Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Colin From Accounts’ On Paramount+, Where Two Very Flawed People Start A Relationship With The Help Of An Injured Dog

The genre of “deeply flawed people getting together” is a satisfying one to watch, because it shows us that you can let your freak flag fly and still find someone who is as freaky as you are, if not more. A new series from Australia, written by and starring real-life married couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, is yet another example of the whole notion that there’s a lid for every pot, even a pot that’s misshapen and doesn’t heat food very well.

COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: We see the legs of a delivery person. He drops a package on a front porch. A shaggy dog sniffs at it, sees that the front gate is slightly opened, and gets out of the yard.

The Gist: Both Gordon (Patrick Brammall) and Ashley (Harriet Dyer) are starting their days. Ashley seems to be already busy, texting a guy she has in her phone as “James Fuckface.” Then she gets an alert about safety training at the hospital where she’s a sixth-year resident, and she dashes out.

Their paths cross while she’s walking to work and he’s in his vintage Toyota Cressida. They have a vibe, and for some reason, Ashley decides to flash Gordon her right boob. Of course he gets distracted by it, then he hits something; that shaggy dog that wandered out of his yard earlier that morning. He’s severely hurt, and the only vet Gordon can think of is one of his exes. He also blames Ashley for the accident; he wouldn’t have hit the dog if she hadn’t flashed him.

The vet tells the two strangers that the dog will need extensive, ongoing care, as well as wheels for its back legs. Given how expensive it all is, Gordon tries to get a “buddy rate” from his ex, but she flatly refuses. The two of them decide that they have no choice but to put the dog down. A receptionist comes in and gives them urn options for after the dog’s cremation. The vet is about to inject the fatal drugs when Ashley screams for her to stop. The dog has no chip or collar, so as far as everyone knows, he’s a stray.

So, who’s going to take care of this guy? Gordon, who owns a craft brewery, claims he just works too much to do it. And, as he points out yet again, she’s just as responsible for the dog as he is. One problem: Her flat doesn’t allow pets, and as she tries to bring the dog inside, she’s stopped by her flatmate and landlord, who just happens to be there.

Gordon lets the two of them hang out at his place while he’s at work, and one of the first things she does is take a massive dump in his bathroom. One problem: The water is off.

When Gordon, who claims that everyone calls him “Flash”, comes home, they name the dog. They want to give him a person name so they name him Colin. Or, more accurately, Colin From Accounts.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The “deeply flawed people get together” genre that Colin From Accounts is a part of includes You’re The Worst, of course. But this show and Wolf Like Me can claim a subgenre, called “deeply flawed people get together in Australia.”

Our Take: The key to Colin From Accounts is that Dyer and Brammall, who also co-created and co-wrote the series, are a married couple in real life. We’ve seen both of them play relatively uncomfortable and anxious people in the past — Brammall most notably in No Activity and Dyer in American Auto — but their particular brand of sweaty discomfort becomes especially funny when they’re playing off each other.

What the two of them are setting up with Ashley and Gordon isn’t some instantaneous romance; it’s two deeply flawed people who find themselves getting on pretty well under unusual circumstances. The people around them, like Chiara (Genevieve Hegney) and Brett (Michael Logo) at the brewery, or Ashley’s mom Lynelle (Helen Thomson) and nurse buddy Megan (Emma Harvie), have mixed ideas about this arrangement, but only one or two of them think that one of them is going to flake out on the other. It could be an indication that their friends know that each of them have their bugaboos and had relationship problems; at this point in their lives, any way for Ashley and Gordon get into a stable relationship is probably OK with them.

But the comfort that Dyer and Brammall have with each other is evident in scenes where there are throwaway jokes, like when their age difference means that one doesn’t get the other’s pop culture references. Those feel like jokes that come directly out of their real-life relationship, and it adds color to what could feel fake in the hands of writers and actors who don’t know each other in real life.

Sex and Skin: Besides Ashley’s bare boob? There’s nothing else.

Parting Shot: Gordon is outside in the rain, waiting for Colin to poop. He sees a huge poop there, thinks it’s from Colin (it’s not), and disposes of it. Then he lifts Colin up the stairs to his flat.

Sleeper Star: This goes to Zak, the dog who plays Colin. We’re not sure if he actually is disabled or not, but the fact that he can walk around on command with those wheels on is remarkable. And he’s adorable to boot.

Most Pilot-y Line: There’s an extended bit where the barista at a coffee shop next door to the veterinarian’s office keeps telling the wrong couple that their dog died. It worked once, but the second time was a bit much.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The chemistry between Dyer and Brammall is the key to Colin From Accounts; they show how these two comically flawed people can foster a relationship, even if the only thing they have in common is a disabled dog neither of them owns.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.