'RICHTER' RETURNS WITH SURREAL TV.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic GIVEN HOW abjectly dismal this season's crop of new comedies have been, it's absolutely shocking how effortless ``Andy Richter Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter (October 28, 1966) is an American comedian and actor. He is perhaps best known for his former role as comedian Conan O'Brien's sidekick on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Controls the Universe'' makes crafting inspired humor seem. Richter and creator/executive producer Victor Fresco Victor Fresco is the creator of the short-lived television show, Life on a Stick. He was born in the United States of America and he specializes in creating television shows. have seemingly transformed Terry Gilliam's ``Brazil,'' with its surreal take on corporate drones, into a sunny sitcom that's irresistibly silly and surreptitiously sur·rep·ti·tious adj. 1. Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means. 2. Acting with or marked by stealth. See Synonyms at secret. very smart. Tonight's season premiere manages to make every side of the political correctness debate appear equally dumb. Andy (Richter) and his friends all vie to find the most exotic ethnic applicant for an open position at their soulless soul·less adj. Lacking sensitivity or the capacity for deep feeling. soul  less·ly adv. megaconglomerate - ``My candidate's a woman from Saudi Arabia; she watched as her mother was stoned to death for driving a car - a bumper car,'' Andy's infatuation Wendy (Irene Molloy) boasts meaningfully. Later, when Andy makes an ill-considered remark about the Irish, and his boss Jessica (Paget Brewster) doesn't see the big deal, and her superior doesn't see the big deal, well, it's not too soon before everybody's in sensitivity training. Jessica grouses, ``Couldn't they just give the Irish thicker-skin training?'' Next week, Jessica's forlorn love life (her dates, she notes, are akin to ``trying to make conversation with a really stupid hammer'') enjoys an uptick for a fairly perverse reason, while Andy, taking one of her metaphors too literally, begins to wonder if there's a compelling reason he doesn't succeed more with women: ``There's a ventilator shaft?'' he demands incredulously. Andy and his pals - which include nebbishy Byron (Jonathan Slavin) and preternaturally pre·ter·nat·u·ral adj. 1. Out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural. 2. Surpassing the normal or usual; extraordinary: lucky Keith (James Patrick Stuart) - have shared an easy camaraderie from the show's debut this past spring - no easy feat. Richter's a likable everyshlub foil, and Brewster in particular has great comic timing. The plots are so quirky that the frequent fantasy sequences can sometimes seem redundant, but the show's cheerfully loopy take on life more often feels sublime. The show was a dark-horse Emmy nominee for its brisk scripting last year; this year it deserves to fare far better. ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE Andy Richter Controls the Universe is a sitcom which aired from 2002-2003 on the Fox network. The series was Andy Richter's first starring role after leaving Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2000. - Three and one half stars What: Second-season premiere of the surreal sitcom starring the comic as a corporate drone. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 9:30 tonight. In a nutshell: Inspired lunacy lunacy: see insanity. and a great cast make this one of the best sitcoms currently on TV. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Political correctness runs amok Amok (ā`mŏk), in the Bible, post-Exilic Jewish family. in tonight's season premiere of ``Andy Richter Controls the Universe.'' |
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