Animal Control, a Joel McHale comedy about employees in that line of work who can figure out animals but not their fellow humans, premieres on Fox February 16. McHale plays Frank, who was a cop before starting in animal control, but was fired after trying to expose corruption in the force.
Michael Rowland, Vella Lovell and Ravi Patel are also in the cast.
Rob Greenberg, Bob Fisher, Dan Sterling and Tad Quill are the executive producers.
McHale’s comedy credits include Community and The Great Indoors. Fisher called him “hilarious,” and said he brings “a real strong comedic sense” to the Frank role. “He has a lot of humanity,” Fisher told B+C. “There’s a lot of feeling underneath the guy.”
The exec producers looked at a number of workplace comedies for inspiration. Fisher mentioned The Office, Parks and Recreation, Taxi and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “We’re hoping this one has great office dynamics and a lot of fun physical comedy,” he said.
Reviews have been mixed. The Hollywood Reporter said Animal Control will feel familiar to viewers. “You’ve seen Fox’s Animal Control before, even if you can’t possibly have seen Fox’s Animal Control before because it’s a brand-new series. From its opening seconds, the comedy feels familiar in everything from its character types to its interpersonal dynamics to the rhythms of its predictable punchlines,” the review said.
“This is not necessarily a complaint,” it continues. “Sitcoms often thrive on the reliability of a well-worn formula, and in that regard, Animal Control knows how to deliver exactly what’s expected of it. What it hasn’t figured out, at least in the first three half-hours sent to critics, is how to deliver the extra bit of zing that might distinguish it from all the other shows serving up variations of the same thing.”
Variety, for its part, called the show and McHale “too snarky.”
The pilot bears the title “Weasels and Ostriches.”
Besides those critters, the animal control folks deal with a wide range of animals on the loose, including a python, kangaroo and bear. “Killer rabbits who got into some recreational drugs, a bear in a hot tub, a cow in a fraternity house,” Fisher added.
Animal Control offers viewers “a great ensemble,” Fisher said, and, of course, some mostly loveable animals. “It’s the traditional family stuff we love, physical comedy and emotional stories involving animals,” he said. ■
