After two weeks of partying with our readers at the Tamberny Awards, Amber West and I return to our regularly scheduled program this week and review two of NBC’s upcoming comedies on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday—Go On and Animal Practice.
We each caught a sneak peek at the pilot episodes, which were strategically positioned at the end of NBC’s Olympic broadcasts. I somehow missed Go On, but I remembered to set my DVR to pick up Animal Practice after the Closing Ceremonies.
We watch Weeds in our house and love the Botwin family, including Andy (played by Justin Kirk). Mr. Kirk’s comedic timing is fantastic on the Showtime hit; so when we learned that this was the final season of Weeds, and that the actor who has been entertaining us for the past eight years as the quirky brother-in-law/Botwin-father-figure was starring in a new sitcom, we knew that we’d want to check it out.
Obviously, from the title, the series focuses on an animal hospital and the doctors providing the care. We have the “head” doctor, if that’s the appropriate term, Dr. George Coleman (Kirk), and his supporting staff. The supporting staff comes with a very funny resume. First we have a Chelsea Lately Round-Table veteran, Bobby Lee, playing Dr. Kim Yamamoto. I’ve never seen Mr. Lee act before, but so far I’m not looking away. We also have Tyler Labine, a very funny side-kick from two short-lived TV programs (the CW’s Reaper and CBS’s Mad Love), playing Dr. Doug Jackson.
As a side note, my favorite part played by Mr. Labine has to be the role of Dale in the comedy/horror film Tucker & Dale Versus Evil. Now that’s entertainment!
But anyway, back to Animal Practice…
Everything seems to be running smoothly at the hospital until George’s ex-girlfriend (Dorothy Crane, played by Reba star, Joanna Garcia-Swisher) returns. As if her return isn’t bad enough, she brings with her the news that her aunt (the owner of the animal hospital) has named her the proprietor of the establishment.
So we have funny men (Kirk, Lee, and Labine), a funny lady (Garcia-Swisher), the elements of a romantic comedy, and animals… specifically a capuchin monkey (Dr. Rizzo, played by Crystal the Monkey).
Anyone who knows me knows that I love monkeys. I loved Marcel, the monkey in Friends. I also loved the monkey in The Hangover Part II—oh, wait… it’s the same monkey! That’s right; Crystal the Monkey also starred alongside Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms in the popular sequel. What a lucky monkey…
But will this be enough for Animal Practice?
To be honest, it’s too early to award Animal Practice with anything other than the SSTV rating. I mean, we’ve only seen twenty-some-odd minutes worth. Now, the pilot did show some promise… we’ll just have to see if the episodes can lift it up enough to keep it going once it returns in late September.
What did you think? Did you catch the sneak peek of the Animal Practice pilot? How would you rate it? Do you plan to catch the sitcom this fall? I’d love to hear from you!
Now click over to Amber’s blog and see what she thinks about Matthew Perry’s return to comedy in Go On. I can’t believe I missed this one.
Come back next week when Amber and I review something...
Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.
A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:
GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 