The series centers on bumbling secret agent Maxwell "Max" Smart (Don Adams), also known as Agent 86, and his more sensible female partner, Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon).[2] Agents 86 and 99 work for CONTROL, a secret U.S. government counterintelligence agency based in Washington, DC. The pair investigates and thwarts various threats to the world, though Smart's incompetent nature and demands to do things by-the-book invariably cause complications. However, Smart never fails to save the day. Looking on is the long-suffering head of CONTROL (Edward Platt), who is addressed simply as "Chief".