If you turn on a TV in 2025, there’s a good chance you’ll land on a series that features Joel McHale. The man is, as the kids say, booked and busy; McHale hosts numerous competition shows, pops up every once in a while on FX’s The Bear as Carmy’s former head chef/anxiety manifestation, and lends his voice to animated comedies on a pretty consistent basis. He’s doing a lot these days.
By far, though, his best project is Animal Control, the FOX sitcom he stars in alongside Vella Lovell, Grace Palmer, Ravi Patel, and Michael Rowland. Hold on, I can feel you immediately rolling your eyes and wondering if I’m crazy for calling it the best after mentioning The Bear mere sentences earlier. First of all, I said what I said. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating but I do feel pretty strongly about this show. And hey, I respect your hesitation and reluctance to take my word about a FOX sitcom.
While ABC and NBC are the reigning champions of comedy, FOX has given us some of the best laugh-out-loud shows of all time, i.e. Malcolm in the Middle, Married with Children, New Girl… I could go on. This, combined with the fact I am a firm believer that giving comedy shows at least two seasons to find their footing is a must, is why I stand before you a proud member of the Animal Control fanbase. The show is funny, trust me.
In Animal Control, McHale plays Frank Shaw, a sardonic and vain animal control officer in Seattle, Washington. The role is not wholly different from his Community character, Jeff Winger, whose cool guy, nonchalant energy made him the focal point of the Greendale Community College study group we all came to love. The actor and comedian clearly has a type and plays it well. Much like in Community, McHale’s character in Animal Control is balanced out by an odd cast of characters who range from sweet and innocent to cooly confused at all times. Ensemble comedies are nothing new, obviously, but it is refreshing to see one where things feel adequately weighted.
Take Lovell’s character, Emily Price, who runs the animal control office with a try-hard nature given her complete lack of qualifications for the job. She tries to be everyone’s best friend which, of course, annoys Frank. Or Rowland’s Fred “Shred” Taylor, a good-natured former pro-snowboarder who gives off a real “sorry to annoy you with my friendship” vibe. Shocker, McHale’s character also is constantly peeved at Shred. It’s an age-old dynamic that works like a charm and it has charmed me.
Don’t even get me started on the guest stars. Not only has the show already welcomed Thomas Lennon, McHale’s former Community cast member, Ken Jeong, and Scrubs alum Sarah Chalke, Season 3 is bringing in even more star power. Confirmed guests include The Other Two‘s Josh Segarra, NFL player Rob Gronkowski, Lucy Punch, and Eve Palmer, the sister of Grace Palmer who plays Victoria. And, the cast has their sights set on a silver-fox white whale, Ted Danson, for future seasons, they told us here at Decider. Speaking of animals, by the way, how could I forget the best guest stars on the show?
If the age-old riff from The Wizard of Oz, “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my,” were to ever apply to a TV comedy, that superlative would go to Animal Control. Each episode features the team chasing, herding, or interacting with some kind of animal, ranging from domestic pets to escaped zoo dwellers to fully imaginary creatures like unicorns. That last one is a long story but it involves Emily taking a little girl’s cats away and briefly dashing her hopes and dreams.
And boy, do they get creative with the animals. In fact, if you jotted down a list of every animal pun you can think of, I can almost guarantee that the show has thought of it too. It’s actually what I love the most about the series. It hits its stride not by distinguishing itself as something new or out there, but by leaning into the cheesy puns without it feeling like low-hanging fruit. There is a real artistry in that and I applaud it.
What started as one of my go-to “laundry folding shows” — i.e. a TV series where I can have it playing as I am slightly distracted by another task — quickly became a weekly date that I look forward to. I don’t fault them for having a less-than-perfect pilot season but I do give them credit for finding what works and honing in on that for Season 2.
I can also say confidently that from what I have seen of Season 3 — FOX sent me the first few episodes to binge — they just keep getting better and better. Witty, sharp, and always ready to throw in a second joke while you’re still laughing at the first, I think Animal Control truly is the underrated gem of comedy television in 2025.
Listen, I’m not your mother nor the voice in your head so I cannot actually force you to do anything. Well, actually, if you’re an adult, your mom probably can’t force you either but that’s beside the point. I just need you to all know that when you look at what there is to watch this month or this year on TV, there’s a show beckoning to you from FOX. I urge you to give this silly little comedy a chance because I think you may just fall in love with it too.
Okay, that’s the end of my push, I would hate to beat a dead horse. Like I wasn’t going to get at least one animal pun in here.
Animal Control Season 3 premieres on Thursday, January 2 at 9 p.m. EST. You can watch the first two seasons on Hulu.
The post ‘Animal Control’ Just Gets Better and Better So I’m Asking You All to Watch It appeared first on Decider.
