Expectations don't get much lower than mine were as I sat down to watch NBC's Andy Barker, P.I. As far as I've been aware, star Andy Richter hasn't been funny since leaving Conan, and he has (or doesn't have, depending on your point of view) two failed sitcoms as proof. But Barker's got a lot going for it -- not the least of which is a big NBC push with a cushy Office/Scrubs lead in tonight.
Andy is an accountant, just starting his own business. He moves into a second floor suite in a pleasant strip mall (above a video store and across from an Afghan restaurant). As you begin to get the feeling he'll never have an account, he's visited by a beautiful woman who needs his help finding her husband. (She's in his office because it used to be a private detective's.)
The show's filled with the goof factor that permeates Conan O'Brien on a nightly basis, and its feel and dialogue are that of a really good YouTube video (though, to be fair, I watched it through the free iTunes download, so it's possible my brain just made an odd connection).
It's funny, though. I know I sound wishy washy about it, but it's definitely strong, and it's filled with some great gags, making it easy to look past the convoluted case the reluctant investigator is looking in to. Andy's buddy Simon (Tony Hale -- Arrested Development's Buster), who owns the video store below the accounting office is an especially welcome, if not necessary, addition, and the gruff P.I. who used to work out of Andy's office is perfect.
Plus, it's not every day you see a chubby private investigator -- or any P.I. for that matter -- on a high speed chase in his Saturn. Veronica Mars at least has an XTerra.
Oh, yeah. The show premieres at 9:30 tonight on NBC.
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