'Reno 911!': The city it mocks tries to save it

— -- Like most cop shows spotlighting society's flabby underbelly, the mockumentary sitcom Reno 911! hardly shines a flattering light on Nevada's self-proclaimed "Biggest Little City in the World."

No matter. After local tourism officials learned of the Comedy Central series' cancellation (announced earlier this month via Twitter by its star and co-creator Thomas Lennon, aka the short-shorts-clad Lt. Jim Dangle), they launched efforts to save the show via campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and SaveReno911.com.

Never mind that aside from scenes in the opening montage, there's little footage of the city. And if there were, given the skanky locales portrayed, it probably wouldn't make you want to visit.

"Has it been uncomfortable at times for the city? Yes. But there's so much noise going on in the world, it's important to be part of the conversation," says Michael Thomas, marketing director for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. "Besides, we have a sense of humor here. We don't mind being the brunt of a joke."

Thomas says he would love it if a resurrected show were shot on location in Reno.

"We're a departure from the norm," Thomas says. "We think there's a lot of fodder here."

Case in point: a fundraising event Saturday billed as America's biggest food fight, in which an anticipated 5,000 participants will hurl 50,000 pounds of tomatoes at one another in the downtown plaza.

Thus far, the campaign to save Reno 911! has generated 645 signatures on its online petition, 830 fans on Facebook and more than 200 followers on Twitter.

Thomas can't say whether there's a realistic chance of success, but "if there's a farewell event, we'd encourage them to come here. If it started here, we feel it should end here."