Animal Control follows a group of local workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not. Joel McHale stars as Frank, an opinionated, eccentric Animal Control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room. A former cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, which may explain why he’s so cynical and curmudgeonly. He has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals. Humans...not so much. Frank is assigned a new partner, Fred “Shred” Taylor (newcomer Michael Rowland), an optimistic rookie Animal Control officer. They both report into their sweet-natured and endearingly awkward boss Emily Price (Vella Lovell, Mr. Mayor). Amit Patel (Ravi Patel, Master of None) and Victoria Sands (Grace Palmer, Shortland Street) are also partners in the Animal Control office – though they could not be more opposite.
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Animal Control’s second season might start slowly, but the show capitalizes on its strongest qualities from its debut year and exhibits plenty of growth potential, which it will have time to demonstrate as Fox has already renewed the series for a third season. At a time when streamers and networks alike have pulled back on producing sitcoms, this one is a fine reminder of what a sturdy, unflashy example of the genre can accomplish.
Fox Sitcom ‘Animal Control’ Should Be the Next ‘Brooklyn 99’ or ‘Community’
CHEERS!
Joel McHale’s beast-heavy workplace sitcom shows even more promise in Season 2.
". . .But there’s something to be said for the familiar.
Animal Control may not reinvent the wheel, but it does feature an inviting cast whose ensemble chemistry improved over the course of the previous season, reliably strong characterizations, and a good sense of comic timing. Though the show doesn’t always take advantage of its joke-machine potential, the sarcastic one-liners and witty repartee go down smoothly.
Plus, Animal Control has an obvious secret weapon that it exploits every episode: animals, whose furry, raucous antics force the cast into situations rife for slapstick.
- Sometimes the comedic fruit hangs low—last season, a kangaroo punched Patel in the balls, and bunnies stoned on mushrooms became aggressive with the squad—but other times the visual gag can be enough.
- Case in point: a drunk racoon humping a bowling ball in the cold open of Animal Control’s second season premiere.
Osmond Bramble, Michael Rowland, Joel McHale, Grace Palmer and Ravi Patel
Bettina Strauss/Fox
Of course, the show’s human relationships are the primary draw. . .
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