When NBC talks about their new unsophisticated comedies, it’s hard not to think of Animal Practice first. It might have some solid people working on it but the show just looks so farcical, so silly. This doesn’t mean it’s bad – it just looks broad. Executive producer Anthony Russo told reporters the writers are very aware of how broad the show can go but the goal was to make a “smart, grounded comedy” without becoming “out-of-this-world outlandish.” Executive producer Scot Armstrong (a UCB alum who wrote The Hangover II and produced Best Friends Forever) said there is definitely a point where there’s “too much icing on the cake.” Executive producer Alessandro Tanaka:
“[The show stays] true to personal relationships, I don’t’ think we’re going to go off into Broadsville. It’s so easy to say: ‘Why don’t we just have dog keep tap dancing?’ At the end of the say, this is going to be a real animal hospital.”
They won’t have a tap dancing dog, which is a shame, but they will have a monkey as a principal character. That monkey will be played by Crystal, who famously played the monkey in The Hangover II, less famously played a monkey in We Bought A Zoo, and most importantly plays the incomparable Annie’s Boobs. So far she’s getting along great with her co-stars. Justin Kirk:
“So she’s just super-cool. Like, she’s the most famous monkey in Hollywood, so you try to be cool around her. We just presented an award together this weekend at the Teen Choice Awards, so we hang out off set too.”
Hopefully, she’ll be able to bring some of her Community sensibilities to Animal Practice. Also, hopefully she’ll do people things – like hold a pen or make inquisitive faces – because that would be hiLARious.
