3 out of 5

Created by: Conan O’ Brien, Jonathan Groff

Fronted by Andy Richter’s chummy, smiling mug, a Conan O’Brien co-creation credit, and a classic – as in 50s / 60s – sitcom tone, there’s an easy assumption to make of Andy Barker, P.I. As being 100% charming, inoffensive, popcorn-humor distraction TV.   And, well, you’d be right.  There’s nothing surprising in its formula or approach, with the smile-and-wink-at-the-camera tone (although that never directly happens) telegraphing jokes a few miles out.  But: the entire cast is game, and the humor is well-seated in an all-encompassing, everyone’s-in-on-the-joke mold; that is: the show isn’t lazy, it just is happy to successfully hit the middle ground.  Combined with Richter’s keen everyman sensibilities, the scripts tread a fun line between antics and fish-out-of-water humor.

CPA Andy Barker takes over an office in a strip mall once belonging to a PI.  A client unaware of the office swap has a case with a tax angle, causing Barker to become involved before correcting her mistake, opening us up to the premise of the tax man who does sleuthing on the side.  Teaming up with his downstairs mall neighbor, a video store clerk, as well as the office’s previous tenant – and with the nod of approval from his TV show wife  – Andy undertakes 6 half hour mysteries, much to our pleasingly distracted viewing pleasure.

Understandably not ‘wowing’ enough to make it past a short season, it’s the ideal show for streaming – harmless; you can pay attention or not at will and it’s easily rewatchable.  You can’t help but wish you had more episodes and seasons to toss on as background to any given activity.