If you’ve got possums in your RV, squirrels nesting in your attic or an exotic reptile smuggling operation that has gotten completely out of hand, you may want to think again before calling Animal Control, especially if they’re sending these guys.
Joel McHale executive produces and stars in FOX’s new single-camera workplace comedy Animal Control as Frank, a former cop who got fired for being a whistleblower and now works as a surly and cynical Animal Control officer. “Frank secretly loves the animals,” McHale says. “He leads on that he doesn’t care about anything, but he actually does care about the animals.”
And there are a lot of them on the Animal Control set, including tarantulas, a horse, a bear, a cougar and a Burmese python that got snuggly with McHale. “I keep sending my wife photos, and she is like, ‘Boy, this really is the perfect job for you,’” he says. “I’ve enjoyed it, and the animals are some of the more agreeable cast members I’ve ever worked with. BAM!”
Fred “Shred” Taylor (Michael Rowland) is Frank’s upbeat rookie partner and a former professional snowboarder whose Olympic dreams were dashed by a knee injury. Ravi Patel plays Amit, whose stressful family life makes a day catching vermin sound like a relaxing getaway. Amit’s partner, Victoria (Grace Palmer), is a free spirit who’s always up for a good time. Emily (Vella Lovell) is the completely unqualified and overwhelmed boss of the precinct who is still loved by her team.
Gunning for Emily’s job is Templeton (Gerry Dee), an Animal Control officer from a different precinct who sweet talks receptionist Dolores (Kelli Ogmundson) into giving him dirt on Emily.
Frank has the hots for veterinarian Dr. Summers (Alvina August), but she loves snow sports and is really into Fred. “Frank is very upfront about who he’s trying to make a move on,” McHale says. “Frank’s got a lot of plans. They might not necessarily all go well.”
Animal Control premieres on FOX Thursday, Feb. 16, at 9pm ET/PT.