Animal Control

The premise is pretty simple: a team of animal control professionals getting into antics that require a fair amount of suspension of disbelief to enjoy. Personally, I am able to suspend my disbelief enough to have a fun time watching the show. I don't think the show is trying to do anything ground-breaking, and I don't need every show to do that. Animal Control mostly follows the proven formula for workplace comedies, such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine (although, I don't feel that Animal Control is as memorable as the former), and it's a formula that works for me.

Joel McHale is charming and fun to watch, as usual. His character, Frank, is fairly similar to the one McHale played in Community, and I don't view that as a negative. A character I was quite surprised by is "Shred" played by Michael Rowland. The character of Shred has been given a lot of heart and compassion in a charmingly innocent light. From the promos, I was a bit apprehensive about the character, fearing he would be presented as an annoying sidekick character. However, Shred might be my favorite character in the show. Everyone else is great in each of their respective roles, including Vella Lovell who, in my mind, could have also come off a bit annoying but rather is quite charming. Her character meshes really well with Rowland's.

I am a big fan of dramatic and unpredictable entertainment, but sometimes I want to sit easy and stay in a light-hearted mood. Animal Control has done that for me, and I appreciate that. I'm sure it's not for everyone, and if one was to "academically" analyze this show, it may garner a 7, a 6, or even a 5 in rating. However, I'm a fan and am hoping for more seasons in the future, therefore, I gave it an 8.

Pleasant show to watch. Happy to find a show, I don't shut off after 15 minutes. Most shows today make me gag. This show doesn't have all the annoying trends of today. It has The Office vibes but with animals. All the characters are likeable and know how to act, unlike most new shows. Really feels like a refreshing show that doesn't hurt your brain. Pleasant show to watch. Happy to find a show, I don't shut off after 15 minutes. Most shows today make me gag. This show doesn't have all the annoying trends of today. It has The Office vibes but with animals. All the characters are likeable and know how to act, unlike most new shows. Really feels like a refreshing show that doesn't hurt your brain.

Season 1: 7 stars (2 viewings, 1/26/2024, 8/30/2024)

There was a point in time when I was watching 10-15 different active sitcoms at once. But the ones I liked all concluded, except for GOAT It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And I haven't found any good new ones.

After trying 20+ newer sitcoms, I finally came across one I really like in Animal Control. It reminds me of many of the traditional sitcoms from the golden age. And it fulfils the number one most important attribute of a sitcom: likeable/funny characters.

I was already familiar with Joel McHale from Community. He plays basically the same character, and he's just as entertaining as in Community. The guy that plays Shred is surprisingly charming. And I like the rest of the cast, especially Victoria.

Now I'm hoping it still gets better, especially with the laugh count. There are definitely a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments, but a lot of the runtime maxes out at amusing. We've seen similar things with other hits, where the first season is a little weaker comedically (ie. The Office, Parks & Rec). Also I think they may have sped through some romance drama a little too fast.

I had a good time with this season and am looking forward to more. I think most people will enjoy it.

Season 2: 6 stars (1 viewing, 9/2/2024)

Unfortunately, I did not feel the typical season 2 bump-up in comedy or number of laughs per episode. I wasn't really feeling the first half of the season, only laughing a few times per episode. But it finishes strong with some really good episodes. I'll watch season 3, but it needs to get better now or I don't think it will last long.

I genuinely enjoy these workplace comedies. And I love like 70% of anything that Joel McHale is in. I think it has enough potential to give it a chance to last 2-3 seasons in order to find its footing. Too many networks throw dozens of shows out there and see what sticks and abandon them before the reach their full potential (The Mick). I can only imagine if they'd cancel The Office or Parks and Rec in their infancy. The cast is diverse and they all seem like good enough comedy actors. I didn't recognize any of the writers which could bode well. I guess my gist is give the show time to breathe before dropping it.

Joel McHale struck gold with this sitcom. I actually enjoyed the premise about animal control officers in Seattle, Washington. The unit is headed by a charming attractive woman, Emily. McHale is paired up with younger Shred who was an athlete and idealistic. There is another pair of officers with a female officer from New Zealand and an Asian Indian character Patel. The four of them get into all types of trouble like attacking rabbits, snakes, peacocks, raccoons, possums, squirrels etc. I think it's a fine sitcom model and I have a preference for the standard multi camera model. Unlike a studio sitcom, Animal Control works best outside the standard norms. I still look forward to it every week.