Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series

First off, I am a fan of Andy Richter. I thought this series started off fairly weak, and got better as it went along. I was surprised to learn the pilot won an award. I'd say the last 4 episodes or so are really solid. The show was just hitting its stride. Then again, if 5 episodes were never aired, people didn't even get to see them. The bulk of these shows, though, are fairly predictable, especially for a "quirky" comedy. Or maybe I've just seen too many sitcoms. There's certainly no shortage of eye candy in each episode. I mean, Paget Brewster is in every one of them. I'm assuming these efforts were made to help keep them on the air. There is an awesome 25-minute extra on here where they interview all of the cast. This set runs really cheap, so it's worth picking up to see what could have been.

So I've been awaiting these DVDs forever, ever since the show was cancelled, and I've had them for a little over a month now. I had my pre-order in since the day it was available, and for the most part I could not be happier. The show still holds up today, despite all the great shows that have popped us since then, it still holds its own. The main actors play their characters amazingly well with all of their quirks and intricacies. A very funny, extremely well written, and tragically short-lived piece of comedy genius.But enough about the show, by now you either know if you will like it or not I hope, what I really wanted to talk about is the DVDs. Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad these are out and I don't have to keep watching my downloaded copies on my computer screen, but I do have a couple gripes.First off, the picture is cropped down from the original. Like Pan & Scan in reverse. Instead of cutting down a widescreen image to fit an old-style squarish TV screen, they cut down the original squarish picture of the TV show to fit today's widescreen TVs. So the bottom part of the original image and sometimes the top are chopped off. Not a huge problem, because obviously it was done in a way where you can still see what's going on all the time, but a bit annoying having about a third of the picture missing.Secondly, (something that "N. Smith" touched on a little) is that some of the original music from the series was changed. Instrumental snippets of songs like "Teenage Riot" by the Ataris and "Cyclone" by the Dub Pistols were used to great effect in some episodes but now they've been replaced by generic pieces of music that convey vaguely the same feeling. Most people won't miss them, but it's just something I noticed while watching. The music that was specifically written for the show is great on its own, the other songs just added to that.So there you go, a couple things that I didn't like, but which by no means drop this to less than a must-buy for me. 5 Stars, no doubt."Wow, we're really making a killing. Can't wait to go home, put on seven aprons and a couple of wigs and enjoy a highball out of a chipped State Bird glass."

Richter has always been funnier than Conan, and this series - well written and smartly cast - really gave Richter a chance to show us his very funny everyman humorous persona. Reminds me a lot of Jim Gaffigan, who has a similar style and presence. This series slipped by under the radar, but it's an excellent DVD pickup now.

Cute, clever, often very funny office set sit-com, where Andy Richter plays a Walter Mitty figure, who often spices up the life he shows us with brief fantasies.While that sounds like a familiar set up, the writing and acting is very good, and the nice irony is that Andy's on screen 'real life' is pretty damn quirky, bizarre and interesting to start with.Beyond that, the show isn't afraid of absurdity, and makes no effort to be 'real' - a style that was somewhat ahead of it's time. It also doesn't shy away from dark or politically incorrect comedy that edges into pretty sharp social satire.Some episodes are much better than others, but none are bad, and the best are flat out terrific. It's also the rare sit com that actually grew on me on a second viewing.One episode, where Conan O'Brien makes an appearance as the literally insane owner of the company is a classic. That episode truly rises to `Arrested Development' like levels of lunacy.

A very funny show - though not quite as funny as Andy Barker, P.I. This show takes place mainly at the workplace of all of its characters. Andy is a technical writer who really wants to be what he considers a "legitimate" writer. He has a very colorful and active imagination which provides some of the funnier portions of the show. He works with his closest friends and often interferes where he shouldn't. He has an inner voice in the form of the 150 year old man who started the company he works for, another one of the funnier aspects of this show. It's too bad it was only given one season. With more of a chance to develop its stories and characters, this show could have gone far.

Not like the old "Andy Barker," which we were hoping for. Andy spends too much time day dreaming and not getting into the story line - if there is one!

A very funny series that never got the chance it deserved. This is an incredibly funny cast with stand-out performances by Andy, Paget Brewster, and an ensemble I wish had gotten more time together.

This is one of those short-lived, never-found-its-audience shows that never got its due. Very funny series, it's a shame it didn't last longer.

'Andy Richter Controls the Universe' is a classic sitcom of the "how a loser sees the world" genre. Andy is a lowly worker who feels down-trodden in by his colleagues and superiors. He's nice enough to everyone, but is secretly resentful and sarcastic to them in his head. He plays out fantasies of how he would like the world to be, which are largely eccentric and funny.Similar to Scrubs in it's fantasy asides, this series features sharp, witty and extremely sarcastic writing. The characters are played brilliantly, and the slightly surreal edge just adds to the comedy.I would recommend this to anyone, but especially those who love sharp, sarcastic humour.Brilliant. Shame it was cancelled.

Brilliant, quite surreal, very funny & very re-watchable. I can't see it turning up on R2 as I've never met anyone who's watched it (I caught it late night on the Paramount Comedy channel, I think). a safe buy.

I never cared for Richter before seeing "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" during its original run. But how wrong I was. Hooked after the first show, I watched every episode during its limited run and lamented not having recorded it for posterity in the decade before it finally was released on DVD."Andy Richter Controls the Universe" is a hilarious show, smartly written and released in the last days of an error when you could make fun of just about everything rather than fear the politically correct crowd. Today it might seem a little shocking to the current generation, but I highly recommend watching and having a good laugh.

Just a fantastic show, and since this is likely the only format we’re going to get for it, I recommend it whole heartedly. Andy Richter is a brilliant shlub of an Everyman.

This is another show that never should have been canceled...Luckily CBS bought the rights to redistribute it.Too bad most people likely never even heard of it...This show was genius...way ahead of it's time.