peers.
Podcasts on the same thread
Crime in Sports
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: athlete misconduct, legal absurdity, scandalous behavior.
This podcast explores the same legal absurdity found in Police Academy, finding hilarious ways to critique the scandalous behavior of those who operate within the world of authority.
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
Much like the comedic lens applied to the police force in Police Academy, this show uses dark humor to dissect the tragic ironies found within small town institutions.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Why was Mahoney forced to join the Police Academy?
In the 1984 film Police Academy, Mahoney is a social misfit who is forced to sign up for the force as the only alternative to serving a jail sentence.
What caused the floodgates to open at the Police Academy?
The floodgates to the Police Academy opened after the Lady Mayoress enforced new rules stating that sex, weight, height, and intelligence are no longer factors for joining the Police Force.
How do the instructors feel about the new recruits at the Police Academy?
The instructors at the Police Academy view the new recruits with chagrin because the updated entry requirements allow all and sundry to join the force regardless of their background or qualifications.
Is the Police Academy recruitment process based on choice for everyone?
No, not everyone at the Police Academy is there through choice. For example, Mahoney is only attending the institution because it serves as his only alternative to a jail sentence.