TV Review: Never Judge A Show By Its Pilot - Andy Barker PI

Andy Richter is one of the most underrated comedic actors working in television today. Since leaving his role as the sidekick on Late Night with Conan O'Brien he has starred in several situation comedies. Although none of these shows ever took off, I never felt that it was the fault of Andy Richter.

In his new show Andy Barker PI, Richter re-teams with Conan O'Brien who serves as the show's co-creator and executive producer. The title character Andy Barker is a CPA who is mistaken by a Russian bombshell for retired private investigator Lew Staziak (Harve Presnell). Lew used to occupy Andy’s storefront office. The beautiful Russian offers Andy four thousand dollars to find her husband.

Since he was not getting any new accounting clients, Andy takes on the lady’s case with the help of his fellow strip mall neighbors Simon (Tony Hale) the video store clerk and Wally (Marshall Manesh) the overly patriotic Afghani restaurant owner. Although this is not the first time we see an accountant enamored with the life of a PI on TV (remember Tenspeed and Brown Shoe?), the difference here is that Andy loves accounting. Andy Richter is at his best when he plays the mild-mannered, well-intentioned Everyman and this show is the best vehicle for Andy Richter since he left Conan's couch. Andy’s TV character is also perfectly paired with Clea Lewis as his wife Jen.

In the past I have expressed that I like single camera sitcoms and am really pleased that NBC's Must See Thursday is raising the bar with their comedies instead of just playing it for laughs. Andy Barker PI has the elements that I like in a comedy; good writing, good acting and most importantly it is funny. My big concern is that the show is at risk of being predictable where Andy uses his accounting skills to solve the case with the help of his misfit friends. Fortunately, I never judge a show by its pilot, and speaking of the pilot, you can watch it at NBC's website and I don’t have to wait till next week because besides the pilot, four more episodes are also online.

Article Author: Tony Figueroa

TONY FIGUEROA is a standup comedian, writer, actor and storyteller based in Los Angeles. A "day job" teaching comedy traffic school led to Tony cohosting and coproducing several radio shows. Tony’s CHILD OF TELEVISION Blog is an example of life imitating art. …

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