Austin season two review – this comedy is now coasting on good vibes and Michael Theo's charm

The Guardian

5 days ago

The first season of Austin was a droll, moreish treat, appealingly combining Australian and British humour to tell the story of an autistic man in his late 20s connecting for the first time with his biological father. The former is Austin (Michael Theo, from the reality TV show Love on the Spectrum); the latter is children's book author Julian (UK comedian Ben Miller), who learns about the son he never knew in the middle of a career crisis – while managing, or mismanaging, the fallout from sharing a white supremacist's social media post.
Our sympathies naturally align with the titular character (charmingly played by Theo); Julian's a more slippery fish, flailing and floundering, clutching on to spurious excuses likely to make audiences think: 'dig up, dig up!' The show's modest in many ways, and probably not appointment viewing, but I was a big fan: the writing was sharp and pacey, the jokes often laugh-out-loud funny, and the supporting cast also entertaining – including Sally Phillips as Julian's exasperated wife and book illustrator Ingrid, and the ever-huggable Roy Billing as Austin's grandfather Bill.
It took me a bit to properly nestle into the second season, which I was a little disappointed by; it's still pleasant viewing but lacks some zhuzh and spritz. The first season's opening plot gambit involving Julian's 'cancellation' was perhaps a slight stretch plausibility-wise, but got things off to a cracking start. The writers (Miller, co-director Darren Ashton, Kala Ellis, Joe Tucker, Lloyd Woolf and Adam Zwar) created some friction by kicking off during particularly stressful periods in the characters' lives; we cannot be sure whether their actions reflect their 'normal' selves or whether they're a result of trying circumstances.
The second season, which is set in London, doesn't have that ambiguity or bolting-from-the-gates tempo. As it begins, Ingrid is tossing up whether to get a divorce; Julian contemplates news that he might not be Austin's biological father after all; and Austin prepares to launch his book: An Autistic Guide to Britain. The publisher encourages him to learn more about his heritage in the hope of configuring a good 'British origins story', which leads him to discover a bloodline connection to William the Conqueror and puts him on the doorstep of Julian's estranged parents, triggering some awkward interactions.
I wouldn't say that the show – created by Tucker, Woolf, Miller and Ashton – is now resting on its laurels. But it doesn't quite build a compelling case as to why we should return to these people's lives, beyond their endearing qualities and overall likability (even Julian, with his thoroughly 'punchable' face, is an appealing presence). The new season is unlikely to win over new fans but existing ones will probably be satisfied; the show's essential elements are still in pretty good form.
The writers have a knack for crafting short, funny moments, often involving terse dialogue exchanges, which might not seem pants-wetting on paper but are appealingly delivered. Before an awkward conversation with a publisher, for instance, Julian responds to an offer of tea or coffee by declaring: 'I don't want anything, thank you, just justice.' Then adds: 'Actually, do you have chamomile?' Billing is redeployed to deliver slightly risque but good-natured lines, reflecting a more Aussie attitude. In the first season, he admitted to quite liking a rectal examination; in the second he reflects on his own idea for a book: 'an erotic thriller, set in the world of civil engineering'.
And of course there's Theo, who alone makes the show worthwhile. His dorky shtick often involves amusingly formal language, yet he never seems to be working hard for a laugh. A similar observation can be made about the show itself: it has pleasant, breezy vibes, and coasts along just fine.
Austin season two premieres Sunday 27 July at 7.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview