Once a sidekick, now a leading man, Andy Richter returns to the primetime sitcom scene with the enjoyable private-eye comedy "Andy Barker, P.I."
The show is a cross between short-lived predecessors "Police Squad!" (stylishly stupid jokes) and "The Job" (clever dialogue and visually impressive). Hopefully, "Andy Barker" has more staying power. Though Richter's personal track record with sitcom longevity is less than extraordinary, "Andy Barker" is at least five times funnier than "Quintuplets" and generally on par with the ingenious "Andy Richter Controls the Universe."
Ready for his first day at his own accounting office, Andy Barker (Richter) says farewell for the day to his wife, Jenny (Clea Lewis, "Ellen"). She humorously mentions her anticipation for a "Judging Amy" episode waiting for them on their TiVo, at which point Andy sheepishly admits he already watched it.
Soon after arriving at the mini-mall where his office is located, Andy meets Simon (Tony Hale, "Arrested Development"). Simon is a film expert who runs the video store below and is eager to show off his Sandra Bullock doll from "Miss Congeniality 2." Andy earnestly states that the sequel came close to topping the original, to which Simon snaps, "I made [the doll] to mock the movie." Andy enjoys both "Judging Amy" and "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous." What's not to love about this character? Richter finds the perfect balance of innocence and ingenuity.
After a dull first day, Andy's second day on the job takes an unexpected turn when a beautiful woman claiming to be looking for her husband enters and hands him an envelope filled with $4,000. The woman gives him her number, written on the back of a business card that belongs to Lew Staziak (Harve Presnell, "Fargo"), a private investigator who previously worked in the office Andy now occupies. After some preliminary exploration, Andy eventually teams up with Simon and the two take on the assignment.
Throughout his investigation, Andy also encounters (and continues to in later episodes) an amusingly apathetic archives clerk (Nicole Randall Johnson) and a surveillance camera-obsessed Afghani chef, Wally (Marshall Manesh). Each cast member has a very specific role in solving this and future cases, and their skills often work together in creative ways. The pilot does a great job establishing all of the key characters, and from there, the episodes only get faster and funnier.
Conan O'Brien and ex-"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" head writer Jonathan Groff created the show. Packed with delightfully deadpan delivery and ridiculous twists on pop culture, the "Late Night" influence is apparent and welcome.
Although it will be replacing the phenomenal Tina Fey comedy "30 Rock" for a little while, "Andy Barker, P.I." complements its Thursday night company just fine. NBC Thursdays are indeed still blessed with a — what are they calling it now? — "Comedy Night Done Right?" That's lame. Let's try: "Andy Barker, P.I." is must see TV. Much better.
"Andy Barker, P.I." premieres tonight at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. Full episodes can also be seen on NBC.com.
