Summary

Animal Control Season 3 focuses on messy relationships among human team members intertwined with their animal wrangling jobs.

In an exclusive interview with Collider, Joel McHale, Vella Lovell, and Grace Palmer talk about the shenanigans their characters get into, including the personal growth challenges each of them faces.

Season 3 will welcome guest stars like Lucy Punch, Thomas Lennon, Josh Segarra, and Ken Jeong across its 10 episodes.

If you’ve been following Animal Control, you know the wildly hilarious Fox sitcom is not just about wrangling animals. With the beloved series led by Joel McHale returning for its highly-anticipated third season, the workplace comedy is every bit about untangling the messy lives of the humans behind the scenes as much as it is about the animals they help. Ahead of the new season premiering Thursday night on Fox, McHale — alongside his co-stars, Vella Lovell and Grace Palmer – spoke exclusively to Collider about all the shenanigans their characters get into across this year’s 10 episodes and the plethora of guest stars that have them excited, including the return of Ken Jeong as the reputable, but unhinged dog trainer, Roman Park.
The series from creators Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Dan Sterling, and showrunner Tad Quill picks up from Season 2’s finale, where things became a little chaotic for the Northwest Seattle Division’s team of animal control officers, especially in terms of the relationships at the precinct. But among the most exciting moments the trio got to partake in this season was, as always, spending time with the animals. But don’t expect that to mean, with three seasons in, the cast has overcome their fears.
“Well, we still have not conquered Vella’s fear,” McHale shares, with Lovell nodding in agreement. “I’m not conquering my fear. I have no interest in conquering my fears,” she adds emphatically. “So, not gonna do that. We did have a baby kangaroo this season, and that was very, very special. They’re very cute. I think everyone should have the experience of holding one.”
For Palmer, however, there’s been a little progress. McHale admits she might have a leg up on the team as McHale reveals, she “did hold a bird.” Palmer, determined to stay professional, went a step further: “When Bob [Fisher] and Rob [Greenberg], who are our producers, asked me if I was okay with snakes, I lied, and I said, ‘Yeah, I love snakes.’ I touched a snake, and I hated every minute of it, but that was a fear I conquered.” With their blend of fearless moments and lighthearted antics at the heart of Animal Control, there’s plenty more chaos and hilarity ahead this season.
Vella Lovell’s Emily Is at a Crossroads This Season

“She’s kind of in denial… so she’s super uncomfortable.”

Image via FOX

As Lovell continues to shine as the heart of the Animal Control team, her character Emily is working on herself following the breakup with Rick (Kevin Bigley). In an attempt to balance her work chaos with personal growth, the newly single character is feeling increasingly overshadowed by Isabelle (Chelsea Frei), Shred’s new love interest. But, as we like to put it, Emily is in her “Beyoncé” era — something Lovell doesn’t take for granted.
“You just said the best thing you could have ever said,” McHale says, as his co-star laughs and shares how not only did she win the game of Heads Up! but she won the honor of being the queen of pop, too. Joking about how this was the “best day of her life,” Lovell goes on to share how Emily is at a new “beginning” for herself when Season 3 opens up. “She’s kind of in denial, and she’s having to experience watching Shred and his new girlfriend at the office, so she’s super uncomfortable,” she admits. “[Emily] kind of, as a retaliation, throws herself into work, I would say and tries to become this super boss to just not have to deal with her feelings.”
With the team welcoming acclaimed and funny actress Lucy Punch this season as an “almost female Bill Gates billionaire woman,” Lovell admits she turns everything upside down for the team. One standout moment this season comes when Punch’s character Fiona Holcomb encourages Emily to pitch a new annex for the precinct. Naturally, as the do-gooder, Emily steps up, despite the odds stacked against her, showcasing her growth and determination. “She’s her idol, kind of, so she’s trying to ignore it and just be good at work.”
McHale’s Frank Shaw Can’t Escape His Own Chaos

“Frank is a man in middle age — I know it’s hard to believe.”

Speaking of Lucy, who throws a wrench in things, McHale’s Frank Shaw is back in all his sarcastic, self-sabotaging glory and at the center of some tension this season. While the premiere begins Frank’s relationship issues in the form of returning guest star Sarah Chalke as Yazmin, the actor admits his character’s “got a lot of issues” this season. “He’s got a lot. He doesn’t go to therapy properly.”
But it’s not all jokes for McHale as he gets a chance to showcase some surprising and weighty depth this time around when Frank gets a retired police dog — a decision that forces him to confront his own reluctance to form attachments. “Frank is a man in middle age — I know it’s hard to believe,” he says before his co-stars laugh. “[But] he’s finding out a lot about himself and how he’s a child. Sarah Chalke comes back, and, as you probably saw, she’s a stalker, and then he’s like, ‘Is that so bad?’ So, yeah, Frank is mixed up relationship-wise.” McHale adds that Punch’s character — similarly to Chalke — is as fun to watch this season thanks in part to her playing a “wonderful lunatic.”
Palmer’s Victoria Is the Unsung Hero of the Team

“I think she’s sort of at this weird stage where she’s trying to figure out if she should take herself more seriously.”

Image via Fox

Whether she’s accidentally getting the hot wax treatment at a car wash or stepping up to outshine her colleague Patel (Ravi Patel) at a baseball game, Victoria is as resourceful as she is unpredictable. While she’s the glue that holds the team together through a more pragmatic nature, Palmer admits that her character’s evolution involves being in a “weird stage” in life.
“I feel like everyone in their mid-20s — I don’t know how old Victoria is — but everyone in their mid-20s kind of goes through this where you have your friends getting married and having kids and doing the house thing, and then half your friends are still traveling the world and partying and having fun,” she says. “I think she’s sort of at this weird stage where she’s trying to figure out if she should take herself more seriously, and any time she kind of thinks about doing that, she’s then pulled back to the person that she is, the free spirit that she is.”
Palmer admits, with everything the character has going on this season, “there’s a bit of push and pull with that” aspect in trying to grow up while also not wanting to at the same time. This is something fans will see in her interactions this season with the squad, particularly with Shred, as she takes pride in being the voice of reason and also the instigator for a few eyebrow-raising moments.
‘Animal Control’ Season 3 Welcomes a Wild Roster of Guests

Ken Jeong isn’t the only one returning for Season 3!

Image via Fox

Animal Control Season 3 is shaping up to be a comedic feast, thanks to a stellar lineup of guest stars, including the multifaceted Josh Segarra. As the cast teased, The Other Two actor brings his Broadway-honed talents to the sitcom, something the trio are in absolute awe of. “We’re so lucky to have Josh. He is so talented and so funny,” Lovell says while sharing her personal connection to him. “I went to college with Josh, so it was really exciting to reunite with him again. The last time I had seen him was probably when we were, like, 22 or something.”
Segarra’s charm has left a mark on the set, with McHale describing him as “a candy store of talent… and kindness.” With an arc that sees a comedy of errors unfold for Patel and Shred, Palmer teases how “Josh will be around for a while… he’s so good.”

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But of course, the fun doesn’t stop there. With Punch, Segarra and Chalke on the Season 3 roster, fans can also expect to see Thomas Lennon returning as Frank’s older brother and the eccentric Roman Park, played by the one and only, Ken Jeong. “When Roman’s character, Ken, comes on set, it is the best couple of days because he’s so funny. It has me in stitches,” Palmer says, emphasizing the hilarity he and McHale bring when together. “These two together are insanity. But nothing gets done, and everyone gets really frustrated, but they’re also laughing so hard they can’t tell you off.”
While McHale teases throughout the segment that he isn’t interested in Jeong, he very graciously breaks, and admits love for his long-time friend. “He’s one of my favorite people,” he says, sharing how he’s known him since their Community days. “We’ll call each other and talk for 90 minutes, and then my wife [Sarah] will go, ‘You’re talking to your boyfriend?’ And then I’m like, ‘Yes,’ and then we’ll talk for another 90 minutes. Then I realize, I haven’t spent any time with my children. So, it’s great that, hopefully, he’ll continue to come back to the show, and they’ll expand his role and meet his $1.4 million episodic rate.”
Animal Control airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on Fox and airs the next day on Hulu.
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A group of animal control workers begin to see their lives complicated by humans and not so much by animals.

Release Date

February 16, 2023

Creator

Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg, Dan Sterling

Cast

Joel McHale
, Vella Lovell
, Michael Rowland
, Ravi Patel
, Grace Palmer
, Gerry Dee
, Amy Goodmurphy
, Kelli Ogmundson

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

3

Distributor

FOX

Network

FOX

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