Animal Practice

Apparently in the USA people write reviews under the assumption it must be a 10 or 1 star rating. Wasn't there a book called Shades of Grey? Probably the meaning was lost by all the steamy content.

Let me be very clear, whoever gives this show a 1 star rating does not consider the work behind a show, there are tons of animals, animal trainers, real veterinarians etc... Some credits for ambition and professionalism please.

Justin Kirk successfully played "Uncle Andy" on Weeds for 8 years, he grew in this show and in the end he carried it. NBC hired him to do exactly what he did on Weeds and he is doing it and he is doing it will. If you liked him in Weeds you will like him here.

The problem with a mainstream audience is that they don't understand sarcasm too well when it is subtle and Justin Kirk is all about subtle sarcasm. Remember Arrested Development? Now that it was cancelled it is the best rated comedy show on IMDb, while it was on FOX people didn't get it. That is the problem with Animal Practice too, it is too smart for it's audience. Every word counts in a Justin Kirk monologue but that doesn't transport when the audience is here to watch cute animals and skips on the subtle shots at House, Emergency Room, Private Practice etc... The writing is too smart and for those who see Justin Kirk for the first time they can't get a hold of his character right away. Those who know him from Weeds understand the concept of his character right away.

I believe this show could do well, it doesn't need much to do well, unfortunately they have to mainstream Justin Kirk's character so the people who think inside the box understand what he is up to.

I don't know why new shows aren't given a chance, but this show deserved one. I could see it working in a line up with Parks and Rec. I find it imaginative and it got better as it progressed. I saw the pilot and couldn't remember what night it was on. I saw they had the show online and I wanted to catch up, then realized it was gone and only had eight episodes. That sucks. It's a lot funnier than new shows like Go On and Guys With Kids. Plus, other shows like Up All Night and Whitney get renewed and they aren't as interesting. AP does have a Scrubs like vibe, but it is also its own show. I would think if you liked Scrubs, you would like this show as well.

Dr. George Coleman (Justin Kirk) is the top veterinarian at Crane Animal Hospital in New York. His ex Dorothy Crane (JoAnna Garcia) inherits the business and becomes his new boss. There's also a monkey.

I can't decide if this was way too stupid or not stupid enough. Maybe an over the top parody isn't expected to work on the networks and that's why they held back some. But if you put a monkey as a main character, you might as well go all the way. I love the actors here. If not for them, I'd probably never watch this. It didn't help that NBC advertised it so hard. It was never going to be a broad based hit.

I loved it myself and thought it was such a shame it got canceled... at last something different and funny on TV. It seems weird that a lot of good shows for me are getting off the air, when some of the ones that remain seem so boring but still get 2nd or 3rd season. Each one to their tastes I suppose... but shame for Animal Practice, I really wished it would have gone on...

I really liked Common Law also, different kind of humor for a police show, but again it didn't last when it has good ratings on websites. The Whole Truth was another one that I thought would have gone on, funny as it stopped mid-season in the US but was shown in full in France this year. I guess series that have not made it in the US are cheaper to buy for foreigners. They never tell you the series has already got canceled before they show it though !

Laugh out loud commentary on human behavior. I agree with prior reviews that this is a smart comedy. I haven't laughed out loud from a TV show that much in a while. Every line and scene is well thought out and clever.

It almost seems like a guilty pleasure to be able to watch it. I tend to be a sarcastic person myself. Maybe that's part of the appeal to me. There are multitudes of such moments.

I should point out that this show has definitely grown on me with each episode. Each character adds depth and dimension.

I highly recommend this show!