Joel McHale to Star in Fox Comedy ‘Animal Control’ (original) (raw)
Joel McHale is returning to his broadcast comedy roots.
The Community favorite, already returning to the role in Peacock’s upcoming movie, has been cast as the lead in the Fox comedy Animal Control.
The straight-to-series single-camera workplace comedy, set to debut midseason on the network, follows a group of local Animal Control workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not.
McHale will star as Frank, an opinionated, eccentric Animal Control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room. A former cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, which may explain why he’s so cynical and curmudgeonly. He has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals. Humans … not so much.
Animal Control is an important show for Fox as it’s the independent network’s first wholly owned series from its recently launched Fox Entertainment Studios. The Moodys trio Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill exec produce alongside Dan Sterling (Girls, The Office). McHale will also be credited as an exec producer.
“Dan, Rob, Tad and Bob had envisioned Joel as the lead of Animal Control from the very moment we began development, and we are all ecstatic to have him on board. Joel’s acerbic wit and ability to bring a comedic lens to everything he’s involved with make him the perfect person to bring Frank to life,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment at Fox.
The role expands McHale’s relationship with Fox, where he already hosts reality series Crime Scene Kitchen. He currently can be seen in The CW’s Stargirl and will reprise his role as Jeff Winger in Peacock’s upcoming Community movie.
McHale is repped by UTA and Johnson Shapiro.
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