Last month, the long-awaited Community movie was officially announced at Peacock. But, it seems that is not the only project on the horizon for star Joel McHale. Today, the actor has been announced to star in an upcoming comedy series for Fox titled Animal Control. The series will mark McHale’s return to broadcast sitcoms.
Animal Control is a single-camera comedy that was reportedly picked up by Fox this past summer. The show is said to follow a “group of local Animal Control workers” whose job is often difficult, not because of the animals they work with but the humans. McHale will play the character of Frank, a “cynical and curmudgeonly” ex-police officer who got fired trying to expose corruption. However, Frank discovers he has a knack for working with animals, but not humans. The rest of the cast joining McHale has yet to be announced.
McHale is no stranger to comedy series, after starring in the beloved series Community and in the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors. He has also hosted the satirical entertainment news show The Soup and has had guest roles on series like Black-ish and Will & Grace. McHale is currently playing the DC superhero Starman in the series Stargirl and has a recurring role on the hit FX and Hulu show The Bear.
Animal Control has been created by writers Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg, and Dan Sterling. Fisher’s previous works include writing movies like Wedding Crashers and We’re the Millers, and series like Sirens. Additionally, Greenberg has previously written for series like Frasier and Sterling has written for King of the Hill. All three will also serve as executive producers on the series alongside Tad Quill and McHale. Fisher, Greenberg, and Quill have also previously created the FOX series The Moodys, starring Denis Leary, together.
About McHale starring in the series Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment, had the following to say:
“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.”
Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on Animal Control. Check out the full character description for McHale’s role, Frank, below:
“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.”
