Colin from Accounts didn’t sound like my kind of TV show, but I gave it a try.   I’m not usually a fan of Australian comedies.  Too many of the characters treat each other poorly and they can be too much.  Like, too wacky, too dumb, too confident, whatever.  Deadloch on Amazon Prime is one that I tried recently.   Colin from Accounts isn’t like that at all.

The premise is that a Gen X guy and a Millennial woman meet over a dog that was hit by a car.  How is that a supposed to be a comedy?  The dog was seriously injured, and I thought that first episode might be the end of the show for me.  Nothing was graphic and the visit to the veterinarian, the surgery and the dog are treated respectfully, but events around that are dark humor that was actually funny.   It helps that the dog has Sparky’s cute good nature.

The main characters are what D & D would call chaotic neutral people trying to be good.  Much of the comedy comes from the difference in ages and outlooks, but it isn’t stereotypical or cliched.  It feels natural and plausible.  Both characters are in an uncomfortable situations, but by trying to do the right thing, they are placed in awkward situations.  They do the best they can, and it leads them along an interesting journey.

The supporting characters all feel like real people with a backstory.   That it is an Australian production, means that a lot of little lifestyle details are different.  You don’t get the American approach where it’s a waitress in a $3000 per month studio apartment or working class family in a squalid house. 

Colin in Accounts is showing on Paramount +.  I really enjoyed it.  8/10