Second seasons for ‘Extraordinary,’ ‘Animal Control’
Blending wacky buddycop comedy with chaotic encounters with wildlife, “animal control” (9 p.m., fox, tv-14) returns for a second season.
Following a formula of wayward crushes and chatty characters out of the “Parks & Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” toolbox, “Control” gives Frank (Joel McHale) wads of dialogue to regurgitate. He’s a bitter ex-cop drummed from the force for exposing corruption in the ranks. He takes out his misgivings on his current co-workers in the animal control division, staging elaborate pranks and engaging in an unending run of gentle putdowns.
Look for Ravi Patel as an exhausted and beleaguered father of young toddlers who sees the banality of the office and the occasional dangers of the job as a respite from crying kids and dirty diapers. Emily (Vella Lowell), the office manager, is always trying a tad too hard. Michael Rowland stands out as “Shred,” a once-promising snowboarder whose Olympics dreams ended in an accident. He plays against type, avoiding the X-games “dude” excesses usually hung on such characters to project a genuine humility and eagerness to embark on a new chapter in life. ›
While “Animal Control” uses savage unpredictability to distract us from the overfamiliarity of its setup, the Hulu import “Extraordinary” takes a decidedly low-key approach to its absolutely outrageous premise.
Now entering its second season, “Extraordinary” is set in an unfashionable part of a British city, in a world where everyone has a superpower. One’s gift arrives on or around one’s 18th birthday — but not every talent is comic-book-worthy.
Proof that even imaginary worlds can have their fish out of water, the series revolves around Jen (Mairead Tyers), who has reached the ripe old age of 25 without any new endowments. Not unlike a reluctant kernel in a bag of supermarket popcorn, Jen is embarrassed and nervous, yet forever worried that she’s going to wake up utterly changed.
Her pals, on the other hand, have grown used to their powers. Her roommate Carrie (Sofia Oxenham) can channel the voices and spirits of the dead, a gift that can be handy at the law firm where she works. Jen’s kind-of boyfriend can fly. Carrie’s downbeat boyfriend can turn back time. But only for 30 seconds. Jen’s mother (Siobhan McSweeney, “Derry Girls”) can work any appliance with her mind. There’s a feral-looking stranger (Luke Rollason) who shows up intermittently because he lives most of his life as an alley cat.
As weird as this all sounds, “Extraordinary” is very grounded in the humdrum routine of the workaday world. It plays on the anxieties of young adults who know they have talents but have not quite figured out how to succeed. Created and written by Emma Moran and the production team behind “Killing Eve,” it makes the most of female humiliation and embarrassment, with Jen’s “old maid” status just one mortification among many.