March 15, 2007: "Watch Out, Fair Oaks, Here I Come!"
If you're a
30 Rock fan and know me from
that show blog, it's good to see you joining me here. To everyone else, greetings, I will be your host for these six episodes of NBC's
Andy Barker, P.I.
Previously in the
30 Rock blog, I talked up
Andy some, if only to assure fans of Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, et al, that their time slot would be in capable hands. Since then, it's been good to see the legit TV critics throw some praise Andy Richter's way, as this show certainly has sharp writing, but perhaps more importantly some
very nice casting. I will admit, my exposure to Andy has been minimal (having never been a Conan fan). But I do like him in this role of a hapless "cheese and crackers"-cussing accountant resigned to a vanilla office in a vanilla strip mall, then seduced by the invitation - from the Wrigley's Orbit gum gal - to walk on the wild side as a private dick.
Andy Barker ups the ante further by surrounding Richter with a winning ensemble. Clea Lewis (
Ellen) is perfect as Jenny, the dutiful, geeky-flirty and never-nagging wife. Tony Hale of
Arrested Development fame pairs sympathetic despair with gung-ho zeal as bored-out-of-his-gourd video-store clerk Simon. Harve Presnell as mentor PI Lew Staziak? I could listen to him bark out the phone book. But the icing on the cake is
Madtv's Nicole Randall Johnson as Andy's never-hired secretary. If line delivery were currency, she'd be filthy rich.
This week's "case" was so-so, I'll admit - Wally's
24-caliber security cameras? How'd Andy know there'd be a PA system at hand in the abandoned warehouse? - but next week's is a howler.
That said, my bullets (aka fave lines or moments):
" Jenny to her hubby: "That
Judging Amy we TiVo'd isn't going to watch itself."
" "I didn't think they could top
Miss Congeniality 1, but boy, did they come close."
" The "overboard" signage at Wally's kebabs: "Go USA People!" and "No MSG, Yes USA."
" Andy re:
Chinatown: "Is that with Jackie Chan?"
" Simon re: Wally: "This man came to America in the wheel well of a jumbo jet."
" "Ohh, a tax return. Things just got interesting."
" One of Nicole Randall Johnson's best lines: <fake smile> "Sure! I'd do anything for you!" </fake smile>
" Simon telling a caller to the store, "We don't have
Meet the Fockers" - all the while a whole
Fockers display is in the background behind him. Simon then hanging up on Andy to tend to "a beefy goth chic in horror."
" Lew advising Andy: "You got your boy into hot water. Let's see if you got the Mike and Ikes to get him out."
" Andy telling Nadia her Russian gang is "throwing money away" by renting the abandoned warehouse.
" Andy revving it up to a responsible 45 mph during the chase.
" The end, when Andy deciding to keep at the PI biz even though, "I've got hot links I was going to grill."
All six
Andy Barker episodes are streaming, I believe, at NBC.com already, but please, let's all be considerate and not "read ahead" and spoil specifics, since some here will be watching in real time. Thank you!
