5 stars (out of 5)
I came across the first season of Colin From Accounts a few years ago, and let me tell you, I fell HARD. This Aussie import about a young physician trainee who’s getting over her ex she sees at work every day, a middle age craft beer brewing cancer survivor, and the one legged dog that brought them together was so fresh and so fabulous. Written by, executive produced, and starring a married couple, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammell, only adds to the fun here. And when I say the dog brought them together, I mean that Ash (the physician trainee, Dyer) flashed Gordon (our craft beer brewer, Brammell) on a whim while walking down the street and he was so distracted, he hit a dog. They took the dog to a vet, an ex of Gordon’s, and paid for surgery, but it was that dog, Colin From Accounts, who ultimately brought this odd couple together despite their many differences, including an age gap of about 10-15 years. This is a great show for romantic comedy lovers–smart, fresh, romantic but never in a saccharine way. It’s one of those shows that seems to give the side eye to a Hollywood that constantly acts like romantic comedies are ‘so difficult to get right’ and ‘too soft to do for episodic.’
The second season focuses more on the evolution of Gordon and Ash. They are living together but have to figure out how to navigate real and challenging issues in their lives like a surprise health issues, meeting Gordon’s toxic parents and family, dealing with a brother who is trying to keep an affair secret, coming to terms with the idea that they may not be able to have kids because of Gordon’s previous bout with cancer, the possible buyout of Gordon’s business–it’s a LOT of life packed into 8 episodes. But watching Gordon and Ash navigate it is always unique, specific, and really funny. I found myself a little nervous at the top of the season as the first two episodes felt a bit bigger on the hijinx, a bit smaller on the connection between Ash and Gordon. But the last few episodes of the season are true stunners. There’s also a bottle episode midseason where Ash misses meeting up with Gordon and we follow their respective nights trying to reconnect with each other that I really loved. I don’t always love this kind of episode that feels divorced from the growing storylines of a show, but this was executed so steadily, I thought it really worked. The constant throwing of life at the two of them really keeps them on their feet throughout the season, and I think they’re both also forced to start asking themselves what they really want in the bigger picture. All of these elements come together for the final five minutes of the season, which were truly terrific television.
Colin From Accounts also boasts a wonderful supporting cast including Ash’s friend and coworker Megan (Emma Harvey), Gordon’s employees Chiara and Brett (Genevieve Hegney and Michael Logo), Ash’s carefree mom Lynelle (Helen Thomsen) and her embarrassing boyfriend Lee (Darren Gilshenan), and we’re introduced this season to Gordon’s grandstanding big brother (Justin Rosniak) who has some truly terrific scenes taking the piss out of Gordon. This is an extremely well-rounded show, and there are lots of surprises along the way this season. Colin From Accounts is a top example of the potential for a romantic comedy on television, and it’s a must watch.
