(S01E01) I can't help but be afraid for this new series. I think it's great. I think people who enjoy the subtle comedy of The Office and My Name is Earl will also think it's pretty great. ("subtle", by the way, compared to a sitcom where we're told when to laugh) But it's going to take a while for this one to catch on. I can only hope that NBC will give Andy Barker, P.I. a fighting chance the same way it held on to The Office while it found an audience.
I've seen the pilot twice now since NBC made it and five other episodes available online. There are really two levels of comedy happening throughout the episode. There's the obvious one: an accountant takes a private investigator's case and solves it through tax records. The scene where Andy is doing work for one of his clients during a high-speed chase with the Russian mafia was hilarious! Barker is a straight-laced guy with a perfect, yet boring, life who decides to step out on a limb and take on the dangerous profession of private investigator. Clea Lewis, who plays his wife, is cast perfectly as the ultimate homemaker.
The second level of humor is a little less obvious. This is where I see Conan O'Brien's stamp all over the show (he's executive producer and writer). There were a heap of jokes about pop culture-- Sandra Bullock takes an especially hard beating in the pilot-- and Americana in general. Tony Hale, who plays video store guy Simon, is a total weirdo with a lot of great lines. He's one of those indignant nerds... the type many of us in this little online world are familiar with. And Marshall Manesh plays a great Afghani who "traveled here in the wheel well of a jumbo jet" and has American spirit spilling out of his ears. Sure, it's been nearly six years since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, but a patriotic Afghani is still a funny joke, right?
My fear for this show is that not enough people will get it. They will only see the Andy Barker character and not all the other, hilarious stuff. Maybe, after all these years of watching brilliant television shows get canceled, I have lost faith in American television viewers. I dunno. I just hope the crowd that likes The Office and NBC's other Thursday night shows gives Andy Barker a chance because it really does fit in well with that comedy line-up.
This episode is full of so many great one-liners. Here's a sampling:
"Don't park in front of the Christian Bookstore unless you want to get towed." - Simon, the video guy
"MSG NO! USA YES!" - sign at Wally's Afghani restaurant
"Hakim! One Ronald Reagan, extra hummus!" - Wally, the Afghani restaurant owner
"I gotta go. There's a beefy goth chick in Horror." - Simon
What did you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-15-2007 @ 11:23PM
SenorWeird said...
You forgot the best part of that last line by Simon, when he turns to the girl and goes "Hey Sunshine." I mean, that's evil!
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3-15-2007 @ 10:43PM
Jon said...
I have to say, I found the pilot astounding. I hope to God that they give this a chance and don't FOX it all over the schedule.
Other things I thought were hysterical:
- Andy's visual realization when the phone didn't ring after the first airing of his monster truck rally-style commercial on the Spanish-language radio station.
- Lew's referring to testicles as "Mike-n-Ike's" during his old-school rapid-fire P.I. speech.
- Andy's chastising of the mobsters (while being held at gunpoint) for being "rude".
- Lew's Korean caretaker laboriously pushing his wheelchair up the sidewalk, only to have him jump out of it robustly at the porch.
Great show. You can sense the Conanisms all over it. Now that the backstory is set, I can't wait to see what they do with it.
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3-15-2007 @ 10:51PM
Danny Edwards said...
I downloaded the pilot for free from iTunes last week, so this was my second viewing as well. This is a great show and would be a great fit with The Office, Earl and 30 Rock.
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3-15-2007 @ 10:55PM
TWS said...
I've gone through all six episodes on NBC.com and downloaded the pilot and I'm with everyone else on Andy Barker; it's a perfect fit for NBC's comedy block. Just hope the ratings are good...
*finger cross*
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3-15-2007 @ 10:57PM
GhaleonQ said...
It's doomed, of course. If the more straightforward (and, I'd argue, higher quality) humor in "Andy Richter Controls The Universe" didn't last, this one's without a future.
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3-16-2007 @ 12:45AM
Borat said...
"I have a beef with you, you lied to me!"
I liked the show, and definitely want it to stay on, but 30 Rock is MUCH better.
My other favorite part was the Spanish commercial. Hilarious.
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3-16-2007 @ 12:47AM
erroneous_nick said...
I've only seen the pilot, but I absolutely loved it too. I wish every sitcom could make me laugh, and just plain smile, like this one did.
Count me in on the finger crossing for Andy Barker!
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3-16-2007 @ 1:08AM
Borat said...
"Mother Hubbard!"
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3-16-2007 @ 1:23AM
Brian said...
This show was awful; it's only getting good reviews because the critical press refuses to get off Andy Richter's nuts.
And, to call this humor "subtle" is ridiculous. It's the most "in your face," here's when to laugh show ever. What's worse is that the examples of "subtle" humor you mentioned were two of the most OBVIOUS jokes in the series.
What's subtle about an Afghani turning his restaurant into a patriotic one? What's subtle about the character SPECIFICALLY SAYING he hates Miss Congeniality.
Wake up.
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3-16-2007 @ 1:48AM
bgdc said...
I hope the remaining shows are stronger. It's not nearly as immediately funny as controls the universe but it is amusing. We'll watch the rest but I must admit I'm very anxious for 30 Rock to return...that show leaves me laughing like I did with Arrested Development.
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3-16-2007 @ 3:04AM
DelRay said...
I too miss Andy Richter Controls the Universe, but this show is pretty great too....off to a great start!
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3-16-2007 @ 3:02AM
Justin said...
I turned it off after 15 minutes. Really disappointing. The jokes were easy and NOT funny. First joke: "Honey, you watched Judging Amy without me?"
And I agree with the previous poster. The "pro-USA" Afghani was funny? Uh, right. Next?
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3-16-2007 @ 6:10AM
Scott K said...
I was a bit let down, too. Controls the Universe was much, much, much better. The Office is in an entirely different league. There wasn't much subtle about this humor. Hopefully it will get better. I like Andy Richter a lot and really wanted this to be funnier.
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3-16-2007 @ 11:20AM
Yayaja said...
I think I'm the only one who is excited at the prospect of an actually private investigative show! They have a great opportunity to make this into a great mystery show, with plenty of humor thrown in. They kept referencing Chinatown directly, but throughout the whole episode, I definitely got the old style PI shows.
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3-16-2007 @ 12:41PM
dave said...
I liked it, and will watch again. But then again, I adore The Office. Some of us don't need to be spoon-fed comedy.
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3-16-2007 @ 1:30PM
CaliberSRT4 said...
I missed Andy Barker P.I. due to Grey's Anatomy; but I know it has to be good with Andy Richter, after all he used to be and should still be Conan's sidekick. Did anyone catch Raines?
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3-16-2007 @ 2:26PM
bgdc said...
Yayaja - there are a BILLION PI shows - Psych, Monk, Veronica Mars.
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3-16-2007 @ 4:43PM
qadir said...
I loved the pilot and pray that NBC don't go the asshat route drop the show. I've got an unshakable feeling something absolutely terrible thing will happen to the show. Not necessarily cancellation(although its far from impossible) but something more along the lines of a casting error or a tremendous flaw in writing.
as far as Raines goes, I liked it. Reminded me of House a lot for less reasons then you'd think. NBC seems to have a strong lineup going
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3-16-2007 @ 5:45PM
khamel said...
"Who traveled here in the wheel well of a jumbo jet". That might have been the funniest line i have heard on tv since AD was canceled (the fact that it was Buster was just gravy). I was apprehensive about getting hooked to another andy richter show just to be disappointed but i hope this one works out. Great episode and good characters.
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3-16-2007 @ 7:50PM
Jon said...
All we saw was the PILOT! This is a show that requires some setup. Keep in mind that it is from the mind of Conan, and per Tina Fey: "The Harvard guys are all about concept."
Conan was the only guy in charge of Harvard Lampoon for more than a year. Ever.
That sensibility requires humor to be built upon concept. And to allow for the comedy to come from that conflict.
All we have seen (on TV), is the setup for the concept.
The Harvard guys demand that it happens first.
I have chosen not to watch online, only for my hope for the timeslot. We have seen what has happened on FOX, NBC...all of them.
I'll bet the next episode rocks.
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