Andy Barker Off the Case

Mon., Apr. 9, 2007 8:44 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Unfortunately, unlike 30 Rock, Andy Barker, P.I. was the little sitcom that couldn't.

NBC has more or less canceled the new Andy Richter comedy, pulling it from the network's Thursday-night lineup after only four episodes.

This was Richter's third attempt at carrying his own show since leaving Late Night with Conan O'Brien, his first being the well-received yet barely watched Andy Richter Controls the Universe, which aired on Fox from 2002-2003, followed by Quintuplets from 2004-2005, also on Fox.

In Andy Barker, P.I., the funnyman plays an accountant who's mistaken for a detective after moving into a new office and then finds that his finicky attention to detail and unassuming demeanor make him a natural at solving mysteries.

The midseason offering also stars Clea Lewis (Ellen DeGeneres' best friend on Ellen) as Andy's sweet, supportive wife; the always-amusing Tony Hale (Buster on Arrested Development) as Andy's dorky friend Simon; Marshall Manesh as the stars-and-stripes-loving owner of a falafel shop near Andy's office; and Harve Presnell (Fargo) as Andy's crusty mentor.

Not many people were aware of the show's largely successful gimmick, apparently, considering only 4.2 million tuned in to its third episode Mar. 29, its last chance in its regular timeslot before a one-time-only move last week to 10 p.m. (after 40-minute installments of The Office and 30 Rock) where, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research, it posted a series low.

The next two episodes of Andy Barker, P.I., "The Lady Varnishes" and "The Big No Sleep" will instead air Saturday at 8 p.m. before the sitcom joins The Black Donnellys, Six Degrees, The Wedding Bells and, most likely, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on the complete-series-in-one-box DVD rack.

To fill the void, NBC will bump Scrubs into the Thursday-at-9:30 p.m. slot one week ahead of schedule.

Despite the current letdown, however, Richter should have no trouble landing on his feet.

He currently has a cameo in the number-one movie in the world, Blades of Glory, and has three films in the pipeline, including the next Will Ferrell comedy, the basketball spoof Semi-Pro, and Madagascar 2. The 40-year-old actor has also compiled guest appearances on Monk, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Arrested Development, Crank Yankers, Malcolm in the Middle, Ed, and Just Shoot Me!