Animal Control (TV series)

Animal Control is an American television sitcom created by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Dan Sterling that premiered on Fox on February 16, 2023 and produced by Roughhouse Productions, Middletown News, Wow a Fox, Fox Entertainment Studios. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on March 6, 2024. In February 2024, ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season.

Premise
A group of animal control workers in Seattle begin to see their lives complicated by humans and not so much by animals.

Main

 * Joel McHale as Frank Shaw, a disillusioned and emotionally distant Senior Animal Control Officer. He was a cop who was fired from the force after discovering evidence of corruption in his precinct. He is bitter and sarcastic and prone to making cutting remarks about his co-workers. Later episodes reveal that much of his behavior is posturing and he is lonely and frequently insecure about his image, such as his struggles with relationships, although he would never admit it.
 * Vella Lovell as Emily Price, the good-natured director at the A.C. Northwest precinct. She can be anxious and often awkward in social situations. She's chipper and spunky and surprisingly competitive, butting heads with Templeton when he makes comments about wanting her job. She also displays a creative side, such as when she dresses up the animals for photoshoots to post on social media.
 * Michael Rowland as Fred "Shred" Taylor, Frank's partner. An idealistic amateur Animal Control officer and a former professional snowboarder. His idealism causes him to deflect the negativity that his precinct often dishes out.
 * Ravi V. Patel as Amit Patel, one of the Animal Control officers of Frank's precinct and Victoria's partner. He is pessimistic and frequently overwhelmed by his large family. When he's away from his family he tends to become absorbed in reckless or childish activities.
 * Grace Palmer as Victoria Sands, a street-smart Animal Control officer from New Zealand and Amit's partner. She has a laid-back personality, frequently indulging in various drugs and casual sex. She and Frank have an ongoing prank war that borders on flirtation.

Recurring

 * Gerry Dee as Templeton Dudge, the mean-spirited Canadian Animal Control Officer from the Central Precinct.
 * Kelli Ogmundson as Dolores Stubb, the self-righteous receptionist of Frank's precinct. She has a tendency to meddle with the officers' affairs for prideful reasons. As a result, she is disliked by the officers.She has a crush on Templeton that he does not reciprocate.
 * Alvina August as Dr. Colette Summers, the attractive veterinarian in Frank's precinct. She is often targeted as a lust object by the officers, which is a recurring joke in the show.
 * Amy Goodmurphy as AM Dispatch
 * Kevin Bigley as Rick Doyle, the previous director of the A.C. precinct and Frank's former partner. He left after he was viciously mauled by a mink which resulted in the loss of one of his ears and a giant settlement from the city. He has a very positive personality and was well-liked by the staff.
 * Krystal Smith as Bettany (season 2), the new assistant to Emily.

Guest

 * María Gabriela de Faría as Camila (season 1), Shred's long-distance girlfriend who lives in Austria.
 * Kalyn Miles as Maya Patel, Amit's wife.
 * Dayah Brar as Addy Patel, Amit's daughter. She is very sassy and he finds her difficult to control.
 * Tristan D. Lalla as Jack, a vet tech working with Dr. Summers. He has a very no-nonsense personality and seems exhausted by how self-centered the patrol officers are.
 * John Procaccino as Jimmy Shaw, Frank's cantankerous father with whom he has a contentious relationship.
 * Ken Jeong as Lee Park (season 2), a well-respected dog whisperer
 * Sarah Chalke as Yazmin (season 2), Frank's ex-girlfriend.
 * Thomas Lennon as Patrick Shaw (season 2), Frank's older brother. He is a police officer.
 * Chelsea Frei as Isabelle (season 2)
 * Maz Jobrani as Lucas (season 2)
 * Larry Joe Campbell as Carl (season 2)

Production
In July 2022, it was announced Fox had given a straight-to-series order to Animal Control from Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg, Dan Sterling and Fox Entertainment, marking Fox Entertainment Studios' first fully owned live-action comedy. In October of that year, Joel McHale joined the series as the lead and executive producer. Vella Lovell and Ravi Patel joined the cast later that same month. Most portions of Animal Control are filmed in and around Vancouver, the most populous city in British Columbia, and were filmed in the Vancouver area from October 31, 2022 to January 25, 2023. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on March 6, 2024. In February 2024, ahead the second season premiere, Fox renewed the series for a third season. Filming for the third season began on June 17, 2024 and is scheduled to conclude on August 20, 2024.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 60% approval rating with an average rating of 6/10, based on ten critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 68 out of 100 based on seven critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".