CPA saves the day

Today's column reviews "Andy Barker, P.I.," which is either debuting tomorrow night on NBC or already available in all six episodes on NBC.com:

Andy Barker works tough cases involving murder, arson and police corruption. Andy Barker gets into brawls and shoot-outs with bad guys. Andy Barker is a hero.

Andy Barker is also an accountant with an ample belly who won't stop using his turn signal just because he's in a car chase, and who asks you to pardon his French if he has to use the term "P.O.'ed."

And it's in that contrast between Andy's hard-boiled work and soft-boiled personality that Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien and Jonathan Groff hope to make you laugh at on "Andy Barker, P.I." Unfortunately, the idea's a little too thin to support a weekly sitcom. The show's funny in short bursts, but it would work better as a sketch on "Saturday Night Live" (where Conan wrote years ago) or even a random bit on Conan's talk show (where all three worked in the early days, Groff as head writer, Andy as the funnier-than-you-think sidekick).

To read the full review, click here.