John Belushi’s Last Role: Hilarious & Uncomfortable Nielsen Series Scene
## John Belushi’s Lost ‘Police squad!’ Cameo Is Unfeasible To Watch Now
Before *Airplane!* and *The Naked Gun*, there was *Police Squad!* – a brilliantly absurd parody of police procedurals that laid the groundwork for the Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (ZAZ) comedic empire. The show, starring Leslie Nielsen as the perpetually clueless Frank Drebin, was ahead of its time, and featured a rotating cast of celebrity cameos… including one from John Belushi that tragically never saw the light of day.
### A Star-Studded Lineup of Fleeting Appearances
*Police Squad!* was known for its rapid-fire gags and its incredibly brief celebrity appearances in the opening credits.You might blink and miss them, but the show managed to snag some remarkable names. william Shatner, Lorne Greene, and Robert Goulet all made fast appearances. Goulet even revisited the franchise, hilariously portraying Quentin Hapsburg, the villain in *The Naked Gun 2: The Smell of Fear*.
These weren’t substantial roles, of course. The cameos were intentionally fleeting, a quick visual gag meant to disorient and delight viewers. But the inclusion of such recognizable faces added another layer of absurdity to the show’s already chaotic energy.### Belushi’s Darkly Prescient idea
according to ZAZ, in the DVD commentary for episode five (“The Butler Did It (A Bird in the Hand)”), Belushi had a rather dark idea for his own opening credits appearance. He suggested being shown laid out, dead from a drug overdose, a needle still in his arm. It was a shockingly prescient thought,considering the tragic circumstances that would unfold just months later.Sadly, on March 5, 1983, John Belushi died from a speedball overdose at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. He was onyl 33 years old. The episode of *Police Squad!* featuring his cameo was due to air shortly after his death.
### A Scene Almost Deadly in Itself
The scene that *was* actually filmed for *Police Squad!* didn’t involve Belushi’s grim suggestion.Instead, he was shown chained to a cinder block underwater. As you can imagine, the scene was fraught with danger. Belushi almost choked during filming, and both he and the showrunners jokingly discussed what his obituary might read. It was a morbid joke that, tragically, became a reality just a few months later.
### A Cameo Lost to Tragedy
Following Belushi’s death, his cameo was understandably dropped from the show. Because the guest star appearances were so brief and didn’t tie into the episode’s plot, replacing him wasn’t a major narrative issue. However, it leaves a haunting “what if” hanging over the series.
Determining *who* replaced Belushi is surprisingly arduous. Reports vary, with some claiming Florence Henderson filled the slot, while others suggest it was William Conrad. What *is* known is that Belushi’s cameo was slated for