Animal Practice

Animal Practice
Promotional image
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Alessandro Tanaka Brian Gatewood
Starring	Justin Kirk Crystal the Monkey Joanna García Swisher Bobby Lee Kym Whitley Betsy Sodaro Tyler Labine
Composer(s)	Ludwig Göransson
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9 (3 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Scot Armstrong Brian Gatewood Ravi Nandan Anthony Russo Joe Russo Alessandro Tanaka
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	American Work, Inc. Universal Television Open 4 Business Productions
Distributor	NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	August 12 – October 24, 2012 (2012-10-24)
External links
Official website

Animal Practice is an American television comedy series which aired on NBC from August 12 to October 24, 2012, on the network's Fall 2012 television schedule. The series premiered after the end of the 2012 Olympic games (which the network was showing) and was produced by Universal Television and American Work. The series starred Justin Kirk and is set at a veterinary office.

The series was canceled on October 18, 2012, due to low ratings, and the series was replaced by Whitney on November 14, 2012. A total of nine episodes were produced, and the three unaired episodes were released on NBC.com and Hulu on November 20, 2012.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Justin Kirk as Dr. George Coleman
• Joanna García Swisher as Dorothy Crane
• Bobby Lee as Dr. Robert Yamamoto
• Kym Whitley as Juanita
• Betsy Sodaro as Angela
• Tyler Labine as Dr. Doug Jackson

Recurring cast

• Crystal the Monkey as Dr. Rizzo
• June Diane Raphael as Dr. Jill Leiter (3 episodes)
• Brian Huskey as Nurse Howard (3 episodes)

Development and production

The show was originally known as Animal Kingdom when it was in development. The network placed a series order in May 2012. Amy Huberman played the role of "Dorothy Crane" in the original pilot; however, the role was recast with Joanna García.

Crystal the Monkey's character was originally known as "Dr. Zaius" but the rights to the name could not be obtained. At the time of production, Crystal was known for her appearances in a number of motion pictures, most notably the Night at the Museum series.

Marco Pennette replaced Gail Lerner as showrunner after the third episode had been shot.

Promotion and controversy

“ NBC executives "are high on [the show]. I'm not sure they're high on it because of the writing or if it's a real good show, or because it tested well with the monkey." ” — Sam Armando, senior VP
at SMGx, a unit of Publicis Groupe

NBC ran a sneak preview on August 12, 2012, during its coverage of the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. While promoting the show to ad buyers, NBC told them that "Crystal" the capuchin had had "powerful reception among test audiences", and "is perhaps the best-known element about the new show—and, maybe, NBC's entire fall season." However, NBC's decision to cut away from the ongoing live broadcast of the London Olympics closing ceremony led to numerous viewer complaints, causing John Clarke of Forbes to ask if Animal Practice is "the most hated show on television?" before the first episode even aired.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	Anthony & Joe Russo	Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka	August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12)	12.80
2	"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"	Jeff Melman	Jamie Rhonheimer	September 26, 2012 (2012-09-26)	5.19
3	"Clean-Smelling Pirate"	Anthony Russo	Aseem Batra	October 3, 2012 (2012-10-03)	4.56
4	"Dr. Yamamazing"	Jay Chandrasekhar	John Blickstead & Trey Kollmer	October 10, 2012 (2012-10-10)	3.80
5	"Who's Afraid of Virginia Coleman?"	Jeff Melman	Curtis Gwinn	October 17, 2012 (2012-10-17)	3.85
6	"The Two George Colemans"	Elodie Keene	Steve Hely	October 24, 2012 (2012-10-24)	3.68
7	"Wingmen"	Jeff Melman	Amelie Gillette	November 1, 2012 (2012-11-01) (NBC.com)	N/A
8	"Ralphie"	Joe Russo	Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka	November 20, 2012 (2012-11-20) (NBC.com)	N/A
9	"Turkey Jerky"	Eric Appel	Laura Chinn	November 20, 2012 (2012-11-20) (NBC.com)	N/A

Reception

According to Metacritic, the show has received a score of 48/100 and mixed critical reviews. Drusilla Moorhouse, of entertainment news website Zap2It, wrote that "It's too cringe-worthy for overempathizing animal lovers, but general audiences might tune in for a lighthearted, escapist laugh." While Moorhouse's review was more positive, Robert Bianco of USA Today gave a negative review, stating "The shame is that Practice has a fine human cast...but Kirk and his cohorts quickly get taken down by the barrage of stupidity the show sends their way."

Awards and accolades

Awards and accolades for Animal Practice

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2013	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, Special or Pilot - Supporting Young Actress	Bobbie Prewitt	Nominated

International broadcasts

In the UK, Animal Practice aired on ITV2 beginning February 11, 2013.

See also

• Mr. Smith, a short-lived 1983 NBC sitcom featuring an orangutan

External links

• Official website
• Animal Practice at IMDb
• Animal Practice at TV.com