“Andy Richter Controls []

the Universe”

Tonight at 8:30 on WNYW/Ch. 5

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WHY does TV make some people famous for no apparent reason?

Take Carson Daly, Carmen Electra and Andrea Thompson, to name three.

Listening to any one of them can put you in a coma – from which the only escape is changing the channel.

And then there’s Andy Richter, the Ed McMahon of Gen Xers.

Andy has a new show tonight on Fox called “Andy Richter Controls the Universe.” And I just want to say that if he does – control the universe, I mean – I want out.

A mishmash of several failed sitcoms – such as the even unfunnier (and much, much smarmier) “Mind of the Married Man,” “Imagine That” (the Hank Azaria show that lasted a few weeks in January) and “Herman’s Head” (which was watchable and pretty clever) – Richter’s show is all about what’s inside the man’s head.

I’m here to report that I have no interest in going there.

Sometimes the side guy (Richter was Conan O’Brien’s sidekick) really, really needs to stay on the side. That’s the reason God invented the chair next to the host.

On tonight’s premiere, we get to meet the regulars in Andy’s office in Chicago, which looks frighteningly like the Chicago office in “Mind of the Married Man,” if I remember correctly. What’s up with the big glass windows and wrought iron trim? Is that the only office setting in the entire Windy City?

Anyway, Andy writes manuals for a giant company (he’s working on the manual for a torpedo in the opening segment). He’s in love with the receptionist, Wendy (Irene Molloy), who is in love with Keith (James Patrick Stuart, who is not the son of Patrick Stuart but Chad Stuart – one half Chad & Jeremy).

Their boss is Jessica (Paget Brewster) and Andy’s office mate is Byron (Jonathan Slavin) who is nuts or maybe just incredibly neurotic.

Instead of letting office politics be the star of the show (and that can be seriously funny, especially in an uptight, corporate environment), we are forced to ponder what Andy’s pondering. For every situation, there is the fantasy what should have happened, what could have happened, and what thankfully didn’t happen.

Sometimes the founder of the company, dead Mr. Pickering, shows up to say smarmy or awful things.

Out of three shows that Fox sent, two are about anti-Semites or people making anti-Semitic remarks. Mr. Pickering is one and the gorgeous girl Andy sleeps with in episode three is another.

Andy also narrates every episode, and some of his narrations unfortunately end up in song-and-dance numbers. (See? I told you. Not only does Richter look like Drew Carey but he insists on dance numbers, too.)

Anyway, these people all work for this hideous corporation while Andy obsesses about Wendy, and then the gorgeous blonde.

Some of the lines include, “Aside from babies – is there anything more selfish than a dead guy?” Yes! Yes! Let me guess!! A show from writers who aren’t funny?

And “Check out Wendy – she’s even hot when she mourns.” Or, “I’d say ‘Sorry, Charlie’ but I’d sound like I was talking to a tuna.”

If you give it to the third episode, you’ll be rewarded with some laughs. Yes, it does get funnier.

For one thing, some of the bugs are worked out. The dead founder of the company is practically non-existent and the gorgeous girl who’s a bigot is a clever spin.