History YMMV / PoliceAcademy

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: After leaving the premier, Creator/SteveGutenberg's agent told him, "I'm getting you into a tv series as soon as possible, this is gonna be the biggest bomb in history".

* FairForItsDay: Some people today may be miffed by the "Blue Oyster" running gag of straight people being lured into a gay bar.

* {{Sequelitis}}: As a general rule, each sequel is considered weaker than the last. The first four are generally considered watchable to some degree (if you can overlook the fact that ''Citizens on Patrol'' is nearly a carbon-copy of the previous film), but ''Assignment Miami Beach'' is seen as where the series really started to get bad, with ''Mission to Moscow'' being where it completely bottomed out. Bobcat Goldthwait on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' when Creator/JayLeno poked fun at him for appearing in the film series: "We had to make six of them. There were so many unanswered questions."

* ValuesDissonance: There's a LOT of anti-gay language in the first movie that was fine in the 80s, but would be unacceptable by today's standards, now that gay people are no longer considered AcceptableTargets (e.g. Guttenberg's throwaway line "Sleep is for fags"). The entirety of the Blue Oyster Bar gags would today be seen as incredibly distasteful at best. To a lesser extent, the racial slurs that some of the less likeable cadets throw around in the same film, which actually ''is'' indicated to be unacceptable (especially when Hightower is involved), but for which the cadets in question escape any form of punishment... which, sadly, was very much TruthInTelevision back in 1984.

* CriticalDissonance: This series was always critically panned. Some will try to tell you that only the first film was good, but even that received a critical drubbing (Creator/RogerEbert rated the original ''no stars'', something he almost never did). The series' reputation is so bad that any time it's referred to in other fiction, it's ''always'' intended as a TakeThat , ''never'' as an affectionate ShoutOut. And yet the original spawned six sequels, which doesn't happen to a series if absolutely nobody likes it.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the first film, Mahoney claims he started the fight in the cafeteria after finding out Barbara will be expelled for it. Did he claim responsibility because he finally found a way to get kicked out or was it so Barbara wouldn't be kicked out?

* {{Sequelitis}}: As a general rule, each sequel is considered weaker than the last. The first four are generally considered watchable to some degree (if you can overlook the fact that ''Citizens on Patrol'' is nearly a carbon-copy of the previous film), but ''Assignment Miami Beach'' is seen as where the series really started to get bad, with ''Mission to Moscow'' being where it completely bottomed out. Bobcat Goldthwait on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' when Jay Leno poked fun at him for appearing in the film series: "We had to make six of them. There were so many unanswered questions."

** By then Mahoney had had a change of heart; this happens during the phone call to Capt. Reed in Harris' office.

* DeaderThanDisco: You couldn't escape ''Police Academy'' in the 80s and even well into the 90s thanks to frequent television syndication, merchandising and pop culture references (a then-contemporary episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "Homer the Great" even had a throwaway joke about Steve Gutenberg's star power). By the turn of the Millennium, however, the movie series had been all but completely forgotten while other 80s icons such as ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}''/''{{Franchise/Rambo}}'', ''{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}'', ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'', ''{{Franchise/Robocop}}'' and others are not only still fondly remembered but even had new movies or at least other material come out. While there has been sporadic talk of a reboot of the series over the years, nothing thus far has come of it and it's unlikely anything ever will.
* EarWorm: ''"Citizens on Patrol!"''

* DeaderThanDisco: You couldn't escape ''Police Academy'' in the 80s and even well into the 90s thanks to frequent television syndication, merchandising and pop culture references (a then-contemporary episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "Homer the Great" even had a throwaway joke about Steve Gutenberg's star power). By the turn of the Millennium, however, the movie series had been all but completely forgotten while other 80s icons such as ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}''/''{{Franchise/Rambo}}'', ''{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}'', ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'', ''{{Franchise/Robocop}}'' and others are not only still fondly remembered but even had new movies or at least other material come out. While there has been sporadic talk of a reboot of the series over the years, nothing thus far has come of it.

* ContestedSequel: ''Back in Training''. Some consider it to be where the series started going downhill, for embracing full-on slapstick humor and StatusQuoIsGod. However, those who actually like that sort of humor consider it to be one of, if not ''the'' best film in the series, for starring the series' best-known ensemble of characters, and being able to dive into the action right away with only minimal time needed for set-up.

** ''Mission To Moscow'' is universally considered the worst of the bunch, with very few of the original cast left and {{Suspiciously Similar Substitute}}s rounding out the rest (though, this has been happening since at least the second film).

* DeaderThanDisco: You couldn't escape ''Police Academy'' in the 80s and even well into the 90s thanks to frequent television syndication, merchandising and pop culture references (a then-contemporary episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "Homer the Great" even had a throwaway joke about Steve Gutenberg's star power). By the turn of the Millennium, however, the movie series had been all but completely forgotten while other 80s icons such as ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}''/''{{Franchise/Rambo}}'', ''{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}'', ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'', ''{{Franchise/Robocop}}'' and others are not only still fondly remembered but even had new movies or at least other material come out (though a ''Police Academy'' reboot is scheduled for 2014/2015).

* HarsherInHindsight: It's doubtful many viewers would find much of the humor with Tackleberry's careless gun use funny nowadays. One good example is the early scene in the fifth movie where he nearly shoots his own dad after mistaking him for a burglar. Many ''actual'' deaths have occurred since then from careless gun use.

* AwesomeMusic:

* FetishFuelStationAttendant: Just look at the number of TurnOnTropes that apply to Callahan.

* ValuesDissonance: There's a LOT of anti-gay language in the first movie that was fine in the 80s, but would be unacceptable by today's standards, now that gay people are no longer considered AcceptableTargets (e.g. Guttenberg's throwaway line "Sleep is for fags"). To a lesser extent, the racial slurs that some of the less likeable cadets throw around in the same film, which actually ''is'' indicated to be unacceptable (especially when Hightower is involved), but for which the cadets in question escape any form of punishment... which, sadly, was very much TruthInTelevision back in 1984.

* CriticalDissonance: This series was always critically panned. Some will try to tell you that only the first film was good, but even that received a critical drubbing (Creator/RogerEbert rated the original ''no stars'', something he almost never did). The series' reputation is so bad that any time it's referred to in other fiction, it's ''always'' intended as a TakeThat (as seen on ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer says that Marge being a cop is painful and disturbing like ''Police Academy'' instead of fun and exciting like ''Spaceballs'' or when Homer yelled at Bart for stealing and said, "Why do you think I took you to all those ''Police Academy'' movies? For fun? Well, I didn't hear anyone laughing, did you? Except for that guy who did sound effects..."), ''never'' as an affectionate ShoutOut. And yet the original spawned six sequels, which doesn't happen to a series if absolutely nobody likes it.

* DeaderThanDisco: You couldn't escape ''Police Academy'' in the 80s and even well into the 90s thanks to frequent television syndication, merchandising and pop culture references (a then-contemporary episode of ''TheSimpsons'', 'Homer the Great" even had a throwaway joke about Steve Gutenberg's star power). By the turn of the Millennium, however, the movie series had been all but completely forgotten while other 80s icons such as ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}''/''{{Franchise/Rambo}}'', ''{{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}'', ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'', ''{{Franchise/Robocop}}'' and others are not only still fondly remembered but even had new movies or at least other material come out (though a ''Police Academy'' reboot is scheduled for 2014/2015).

* AwesomeMusic: Most people who've seen the movie will probably start laughing after just hearing the first few notes of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77PLFRP3Ok "El Bimbo"]]

* ContestedSequel:
** ''Back in Training''. Some consider it to be where the series started going downhill, for embracing full-on slapstick humor and StatusQuoIsGod. However, those who actually like that sort of humor consider it to be one of, if not ''the'' best film in the series, for starring the series' best-known ensemble of characters, and being able to dive into the action right away with only minimal time needed for set-up.
** ''Mission To Moscow'' is almost universally considered the poorest film in the franchise.

* {{Sequelitis}}: As a general rule, each sequel is considered weaker than the last. The first four are generally considered watchable to some degree (if you can overlook the fact that ''Citizens on Patrol'' is nearly a carbon-copy of the previous film), but ''Assignment Miami Beach'' is seen as where the series really started to get bad.
** Bobcat Goldthwait on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' when Jay Leno poked fun at him for appearing in the film series: "We had to make six of them. There were so many unanswered questions."

* ValuesDissonance: There's a LOT of anti-gay language in the first movie that was fine in the 80s, but would be unacceptable by today's standards, now that gay people are no longer considered AcceptableTargets (e.g. Guttenberg's throwaway line "Sleep is for fags").
** That and the use of racial slurs would cause someone to get fired in today's society.

* ContestedSequel: ''Back in Training''. Some consider it to be where the series started going downhill, for embracing full-on slapstick humor and StatusQuoIsGod. However, those who actually like that sort of humor consider it to be one of, if not ''the'' best film in the series, for starring the series' best-known ensemble of characters, and being able to dive into the action right away with only minimal time needed for set-up.

* CriticalDissonance: This series was always critically panned. Some will try to tell you that only the first film was good, but even that received a critical drubbing (RogerEbert rated the original ''no stars'', something he almost never did). The series' reputation is so bad that any time it's referred to in other fiction, it's ''always'' intended as a TakeThat (as seen on ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer says that Marge being a cop is painful and disturbing like ''Police Academy'' instead of fun and exciting like ''Spaceballs'' or when Homer yelled at Bart for stealing and said, "Why do you think I took you to all those ''Police Academy'' movies? For fun? Well, I didn't hear anyone laughing, did you? Except for that guy who did sound effects..."), ''never'' as an affectionate ShoutOut. And yet the original spawned six sequels, which doesn't happen to a series if absolutely nobody likes it.

* ValuesDissonance: There's a LOT of anti-gay language in the first movie that was fine in the 80s, but would be unacceptable by today's standards, now that gay people are no longer considered AcceptableTargets (e.g. Guttenberg's throwaway line "Sleep is for fags").

* CriticalDissonance: This series was always critically panned. Some will try to tell you that only the first film was good, but even that received a critical drubbing (RogerEbert rated the original ''no stars'', something he almost never did). The series' reputation is so bad that any time it's referred to in other fiction, it's ''always'' intended as a TakeThat, ''never'' as an affectionate ShoutOut. And yet the original spawned six sequels, which doesn't happen to a series if absolutely nobody likes it.