Colin from Accounts season 2 review: Still laugh-out-loud funny and perfectly pitched
The warm-hearted Australian comedy returns on top form.
When Colin from Accounts first arrived on BBC Two in 2023, it arrived like a bolt from the blue.
Really, we should have seen it coming. The show had already received rave reviews following its Australian broadcast, but there's no denying that, other than the American market, we as British audiences can be remarkably closed off to international TV.
Hopefully, Colin from Accounts has started to move the dial on that. Its first season was lapped up by British viewers, with its simple yet endearingly offbeat premise, and warm-hearted but not saccharine sense of humour, proving to be a winning formula.
Now comes the show's second season, arriving in the UK just as the summer comes to an end and audiences are in need of some sunny, easygoing comedy. But can it measure up to its beloved first outing?
Thankfully, yes. Colin from Accounts season 2 is just as much a success as the first, managing to recapture the magic which made season 1 so utterly watchable.
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The selling point remains the easy chemistry and quick wit of its leading married couple, stars and co-creators Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer.
In the first season, we saw romance begin to blossom between their characters, Gordon and Ashley, after an accident involving a dog, who they went on to adopt and name Colin.
In this season, now that they have their foundations as a couple, we get to explore what their day-to-day existence is like together, examining whether they truly are meant to go the distance.
Unsurprisingly, the winning sense of humour, the pitch-perfect tone and their exceptional dynamic on screen together is all still there.
The storyline for the new episodes kicks off right where season 1's ended, with Gordon and Ashley trying to get their beloved dog Colin back from his insufferable, yet in many ways rightful, new owners.
The first episode then ends with a tease which viewers may think will set up a season-long arc, charting a new direction for the series - however, they may be surprised with how that turns out.
In truth, this season in many ways confirms what was becoming clear towards the latter half of season 1 - Colin from Accounts is a stealth sitcom, masquerading as a story-led comedy.
In recent years, the sitcom boom appears to have come to an end. While a couple of shows, such as Abbott Elementary and What We Do in the Shadows, are still going strong, there seems to be less of an appetite for comedy purely for the sake of comedy, or using a static situation to explore everyday scenarios.
The early episodes of Colin from Accounts started heavy on story, following the narrative of Colin's recovery, Ashley moving in and the questions surrounding the central will-they-won't-they relationship. Since then, it has become more of a classic relationship comedy or sitcom - and is all the stronger for it.
The best episodes of season 2 lean into this format. While viewers so often vie for ongoing continuity, stakes and progression - and understandably so - there is something refreshing about an episode focusing solely on Ashley going missing and Gordon trying to track her down, or one on Ashley discovering Gordon has certain 'habits' whenever she leaves the house.
The sitcom set-up also plays to Brammall and Dyer's greatest strengths as performers, and perhaps writers, which is their easy back-and-forth, their banter and their often improvisational tone.
Making dialogue feel both natural and unrehearsed but also making it consistently funny is a tough feat, one which Brammall and Dyer achieve it throughout the season.
This is particularly noticeable when they are just having a conversation with one another, away from any of the more heightened plot dynamics.
Of course, it's not just the two of them - the show's supporting cast have helped to fill out the world since its beginning, but in this season a number of them get more to play with.
While Emma Harvie, Genevieve Hegney and Michael Logo are once again impressive as Megan, Chiara and Brett, Helen Thomson and Darren Gilshenan remain the show's strongest supporting players, as Lynelle and Lee.
A lot of this is simply because the characters are so hilariously outlandish. Where their scenes with Ashley in season 1 could start to border on the infuriating, here they are unleashed in their own ridiculous side plot, leaning into the best aspects those characters bring to the table.
Meanwhile, this time around, it's Ashley's turn to meet Gordon's family, and if you thought the show would go for a different tack and make them a healthy, functional family as a comparison to Ashley's, think again.
They are perhaps even more insufferable and inhospitable when we initially meet them, culminating in a sequence which, as a blend of dark comedy and drama, could not work much better.
Not every episode is as strong as the others - that's the nature of episodic storytelling. However, there isn't one which is difficult to watch, poorly put together or blatantly misses the mark.
Instead, this is an extremely solid, consistently funny eight-episode binge which makes for perfect easy watching of an evening.
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If the show is to continue - and after an excruciating cliffhanger, you'll be begging for it to - then Colin from Accounts could well become a go-to comedy for years to come, one of those comfort shows you can add to your roster when you're unsure what to watch.
As we get to know the characters on a deeper level with each episode, it feels this show will just go from strength to strength - and long may it continue.
Colin from Accounts season 2 will start airing on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Tuesday 3rd September.
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