"Andy Richter Controls the Universe" (2002) TV series 2002-2003

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creator:

Victor Fresco

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

20 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Andy is a short story writer, who makes his living by working at a huge faceless company in present day Chicago...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Andy Richter	...	Andy Richter (19 episodes, 2002-2004)
Paget Brewster	...	Jessica Green (19 episodes, 2002-2004)
Irene Molloy	...	Wendy McKay (19 episodes, 2002-2004)
Jonathan Slavin	...	Byron Togler (19 episodes, 2002-2004)
James Patrick Stuart	...	Keith (19 episodes, 2002-2004)
John Bliss	...	Mr. Pickering (14 episodes, 2002-2004)

Also Known As:

Anything Can Happen (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Garfield Grove Productions

Trivia:

The establishing shot of Andy's workplace, the Duke & Duke building, is lifted from Trading Places (1983)

Quotes:

Andy: I see why you joined this place.
Byron: It's not what you think. Yeah, I'm really into her. But, I can't even have sex with her.
Andy: How come?
Byron: I can't have sex 3 months before my initiation rites.
Andy: How about the other 29 years of your life?
Byron: [sarcastically] Ha, ha, ha.
[seriously]
Byron: No. I asked.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: North by North Quahog (#4.1)" (2005)

A postmodern delight that was gone too soon

"Andy Richter" was a wonderful, all-too-short-lived TV series that followed the fictional "Andy" through his moribund work days--and, more often, through the frustrated writer's hilariously warped fantasy life--a sort of Walter Mitty on bad acid. Subversive and screamingly funny, "Andy Richter" was brilliantly conceived and sharply written, and the cast--from Richter himself to Paget Brewster, Irene Molloy, Jonathan Slavin and James Patrick Stuart--had tremendous chemistry and perfect comic timing.

Like the live-action "The Tick" (another casualty of Fox's early 2000s "create brilliant shows and then slaughter them like rabid dogs" policy), "Andy Richter" was a postmodern delight that was gone too soon. One can only pray to the mighty disc gods for a DVD release.