Animal Control (2023)

So we start with Joel McHale all snarky after losing a respectable career, and bitterly forced to adjust to less worthy circumstances. He’s surrounded by a bunch of quirky characters, looking down on them as his inferiors. If it lasts, he’ll come appreciate them, petty squabbles and rivalries will turn out happily, and they’ll function as a cohesive unit, replete with warm fuzzies. Nemeses will be foiled.Feel familiar? The setup that worked so well in Community seems doomed to disappoint in this imitator. Animal encounters should offer a broader palette with more comedic potential than community college interiors, but the intro to this cast and the writers feeding them bodes ill for a long run. Trying too hard for too few laughs.