Yes, the TV show was light entertainment. No, it had no deep meaning and never pretended to. Yes, the story is like that of the Pink Panther movies: bumbling hero manages to defeat his adversaries anyway. The show was conceived as a parody of James Bond movies, and though Agent 86 wasn't altogether like Bond (he wasn't a womanizer, and he wasn't cool all the time), the show still did its job.
So what made the series work? For one thing, 86 may have been a stumble-bum, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He was able to figure out things on his own, such as how a woman pretending to be regressed to childhood was in fact pretending due to her "Captain Kangaroo" reference. When he fought, he did so realistically and with genuine ability. Like Clouseau, he was able to think and act intelligently at times, not just bumble his way to victory, or have others do the work while he got the credit.
The series wasn't perfect. Many jokes and phrases were overused, including the Cone Of Silence. But it was overall quite enjoyable.
So what made the series work? For one thing, 86 may have been a stumble-bum, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He was able to figure out things on his own, such as how a woman pretending to be regressed to childhood was in fact pretending due to her "Captain Kangaroo" reference. When he fought, he did so realistically and with genuine ability. Like Clouseau, he was able to think and act intelligently at times, not just bumble his way to victory, or have others do the work while he got the credit.
The series wasn't perfect. Many jokes and phrases were overused, including the Cone Of Silence. But it was overall quite enjoyable.