Joel McHale to Star in Animal Control Workplace Comedy at Fox

The always-employed Joel McHale is making his network sitcom comeback.

The Community grad is set to star in the new workplace comedy Animal Control, which previously received a straight-to-series order at Fox.

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The single-camera comedy follows “a group of local Animal Control workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not,” according to the official logline. “McHale will portray 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.”

McHale executive-produces alongside Bob Fisher (Sirens, The Moodys), Rob Greenberg (Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, The Moodys), Dan Sterling (The Office, King of the Hill) and Tad Quill (Scrubs, The Moodys).

“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,” FOX Entertainment President Michael Thorn said in a statement Friday. “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.”

McHale is no stranger to Fox audiences. In addition to hosting Crime Scene Kitchen (which was previously renewed for Season 2), he frequently appears as a panelist on The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice, opposite Community costar Ken Jeong. He’s also a series regular on The CW’s Stargirl, currently in Season 3.

As previously reported, McHale will reprise his role as Jeff Winger in Peacock’s Community the Movie, which is expected to bow in 2023. Animal Control, meanwhile, is slated to debut at midseason.

Will you be tuning in for Animal Control upon its eventual debut?

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