Stream It Or Skip It?

There are some actors who have managed to perfect the ability to play a lovable grump. Jack Klugman and Walter Matthau, both of whom have played Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, are two good examples. A good modern example is John C. McGinley. And in Spain, Luis Zahera has absolutely perfected it, as we see in his new comedy about a farm-based veterinarian who is forced to examine pampered pets at a big box store.

Opening Shot: We see a shot of a goat, then an old Range Rover driving into a farm.

The Gist: Antón (Luis Zahera) is a veterinarian who works with farm animals, and he’s really busy; a sheep is dehydrated, one cow needs antibiotics, another needs to be inseminated. The problem is, all of his longtime clients are so hard up that they are behind on their bills to him. When he tells them that he needs to eat, they pay him in eggs and milk. Antón then curses himself for not even having the guts to tell his clients that he’s lactose intolerant.

He gets a call from his niece Uxia (Lucía Caraballo), who is in charge of a big box (but boutique!) pet store called Kawanda, that offers everything from harnesses to sex toys for dogs. She needs a veterinarian, and she knows that his farm-doctor business is hurting. After seeing all of the things they sell to the parents of pampered pets, though, Antón politely tells his niece to shove the job up her ass.

The water has been cut off to his house, though, among other bills he’s overdue on. His house is also falling apart. His ex, Sabela (Carmen Ruiz) tells him he can’t keep living this way. Then Antón refuses to sign a sketchy health report for a high powered rancher who’s sending his cattle to slaughter, letting them amble free instead. A bloody face later, and he’s on his way to apologize to Uxia and take the job at Kawanda, which she gives him on a probationary basis.

On his first day, he encounters all sorts of insane cases, like a guy complaining his dog picks up the wrong leg when he pees, a bunny that’s no longer interested in going to the movies with its human, and another dog that seems to look at his person funny. Antón gives the humans very honest assessments, like telling the bunny’s owner that she needs to find a man. He even cringes when Uxia calls the humans the pets’ parents.

Uxia’s last straw comes when she brings in her own cat, who seems to be scratching things and going to the bathroom outside his litter box. When Uxia’s boyfriend Miguel (Nuno Gallego) shows Antón a scratch, Antón knows that a cat didn’t do that. When he tells Uxia that the cat is anxious because someone else is in the house — in other words, Miguel is cheating on her — she essentially fires him. But she brings him back when she realizes her uncle was telling the truth.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Old Dog, New Tricks (original title: Animal) is kind of setting up to be like Superstore, except it takes place in a pet store.

Our Take: Old Dog, New Tricks fully rides on Luis Zahera’s ability to play guys who have seen it all and are generally grumpy and tired. He played a similar role as a corrupt police detective in Wrong Side Of The Tracks, and he somehow is able to bring that same world-weary grouchiness to the role of a veterinarian who would prefer to work with farm animals than deal with the annoying owners of household pets.

It’s not a stretch to think that the entire first season will be about Antón barely tolerating being a pet store vet, desperately trying to get back to farm work while perhaps compromising the ethics that made him object to singing the cattle health report, knowing that they were injected with drugs that helped them retain water.

But there will also be various cases that pass through the veterinarian’s office at Kawanda, which should be fun to see Antón deal with as he tries to figure out whether it’s worth it to go back and cooperate with the Andares family. The contrast with Uxia, who moves in with him after breaking up with her boyfriend, will also be fun to watch, given Uxia’s very different view of animals than her uncle’s. They both love animals, but she sees them as fur babies, while Antón sees animals from a farmer’s point of view, where they’re considered either workers or sources of income.

Sex and Skin: None in the first episode.

Parting Shot: Uxia’s cat settles into a chair at Antón’s house after she takes him out of his carrier.

Sleeper Star: We’re curious to see whay Carmen Ruiz’s character Sabela is still in Antón’s life, despite the fact that he seems like an unyielding grouch.

Most Pilot-y Line: Not sure why it distracted us so much, but Antón’s stubble seemed to change as the day went along. Did he shave in the middle of the work day?

Our Call: STREAM IT. There are a few genuinely funny moments in Old Dog, New Tricks, thanks to Luis Zahera’s patented ability to play a lovable grump.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.