Inspector Gadget is a Canadian-French-American-Japanese animated series that ran from 1983 to 1986. It was the first show produced by DiC Entertainment.
On the show, Inspector Gadget is a cyborg detective and secret agent, who must stop an evil organization called "MAD", lead by Dr. Claw. He is usually helped by his niece, Penny, and his dog, Brain. Gadget has many gadgets and special devices inside his body, hence his name. He uses these when searching in a case, but he is not very smart. Yet with the help of Penny and Brain, he ends up saving the day.
Elements of the franchise pay homage to the 1960s series Get Smart. Gadget's voice was even provided by Don Adams who was the star of Get Smart. Other elements are homages to things like Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movie series.
In 1999, Matthew Broderick played the title character in Disney's live-action adaptation.