Animal Control

I have been watching Joel McHale since Almost Live! In the late '90s. He was funny then and he is funny now.

I have watched 3 episodes and I think it has gotten better each episode. I like all of the actors, with particular kudos to Vella Lovell. She is pretty funny.

People should stop complaining about how unrealistic it is. It is TV. It is a sitcom. It's not a documentary.

Just sit back, enjoy it for what it is. Don't take it seriously, don't be offended. No animals were harmed during the making of the show.

I hope to see more episodes and that the show and characters continue to grow on me.

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.

Season 3: 4 stars (1 viewing, 7/15/2025)

I just wasn't laughing. Maybe a few chuckles over the entire season. And it feels fairly cartoony. It's unfortunate, but I won't be continuing with this show.

Didn't expect much after reading many of these reviews, (some seem weirdly personal), but was surprised how funny I thought it was. It's not Seinfeld or MASH of course but not even close to some of the lame shows (I'm looking at you Night Court), but all I can suggest is try it because it's a pleasing cast, yes Joel McHale is pretty much Jeff Winger 2.0, but what's wrong with that? It kind of reminded me of Community in that I actually laughed out loud a couple of times and am looking forward to more episodes. Give it an opportunity, it won't be the first time a show that actually is funny gets canceled, but I plan on enjoying while I can.

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.

I like the premise of Animal Control. And there have been a few genuinely funny moments (albeit very silly ones).

I'm finding the interaction between Joel McHale and Michael Rowland to be really fun. Michael Rowland is a break-out star in this series, in my opinion. He plays his character with such a sincerity that you can't help but like him. And it makes Joel McHale tormenting him all the more funny.

The reason I'm giving this a 6 instead of something higher is because of some of the weak points:

1) The show lacks some energy. It's almost there, but not quite. I think as the characters become more three-dimensional that will improve, though.

2) Grace Palmer's character needs to be dialed back a couple of notches on the sex talk. It's just not funny. Her character is just sex and drugs with an interesting Kiwi accent. However, Grace Palmer's character isn't very likeable, even though I can see that her comedic timing could be good.

3) Ravi Patel's character is B-O-R-I-N-G.

I'll continue to watch for now. I'm hoping most of my complaints above will be resolved as the show gets its legs under it. Time will tell.