"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 (13 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's Brain: [Trying to impress a girl] What would someone cool and suave say?
Andy: Ants are fascinating
[long pause]
Andy: sometimes.
Andy's Brain: Saved it!

Movie Connections:

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

Hilarious, fresh and original show

Andy Richter was a brilliantly funny and much missed part of The Conan O'Brien Show. His own show is a welcome addition to Fox evening TV. We see Andy at work, interacting with his buddies and fellow employees, having the hots for a cute receptionist, and arguing with the strange old ghost of the company's foudner who taunts and derides Andy. The humor of the show is uniquely Andy's.

The series was originally canceled after the first season, like so many other original and clever shows. Fox has turned a complete 180 from their early days as a pioneer of "new" television with shows like Married With Children, The Simpsons and others. These days, they seem to prefer following trends and not being very different from the big 3 networks. This is why I was surprised to see Andy Richter brought back from the overflowing dumpster of shows Fox hasn't given a proper chance.

Apparently, the guidelines Fox gave Richter when they agreed to revive the show was that each show had to be a stand-alone rather than having episodes follow a linear pattern. This is so they can show them out of order. Why they insist upon this is beyond me, but if it brings back Andy then so be it.