Feature Story
When wild animals are on the loose in human spaces, there is only one call to make.The brand-new sitcom “Animal Control” premieres Thursday, Feb. 16, on Fox.
Joel McHale (“Community”) stars as Frank, an Animal Control officer experiencing some growing pains with his new partner, Fred, portrayed by standup comedian Michael Rowland. The pair learn to work together while tracking down wayward creatures.
Described as “cynical and curmudgeonly” in a news release from Fox, McHale’s Frank was more of a lone wolf in the department before being assigned a partner. Having been ousted from the police department for attempting to shed light on corruption within the force, Frank focuses more on the animals than his coworkers in his current job. And, having skipped out on any college-level education and flopped as a cop, Frank now calls the Animal Control department his home away from home.
Newcomer Rowland makes his scripted series debut in “Animal Control,” though you may have caught him performing his standup on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Rowland’s Fred goes by “Shred” around the office, which sounds more like a name they’d give one of their more difficult catches, but he’s a promising new hire who has an experienced-yet-reluctant mentor in his corner. Filled with the enthusiasm and optimism of youth, Fred foils Frank’s misanthropy.
Some bosses just have a knack for pairing odd couples, and the big boss of “Animal Control” is a master. Vella Lovell of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Mr. Mayor” stars as the head of the department, Emily. Lovell’s past roles have largely seen her portray monotone-voiced, all-knowing weirdos, so fans may be surprised to learn that Emily is “sweetnatured and endearingly awkward,” per Fox’s news release. Emily also oversees animal-catching duo Amit and Victoria, portrayed by Ravi Patel (“Ghosts”) and Grace Palmer (“Good Grief”), respectively.Alvina August (“Woke”) is veterinarian Dr. Summers, and Kelli Ogmundson (“Family Law”) is the department’s receptionist, Dolores.
Keeping in true sitcom fashion, every good workplace has to have a rival office. “Parks and Recreation” had its Eagleton counterparts, “Abbott Elementary” has the well-funded magnet school and “The Office” had the Stamford branch. “Animal Control,” for its part, named its main rival when Canadian comedian and television host Gerry Dee (“Mr. Dee”) joined the cast last October. Dee stars as Templeton, an officer from a nearby precinct who has his eye on Frank and the rest of the Animal Control department.
Fox hasn’t released much information about the plot or guest stars of “Animal Control” yet, but a promotional teaser does reveal some of the weird and wonderful critters that the officers must catch and release. One would expect the standard nuisances like trash-hungry raccoons or pesky rabbits, but these Animal Control officers appear to have a much bigger problem on their hands: a boa constrictor. The officers are stunned to see the snake coiling around their caller in the teasers, but it is their duty to serve their community. Luckily, Frank possesses a special ability when it comes to corralling critters.What he lacks in his ability to relate to fellow humans, he makes up for as an animal whisperer.
The executive producers behind “Animal Control” all have experience with producing hits for Fox in one way or another. Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill all executive produced the dysfunctional family sitcom “The Moodys,” which aired for two seasons on Fox, while Dan Sterling, who wrote and produced the 2019 hit rom-com “Long Shot,” also wrote for and produced “King of the Hill” in its early 2000s run on Fox. Rounding out the producing team of “Animal Control” is its star, McHale, who also hosts Fox’s cooking competition series, “Crime Scene Kitchen.”
Landing McHale as “Animal Control” lead was a dream come true for the rest of the producers, as Michael Thorn, president of entertainment of Fox Entertainment told it. In an October 2022 news release from Fox, Thorn shared, “Dan, Rob, Tad and Bob had envisioned Joel as the lead of ‘Animal Control’ from the very moment we began development.” Thorn added, “Joel’s acerbic wit and ability to bring a comedic lens to everything he’s involved with make him the perfect person to bring Frank to life.” Viewers of “Community” and “The Soup” already know that McHale was born to bring skeptical and charmingly nihilistic leads to life.