Animal Practice (2012–2013) User Reviews

Why the lack of love for this show?

[lazyaceuk · 7/10 · 17 March 2013]

The current average score for this show is 5.4 which seems somewhat unfair considering 'How I Met Your Mother' has a 8.5 average score and should have been put to rest a long time ago.

Animal Practice is showing on ITV2 in the UK and has a good time slot of 8pm and deservingly so. It arrived on this channel without much fanfare and I caught sight of it during a channel flick and was lucky to catch the pilot in a re-run slot.

I have not seen anything else of Justin Kirk's work but I like his performance in this. His timing and delivery tread a suitable caustic between the comedy and mild drama elements of the show. I particularly liked the episode where we got to visit his relationship with his mother.

Tyler Labine is a favourite comedy foil from other shows like Reaper and Invasion. His goofball approach is its useful sharp self here and he and Kirk play off each other well.

The lack of any hint of a laugh track also helps the watcher also make their own judgment on what works and what doesn't and I find myself laughing at the intended point with ease.

The final icing on the cake for me is the comedic use of 'Dr' Rizzo. Is this character what got the show cancelled? Is there too much reliance on Rizzo? Maybe, but I can't say that seven episodes in Rizzo grates on me. In fact I enjoy the Rizzo moments greatly.

I see that the show got canned after eight episodes in the US, ITV2 will at least be showing all thirteen and I will be watching until the end.

7/10.

love the actors, but it's either too stupid or not stupid enough

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 20 August 2013]

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.

Just another lame attempt at a funny sitcom

[cawkins · 3/10 · 12 August 2012]

I feel as though this show is unoriginal and kind of a rip-off of other shows (specifically that of Scrubs). It's difficult to watch a new show when it seems like they are trying far too hard to replicate another one (a more successful one at that). The humor is goofy and kind of screw- ball--they are trying too hard to be funny. It's fairly obvious that Scrubs is the inspiration for this show. It's like they are running out of ideas so they take on one that is absolutely ridiculous--a veterinary clinic that takes on the seriousness AND status of that of a hospital. The subplots are unoriginal and already, after just one episode, predictable. Yes, it's cute to see people taking the lives of animals so seriously (I am most definitely a pet lover and would do anything to keep mine safe but I also understand the importance of human lives OVER animal lives and it makes it difficult for me to take a plot like this seriously). Also, as I said before, the humor is goofy and screw-ball and they way it is delivered makes me want to slap each and every actor/character. I just feel as though this is a failing attempt to make another lame show that will be canceled after one season. Please don't make me endure this show for longer than absolutely necessary. Nice try guys, maybe next time.

A total waste of time

[deerejohn999 · 1/10 · 12 August 2012]

To take a show such as this and use the Olympics as a springboard to it's premier one would expect something much, much better. The opening sequence, which should grab the interest of the potential viewer, was painfully unfunny. Character development left much to be desired, even though one would not expect from the first episode. One can see now why they showed it with no commercials, at the first break in the "action" they would have lost most of their audience. The show did have many animals in it, obviously the writers, director and producer. This is one show that I will definitely not watch again, I would rather watch "The Kardashians on Gilligans Island". Sorry NBC, two thumbs and two big toes down.

A good Thing.... exactly what you'd expect!

[alex-frey-pattaya · 8/10 · 26 September 2012]

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.

Euthanize this show.

[qormi · 1/10 · 18 September 2012]

The main character is a conceited, condescending, cocky person that nobody could possibly root for. For unexplained reasons, this disagreeable, average-looking guy is a chick magnet. He works with his ex-girlfriend and their sexual verbal sparring is tedious. The other people he works with are goof balls and they seem to look up to this jerk instead of hating him. The monkey is very funny, but if you need a monkey to bail out your show, it's just not worth the effort. In the pilot episode, the vindictive vet told a customer that his six year old daughter was probably going to end up being a pole dancer. The man timidly agreed that perhaps he was being too strict with his daughter. Reality check: If the vet told a man whose six year old daughter was in the same room, that the girl would grow up to become a stripper, the dad would have integrated his fist into the vet's face several times. This show lacks something that is essential to a successful comedy - humor.

should be brought back in different time slot on maybe a better station?

[ytnewtruof · 10/10 · 2 November 2012]

i think this show would have done much better in a different time slot, it was under a lot of pressure to appeal to everyone and thats not the case with something like this, im very unhappy about its cancellation to make way for, the whitney show? i mean, i watched her stand up, she can be funny, that show is not only un funny, but it just plain sucks, animal practice had good humour and a good cast, i looked forward to watching it since day 1, and i know damn well i will not watch whitney, just shows how the modern TV watcher is now a days, and always has been dumb as bricks, and intelligent comedy will never survive a high pressure time slot on TV, hopefully the show can get picked up somewhere else

Too shallow!

[Annwfoley · 4/10 · 3 October 2012]

I had high hopes for this show because, well, there's a monkey on the regular cast! I loved Justin Kirk in Weeds and I think he's much more believable as a lovable F-Up than as a "Scrubs" Dr. Cox wanna-be.

I also think it's weird to cast Bobby Lee as Japanese- American - why couldn't he just be Korean-American? And the lead female character has no personality at all - no tension to hold the viewer's attention about a potential romance between her and the Justin Kirk character because she is so bland and uninteresting. More fun to imagine him with the freaky Angela....

The whole show is a cute concept but nothing rings true - very two-dimensional.

They should have hired the animals to write the show for them

[taenanos_revenge · 1/10 · 13 August 2012]

This was, without a doubt, the worst television pilot I have ever seen. The fact that there are real Americans who are going to plop down on the couch for 30 minutes a week to watch such worthless trash both baffles and infuriates me.

Justin Kirk, formerly a very talented and serious dramatic actor, plays a terribly unlikable and unrealistic sex-crazed veterinarian. JoAnna Garcia phones in a dreadful performance as the Mary Sue who once dated Kirk's character and now by pure coincidence owns the hospital. The two of them "save the day" by extorting a dog owner to pay for surgery he neither consented to nor wanted.

The supporting cast is equally nauseating. Bobby Lee and Tyler Labine, who have been funny in a total of zero projects, are useless nobodies, and Betsy Sodaro plays an overweight woman with Down Syndrome.

The monkey, the head player in Animal Practice's infantile, sight gags, is likely the most dramatically and artistically talented member of the cast. The "jokes" in this disaster range from the witlessly homophobic and sexist to the juvenile and suicide-inducing. Even in the opening scene, a cat is seen jumping from a high-rise apartment in a desperate attempt to escape the humiliation of this program.

There is literally nothing good about this aberration. I honestly wanted to die for the 22 minutes that NBC should have used to finish the Olympics' closing ceremony. NBC should just go off the air if this is the crap they're going to broadcast.

NBC's Shows Contempt For Veterinary Professionals and Viewers

[scrubjay1218 · 1/10 · 21 September 2012]

With Animal Practice, NBC has gone above and beyond in their quest for the stupidest sitcom of all time. It was clear during the first minute of the pilot episode that the show's writers had clearly not done their homework. In fact, I doubt they spent more than three minutes in an actual veterinary hospital. Had they done so they would not have created a fictional clinic that, had it been real, would not have stayed open more than a week or two. In a real clinic, customer service is at least as important as providing top-notch veterinary care. Clients are not kept waiting for four hours while the staff screws around in back. Veterinarians do not put the moves on clients, ever. A veterinarian would never survive in this business if he or she could not get along with pet owners. How do I know these things? I'm a veterinary technician working in an actual clinic. I also happen to know one very important fact about humor: in order to be funny, a story must contain a certain amount of truth. There was almost no truth in the pilot episode of Animal Practice. NBC should be ashamed for putting out such dreck!

Surprisingly funny !!!

[fish72 · 9/10 · 6 October 2012]

At last !!! A new comedy show with a TWIST !!! After watching almost any new comedy show for the past 3 years, it's nice to see a fast witted comedy like Animal Practice. I know how hard is it to build a cast that "flows" with one another and punch a line after line, But this show seems like something with LOT of potential. I love the nurses with the attitude, And the fact that almost everyone has its own strong personality, Although flawed :) Although I'm not a fashion guy - The main female character (Dorothy Crane) Dresses REALLY well (She changes several outfits in each episode and every one of them is WOW!). Anyway I hope for all involved to "Break a leg" and to continue to provide us with a unique comedy as this one seems to be.

One Funny Monkey.. and that is it

[ozfan-1 · 2/10 · 9 October 2012]

This show should be called Animal CRAP! When the funniest part of the show is a monkey then you know you have trouble. The banter between the characters is unfunny and sometimes goes so fast that if I didn't have it on DVR I wouldn't know what the heck they were even talking about. I have watched 3 episodes and I am now taking it off my taping schedule. It just isn't worth my time. I always found Bobby Lee to be funny on MadTV, but as Dr. Yamamoto, he doesn't even generate a soft chuckle. The only character I like (other than the monkey) is Dr. Doug. Angela just creeps me out. If I could give this show negatives stars I would. It gets a big fat ZERO!

If was good, now it is canceled

[scarletminded · 10/10 · 12 November 2012]

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.

Have they ever been to a veterinary hospital?

[wopel · 2/10 · 18 October 2012]

I work at an animal hospital (a large 15 doctor hospital) and it is nothing like this show. There is no resemblance to veterinary care. It's not funny, it's not close to reality. The show should be put to sleep. Where are the animals? The monkey is only annoying. The story last night was so wrong. That wouldn't happen. It wasn't funny - again. Has anyone noticed the majority of women veterinarians in the real world? If you're going to have a show about veterinary care, then do it right. It could be a fun/funny show, but it's not. Get it right - it's not that difficult. This country is filled with pet owners, and I can't imagine they'd want to take their pet to that animal hospital.

NBC canceled Harry's Law and put this on? Who's running NBC - the monkey?

Why watch

[dylanporter46 · 4/10 · 12 October 2012]

1.Best stuff is from the animals. 2.So sad it's camp. 3.Laughable how the vet is even likable. 4.Wrong demographic. 5.If you want to feel better about yourself. 6.The real actor is the monkey. 7.It is a good learning tool how to make a better show. 8.Cute animals. 9.Slapstick comedy. 10.Pretentious enough to make you feel like a rich man looking down on poor folk.Really if you want to watch go ahead just remember this is NBC comedy . Normally don't they have have good stuff 30rock, Parks and Recreation,SNL.I just watch because I wanted to see animals behave in douche bag habitat an they survived if i was a talent scout for a cutesy movie I would hire the animal handlers.Some if not all the material is antiquated it is campy and camp is good wholesome fun.

Laugh out loud commentary on human behavior

[lauraebner · 9/10 · 17 October 2012]

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!

I loved it

[helenemurdoch · 9/10 · 29 May 2013]

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 !