| Runtime: | 30 minutes |
| Genre: | Sitcom |
| Creator: | Victor Fresco |
| Narrated: | Andy Richter |
| Country: | United States |
| Network: | Fox |
| Camera: | Single-camera |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 19 |
| List Episodes: |
|
Andy Richter Controls the Universe is an American sitcom created by Victor Fresco that originally aired on Fox from March 19, 2002 to January 12, 2003. The series was Andy Richter's first starring role after leaving NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2000, and centers around Richter's eponymous character, a writer living in Chicago who works at a fictional company called Pickering Industries. The show was a joint production of Garfield Grove Productions and 20th Century Fox Television in association with Paramount Television.
Filmed in Los Angeles, California using a single-camera setup, the series was developed after Richter expressed interest in expanding his acting repertoire beyond his previous sidekick role on late-night television. It utilizes a unique narrative style, blending nonlinear storytelling with the unreliable narrator trope. The show features an ensemble cast, including Paget Brewster, Irene Molloy, Jonathan Slavin, and James Patrick Stuart.
Andy Richter Controls the Universe received critical acclaim for its inventive humor and writing, drawing comparisons to other successful Fox comedies such as The Simpsons. Despite positive reviews, the series suffered from low ratings, leading to its cancellation after two mid-season runs. The series has since gained a cult following and is regarded as a forerunner to the wave of single-camera comedies that followed, such as Arrested Development.
Andy Richter had departed his long-time role as sidekick on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2000, after performing in the role since 1993. He expressed a desire to play different roles to the "fat slob roles" he was being offered at the time, and to expand his profile and "see what's out there".[1]
Andy Richter Controls the Universe was the first sitcom that Richter starred in. Some were unsure of Richter's acting ability due to his sidekick role on Late Night. Richter described an encounter with a Paramount executive after the table read for the series pilot in which the executive exclaimed, "Wow, you can really act!"[2]
Richter met with many creators and writers before deciding to work with Victor Fresco, who already had a deal with Paramount Television. Actress Paget Brewster was already separately familiar with both Richter and Fresco and helped to arrange a meeting between the two. In initial meetings, Fresco and Richter developed the show's concept, including the use of narration and the unreliable narrator trope, following which Fresco wrote the show's pilot episode. He pitched the show to Fox executives by handing them the first scene to read, and leaving the room as they read it. Executives were enthusiastic, following which he wrote the pilot.[3]
Brewster was cast in the role of Jessica Green after another actress played the part in the original pilot. Fox executives vetoed the original actress as they had previously seen her in pilots that were unsuccessful. Brewster had had a development deal with Fox for two years before the show began. She was required to audition for the show three times against many other actresses.
After Fox picked up the show, a writer's room was assembled. Writer Jim Bernstein recalled that Richter himself would sometimes be in the writer's room, bucking usual convention, to be supportive and assist. He referred to the writers as "The Nerd Tower".
The show's working title was Anything Can Happen, which was vetoed by executives. Fox insisted that the title feature Richter's name, which he later said he "wasn't entirely comfortable with". He then pitched the final title, intentionally making it more grandiose for comedic effect. He later called it a "terrible" title, due to viewers' tendency to forget the entire phrase.
The show was a joint production of Garfield Grove Productions and 20th Century Fox Television in association with Paramount Television.[4]
Andy Richter Controls the Universe was heavily centered around Richter's eponymous character, who was also the narrator, continually explaining the plot and his thought processes throughout each episode. The show used nonlinear narrative techniques for comedic effect, for example in the pilot episode, rewinding the scene that had just played out in order to see an alternative version. This technique was tied to the character's occupation as a writer, and imaginative personality. The unique format allowed for the creation of unusual gags and sequences.[5]
The series tried out different tones and styles of humor throughout its run. The premiere episode parodied political correctness in workplace hirings, and addressed race relations in a comedic manner.[6] It was noted for its tendency to put a twist on standard sitcom plots and scenarios.[7] One season one episode featured a live kangaroo, which was a "true test of patience" for Richter. The series used music from the 1960s and 1970s.
The outside shots of Andy's office are taken from the Duke & Duke building from Trading Places.[8]
All music from the show was written by Greg Burns, Jeff Burns, and Brian Kirk. The theme song is sung by Jason Cropper, the original guitarist for Weezer. The song was written for the show, and there is not a full version beyond the short clip in the beginning. However, a slightly longer version of the song is evident on the pilot episode.
Andy Richter Controls the Universe was cancelled by Fox in 2003 after two mid-season runs. The series received lukewarm ratings throughout its run. Only 14 of the 19 produced episodes were aired by Fox.
Its changing timeslot was later cited as making the show hard to find for viewers, at a time when scheduling was important for television success, and potentially a reason for the poor ratings. Episodes were only ordered in chunks following the pilot. Richter later said he was "deeply, deeply disappointed" about the show's end, and said he was "very very proud" of its legacy. He also speculated that the show not being fully owned by Fox contributed to its cancellation, as well as not being centered around family like other Fox shows of the era.
Reruns of all 19 episodes continued to air on HDNet from mid-2003 until 2006. The series was also shown on the Paramount Comedy Channel, the Irish network TV3, and on the Polish edition of Comedy Central.
The surnames of the characters are very rarely mentioned – with the exception of Andy, most are only mentioned once in the entire series.
Pickering Industries was founded by Mr. Pickering (John Bliss). Despite being long-dead, he appears in several episodes and has discussions with Andy within the latter's imagination. His viewpoints are typically antiquated and contrary to political correctness to an extreme degree. His comments often seem to represent a negative aspect of Andy's mind, such as guilt, or self-doubt.
Teak (Charlie Finn) and Phil (Sean Gunn) live in the same building as Andy. They had been members of the same fraternity as Andy, ten years after Andy was a member. As such, they look up to him. It is hinted that Phil might be gay.
Conan O'Brien appears as Pickering's new CEO in the episode "Crazy in Rio". Other stars to have guest roles include Cedric Yarbrough, Jon Cryer, Molly Sims, Beth Littleford, Rick Peters, Bree Turner, Jarrad Paul, Rex Lee, Lola Glaudini, Patricia Belcher and June Lockhart, who plays Andy's grandmother.
| Season | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday at 8:30 | ||
| Sunday at 9:30 (Episodes 1–2, 4, 6-8) Tuesday at 8:30 (Episodes 3, 5) |
Andy Richter Controls the Universe received positive reviews from critics. Tim Goodman of SFGATE praised the series, particularly the writing, saying that it had "smart wit" and favorably comparing it to fellow Fox sitcom The Simpsons. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said in a review of the second season that the series had become its own "perfectly realized comic universe", praising its improvement over the first season, which was "funny but hit-or-miss". He further praised the cast performances, particularly Brewster's. Tucker criticised some jokes in an earlier review that he regarded to be in poor taste.
Salon.com praised the series as "absurdly hilarious" and lauded its take on office humor.[10] Variety said the series "has the feel of a singular vision — there isn’t a single line in any of the three episodes that felt like it was written by a committee" and said it had the potential to be the most-talked-about comedy from the 2001–02 television season, calling it "a true water-cooler conversation generator".
TIME praised the DVD release, saying the show was "what the DVD format was created for".[11]
TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".[12] ScreenRant said in 2020 that it had become "something of a cult sitcom", even going back to the airing of its second season. Tara Ariano of Cracked called it an "extremely underrated surrealist sitcom", and lamented its lack of inclusion on modern streaming services.[13] Vulture said it was the "most inventive and funny" of Richter's sitcoms.[14]
The series has continued to be positively compared to similar shows such as Arrested Development, also on Fox. Frequent series director Andy Ackerman speculated in a retrospective interview that the show was "a year too soon", before the rise of single-camera television, and praised the show, calling it one of his favorite working experiences.[15] Brewster later said that the cast and crew "definitely got the impression that we weren't welcome on the network at the time". Andy Richter Controls the Universe was later noted as being part of a wave of similar single-camera comedies that experimented with the traditional sitcom format, such as Malcolm in the Middle and Scrubs.
Creator and writer Victor Fresco was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2002 for his work on the show.[16]
On March 24, 2009, CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) released all 19 episodes of Andy Richter Controls the Universe on DVD in Region 1.[17] Some music cues were replaced for the home media release due to licensing issues.