[TV] Threesome: Season 2

I feel sort of bad that not too many friends have discovered the joy that is Threesome, a rather funny comedy that has manage to float under the radar for most folks outside of the UK. But thanks the the joys of the internet and little reviews like this, I'd like to think that we stand a chance of getting more folks hooked on the show, and thus keeping it alive as well. It's really just one of those shows that need all the help that it can get in the fan department, and I totally think they deserve the love.

And let's face it, it's a pretty unique series that really brings straight characters and gay ones together in a manner that keeps everything feeling normal while also presenting some interesting scenarios for us to consider. As I mentioned in my review of the first season, this is not about a gay man who lives with a straight couple. This really is another sitcom about close friends and sexual identity is not necessarily central to the premise of the show. And we definitely need more shows that elevate gay roles to more than just comic relief or tweaked out circuit boys.


Synopsis: Threesome is a British comedy show created by Tom MacRae for Comedy Central UK. MacRae is also the same writer who penned the Doctor Who episodes "Rise of the Cybermen", "The Age of Steel" and "The Girl Who Waited". Yes, that Amy Pond episode.

At the end of the first season, things finally came to fruition when Alice (Amy Huberman) finally gave birth despite all the crazy hijinks that the trio got themselves into. It had been revealed as well that it turns out that our gay man Richie (Emun Elliot) was the father.

In this second season, we have Mitch (Stephen Wight) trying to step up to the plate by trying to establish a career for himself, but to do that he first needs to re-sit his exams. Richie also returns to his regular job as an advertising executive. And Alice settles into the domestic life as a mother for darling Lily Owen Valentine-Ennis.

But we know just how damaged these characters can be, so things don't go quite as smoothly. Mitch gets bullied at school. Richie now has an obnoxiously stupid PA named Billy who can never seem to get anything right. And Alice doesn't exactly adapt to being home alone very well and ends up clinging to any personal interaction that she can get her hands on. And I really liked that particular episode (Alice's Friend).

With the baby now out of Alice, we have a whole new host of potential stories and parenting situations to explore. And while you'd think having three parents working together would make things easier, you'd be rather wrong about things indeed. But to their credit, they've certainly moved away from a lot of their excesses in the first season and so their problems are a lot more focused.

I need to take time to highlight how the mothers have certainly made for interesting recurring characters. Should the show be picked up for a more robust season, I'd definitely want to see more of them! Lorraine (Pauline McLynn), Alice's mum, oddly mirrors Alice's more excessive side and probably explains a lot of her indulgences. Sue (Paddy Navin), Mitch's mum, is equally sweet, endearing and thus a natural match for that charming (although dim-witted) man. And Jenny (Joanna Roth) is quite the classy woman who, well, helps contribute to the reasoning behind Richie being gay, if you know what I mean.

The show shines because of the fact of how realized the characters are and yet how flawed they are at the same time. And when you push these flaws a bit over the edge, hilarity ensues.

But boo for no Dave the Builder the season. Bring back Dave the Builder!

Otherwise, I continue to enjoy Threesome a lot and I hope more friends become fans of the show as well. This second season still gets 4 ridiculous mistakes that Billy makes out of 5. We could have scored higher had Dave the Builder come back. Seriously.