Colin From Accounts Has Been Let Go

It’s the third and final series of Colin From Accounts and the dog still isn’t dead. Don’t look so relieved: the iron law of Australian dramedies is that there’s either a funeral or a wedding in the final episode. Last season ended with Gordon (Patrick Brammall) proposing and being knocked back. Hope you’ve got a black armband ready.

After two seasons of romantic comedy based almost entirely on awkward banter, this season starts with a twist. Gordon and Ashley (series creator Harriet Dyer) have been split up for years. So it’s now a series about two vaguely annoying people aimlessly wandering around the coolest streets in inner Sydney? Basically, yes. Does that make it a better show? That depends.

The first episode gives them one scene together that’s a reminder of this series’ big strength: the relationship between the two leads (who are married in real life, and co-writers on the series). Well, maybe strength isn’t quite the right term. Point of difference perhaps? It’s not really something you’ll find anywhere else, but that doesn’t make it funny.

Colin From Accounts has always been two (maybe three?) shows in one. In one, it’s a fairly broad, not that memorable comedy featuring a bunch of wacky stuff. This season Ashley’s parents are still running their manosphere scam, which ticks that box. Gordon sold his business and is working for Broden Kelly (well, a character played by him) who calls himself a “business daddy”. Again, pretty broad stuff.

In the other, Brammall and Dyer riff off each other. Their dialogue may not be improvised, but it feels like there’s at least an element of that going on. This seems to be the stuff people like when they say they like Colin From Accounts. It’s mostly traditional awkward comedy conversation, but the point scoring off each other does feel like actual couple banter. Which is surprisingly rare – most rom-coms are about bringing people together, not what they’re like when they actually become a couple.

As previously mentioned, that doesn’t mean it’s funny.

This isn’t a mainstream opinion about this show, so let us explain. We don’t give a fuck about Gordon and Ashley. We’re watching this because it’s meant to be a comedy. We can admit that, as a couple, they’re grounded and realistic in a way most dramedies can’t manage. We can also admit that while they might be believable as a duo, they’re not very funny. Which brings us back to the whole “we don’t give a fuck” point.

The giveaway is the serious stuff that consistently turns up. Family problems, relationship issues, a cancer scare, whatever. If this was a comedy, it wouldn’t need any of that. But if it was a drama, then they couldn’t have a hefty slice of the dialogue exist as just riffing.

The result is a show that works if you’re invested in the two leads, because everything else here is secondary. Just take a look at the two characters they’ve paired off with at the start of this season. They couldn’t be less convincing threats to our leads’ love – c’mon, the dude is allergic to dogs, for fuck’s sake. And so what if it flushes any actual drama or suspense down the toilet?

You’re not watching Colin From Accounts for drama. Or suspense. Or comedy.