I am – Hercules!!
NBC is burning off the last two of the six produced episodes of “Andy Barker P.I.,” a cancelled enterprise I happen to think is the best sitcom on network television. The two episodes airing are “The Big No Sleep” and “The Lady Varnishes.” Jane Espenson, who co-wrote fan-favorite “Barker” episode “Fairway My Lovely,” wrote me way back in February to talk up “Varnishes” (even though she didn't script it), which she says features an “amazing performance” by Amy Sedaris. I really thought “Barker” could be the next “Cheers” or “Seinfeld” - or at least the next “Office.” It was obviously put together by extraordinarily deft comedy minds. I love “The Office” and “30 Rock,” but “Barker” in my view had a much, much stronger first six episodes than those others. The brainy “Office” did very poorly in its first season, typically losing a major chunk of the tiny lead-in audience garnered by the very different “My Name Is Earl,” but NBC stuck with it. Now the "Office" is bigger than "Earl" - and NBC’s biggest Thursday night show! Here are the preliminary key-demo (viewers 18-49) ratings pulled by NBC’s Thursday-night line-up this week: 3.1 My Name Is Earl 4.1 The Office 2.6 30 Rock 2.7 Scrubs 3.7 ER Why NBC couldn’t similarly see the genius in “Barker” will be one of those mysteries. Certainly the critics saw it. Certainly others saw it. Talkbacker “Harriet” wrote this under another “Barker” post:

I got your test audience right here. A hundred+ 18-25 year olds watched some [Andy Barker] episodes tonight at a USC seminar, and pretty much roared with laughter the whole time. I can't even count all the things that cracked me up, but I guess "Somewhere in hell, a guy is giving wood to a quality woman" is probably in the top 3. I wonder if the crappy internet experience hurt the show--on the big screen, it was like the prettiest, funniest movie I'd seen in years.

I feel the same way. There weren’t five feature comedies released to cinemas last year that made me laugh as hard as “Barker” made me laugh. Maybe this is another Judd Apatow situation? Writer-director Apatow and writer-actor Seth Rogen made the hilarious “Freak and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” then watched as no one could be bothered to watch these amazing shows for free. So Apatow and Rogen go off and make the low-budget “40-Year-Old Virgin,” which pulls in more than $100 million domestic for Universal, and sells untold numbers of DVDs. It was Apatow’s first feature directorial effort. And now they’ve got “Knocked Up” coming out in June, and it’s like the most anticipated comedy of the summer. Some smart film exec will now probably swoop in and hire Conan O’Brien and Jonathan Groff and Jason Ensler and Andy Richter to do something for the big screen, and they’re probably going to make a mint. But you can see their stuff tonight for free. One last time, here's what the talkbackers had to say when "Barker" first hit nbc.com:

“The jokes are played out and stereotypical of bad tv writing” – talkbacker “Outrider304” “This show is really the polar opposite of The Office's well-written comedy. I mean, pratfalls?” – talkbacker “topaz4206” “I will never watch another episode of this show again. It was awful.” – talkbacker “cooke” “pretty bad. Just another subpar show like Knights of Prosperity.” – talkbacker “Ben Hawkins” “‘Mediocre’ is the best word I could use to describe it.” – talkbacker “deucefilms”

Here's what the critics said a week later: USA Today gives it three and a half (out of four) stars and says:

… if you're a comedy fan, you owe it to yourself, and Richter, to check it out. …

TV Guide gives it an “8” (out of 10) and says:

… Nerdy sweetness and deep silliness flow effortlessly from Andy Richter as a chipper accountant (don't dare call him a bookkeeper) turned accidental gumshoe in a series of blissfully absurd capers. …

Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B-plus” and says:

… The show isn't afraid to be quiet, taking its cue from its mild-mannered title character, who utters no oaths stronger than ''Mother Hubbard!'' In one episode, a venal, steamboat-size slob is murdered, and the funniest bits aren't the guy's passionate eating binges (''The man kept a thermos of emergency bisque!'' marvels Andy), but the reaction shots of Andy politely trying to hide his shock at hearing the deceased's many lovers lust over him. ''You thiiiink?'' he squints when the guy's wife suggests he had a mistress. Richter's inherent archness is nicely anchored by septuagenarian Harve Presnell, a character actor best known as William H. Macy's badass father-in-law in Fargo. Presnell plays Andy's equally badass detective mentor, and it's a sign of the show's underdog ethos that the leatherjacketed AARP member is the resident stud here. …

The New York Times says:

… Part of what’s satisfying about “Andy Barker” is that it answers a truly urgent historical question: What would Jake Gittes, Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade have done with Google? Often Andy turns to the old Internet when he wants to find a fact or a fugitive, and the camera is not shy with its shots of the computer screen. The show is surprisingly beautiful — if you came across it while flipping channels, you’d think it was a movie — and that adds to its platinum-card sheen. NBC has lately become a network for the rich, which would be nauseating except that sometimes “upscale” also means “good.” This peculiar series seals NBC’s new role as the skinflint’s HBO. The shows “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights” and now “Andy Barker, P.I.” are all so engrossing and so creatively untrammeled that it’s almost suspicious. Have the rules of network TV changed? Does no one need to make money anymore? We may be in a golden age. Watch these shows while you still can, meaning now.…

The Los Angeles Times says:

… a quietly delightful new series … It's funny, but it doesn't go for big laughs so much as a mood of whimsical parody. … there was something brilliant about making him a CPA — a person with confident knowledge about things most of us dimly understand and, in some cases, actively fear: numbers, forms, taxes, money. His day job makes him oddly more romantic than less.

The Washington Post says:

… Even though (or because) we're only seven years in, it's safe to call it "one of the best comedies of the 21st century!" What it lacks in edge, it makes up for in charm. … "Andy Barker P.I." sails along on an admirably even keel, brightened by moments that are convulsively funny -- visual gags and subtler forms of slapstick. It's the kind of comedy that sneaks up on you. Sneaks up on you and threatens to steal your heart.

The Chicago Tribune says:

… the show itself is smart, if only to show off Barker’s innocence. … Everything about “Andy Barker” — from the excellent supporting cast to the kicky opening graphics recalling “Mannix” and “The Rockford Files,” and the dorky action scenes meant to evoke “Starsky and Hutch” — is lovingly created. And there are some laughs, but the show fails to truly catch fire. …

The Denver Post says:

… wonderfully clever … "Andy Barker, P.I." nails the comedy. Judging by the first three episodes, it deserves a long run. …

The Kansas City Star says:

… Last summer I rated “The Knights of Prosperity” as my favorite new comedy of the upcoming TV season. In fairness, that was because I hadn’t yet seen full episodes of “Andy Barker P.I.,” … With all the crazy gags, pitch-perfect dialogue and a fresh hero at the center, it’s hard not to see “Andy Barker” as the spiritual successor to “Police Squad!” …

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:

… The sheer goofiness of their performances makes it the kind of sitcom some people will evangelize about. Yes, some. Its bizarre humor isn't what you'd call universal. With mysteries that revolve around (among other things) the sex appeal of a morbidly obese man, chickens, the mob -- lord help us, there's even a ninja in there -- you're either on this train from the start or it speeds right by you. (If you're in the latter category, look for me -- I'll be waving to you from the lounge car.)… There's no need to wax on over how perfectly Richter handles the central role, or what an outrageous foil Hale is. (Watching him hit on Andy's assistant in the second episode is hilariously unsettling enough to show how right it feels to watch him act so wrongly.) Presnell's hard-boiled, leathery Lew is "Andy Barker's" real breakout character, loaded with vinegary one-liners that grow more acidic and grizzled as time goes on. He gets the best writing and knows what to do with it. The man has unimpeachable timing. …

The Portland Oregonian says:

… the deceptively low-key "Andy Barker, P.I.," the latest product of "Late Night" star Conan O'Brien's comedy funhouse, arguably pushes NBC's comedy game to a whole new level. … It's all pitch-perfect: the car chases, the funky soundtrack, the way one crusty cop gets up in the face of a young suspect and rips into him as if it were still the dawning of the Age of Aquarius: "Listen, hippie! You take your orders from me, not Charlie Manson!" …

The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch says:

… Wonderfully silly and lovably off-center, Andy Richter's new comedy is a real charmer. … With its retro tone, ultradry humor and lack of a laugh track, "Andy Barker" is unlikely to appeal to fans of joke-punch line-rimshot sitcoms. But it's a perfect fit with NBC's Thursday cluster of unpredictable comedies. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… a gleefully spoof-tacular gem from Conan O'Brien… … "Andy Barker, P.I." is a joyous, ridiculous, warm, affecting and silly comedy that is tone specific (read: Not everybody is going to get the vibe, and thus the jokes). …

The Boston Herald says:

… Richter’s ex-boss, Conan O’Brien, co-created the series and serves as executive producer. He’s put together a sweet vehicle that plays off Richter’s comedic gifts. … There’s no mistaking the math here. The numbers add up. "Andy Barker, P.I." is the man for the job of brightening your Thursday nights.

Variety says:

… Filled with knowing references to movies such as "Chinatown" and a top-notch supporting cast, "Andy Barker, P.I." should earn critical praise, but … might be too hip for the room, beginning with its Quinn Martin-like credit sequence …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

After Andy Richter quit serving as sidekick on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," he starred in a Fox sitcom, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe." It was very funny, but it didn't last long. Then he did another Fox sitcom, "Quintuplets." It wasn't very funny, and it didn't last long either. With "Andy Barker, P.I." Richter goes back to making funny sitcoms that won't last long. … Jason Ensler, who directed the pilot, knows where to put the camera for maximum laughs. … …

8 p.m. Saturday. NBC.

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