Colin from Accounts is an Australian romanticdramedy television series created and written by husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, who also star as the show's main characters, Gordon and Ashley. It is produced by Easy Tiger Productions and CBS Studios for Foxtel, and is currently streaming on Binge.[1] The show aired on BBC Two in the UK and streams on BBC iPlayer.[2] It started streaming on Paramount+ in the US on 9 November 2023.[3]
The series is Binge's second original production after Love Me and premiered on Binge and Foxtel services on 1 December 2022, with all eight episodes being released simultaneously.[4]
Following the show's worldwide success, including three Logie Awards in Australia, Colin from Accounts was renewed for a second season in August 2023.[5] It began airing on 30 May 2024 on Binge.
The series is set in Sydney, Australia and centres on Ashley (Harriet Dyer) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall), two singles who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog whom they name Colin. Ashley and Gordon are flawed, funny people who choose each other after being brave enough to show their true selves, scars and all, as they navigate life together.[6]
Gordon’s day goes from bad to worse when, distracted by the impulsive actions of an attractive stranger, Ashley, who flashes him, he accidentally hits a stray dog with his car. As she helps him get the dog to a vet she asks him to tone down the story of what happened. They have to decide whether to put the dog down or not. Ashley cannot go through with putting the dog down and they face a bill of A$12,000 for the dog’s care.
Having collected the dog, Gordon drops Ashley off. She runs into her letting agent who tells her that no pets are allowed.
She goes to Gordon’s to work out what she will do. Finding the water is not working she throws her poo onto the pavement verge.
Ashley gets Gordon to agree to pay half the fee and to look after him for one night. Drinking tequila they decide to call the dog Colin. Ashley ends up staying the night to look after Colin. Taking Colin out in the rain he thinks that Ashley’s poo was done by Colin.
When Ashley makes a mess in Gordon’s sock drawer, she makes an impromptu trip to Costco with Colin, Megan and her mother, to buy Gordon some new furniture. An argument ensues between Gordon and Ashley about when she will vacate his rental. Gordon later goes on a date and although the woman is interested with him, she is put out about Gordon’s setup with Ashley.
3
3
"Toyota Cressida"
Trent O'Donnell
Harriet Dyer
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Gordon accidentally sends Ashley a dick pic and chases her from a garage sale to a death bed to try and delete it with no success. Gordon also gets a medical inspection in an uncomfortable location. Upon celebration of a brewery review, Ashley and Gordon experience a sexual encounter that ends awkwardly due to Gordon’s medical worries.
4
4
"Bubbly Sophie"
Madeleine Dyer
Patrick Brammall
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Ashley worries to Megan why Gordon rejected her the previous night, where the latter offers her to stay at her place. Gordon’s partners start to worry about his distracted focus away from the microbrewery. Ashley moves Colin and her stuff to Megan’s place, where Gordon receives a late night text from his ex.
5
5
"My Amiga"
Matthew Moore
Harriet Dyer
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Ashley gets put out of Megan’s place with the chaos of her father and aunt’s liquidating the apartment of her nan’s items. Ashley is repulsed to find Yvette leaving Gordon’s place when dropping off Colin. Gordon offers Ashley the opportunity to hang out at the brewery for the WiFi connection. The power goes out due to Gordon’s forgetfulness to pay the utility bill. Ashley and Gordon discuss the finances of Colin’s situation and the hit it placed on the business. Ashley takes charge to rectify the power bill and some accounts outstanding impressing the Echo Park gang.
6
6
"The Good Room"
Matthew Moore
Harriet Dyer
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Ashley reluctantly takes Gordon to her 30th birthday dinner at Lynelle and creepy Professor Lee’s house. Awkward situations arise including Lee describing a wet dream to Ashley and Lynelle consistently humiliating and belittling her daughter. Ashley and Gordon leave in the middle of the dinner when tensions boil over, and she confides in a story about a friend who passed away tragically during her 22nd BDay which draws them closer.
7
7
"Bandit"
Matthew Moore
Patrick Brammall
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Ashley invites her party-loving friends to Echo Park to celebrate her birthday. Gordon tries to fit in by trying to act and appear closer to their age. Upon arrival Gordon is treated as a servant to the group and he asserts himself into their conversation. Tensions arise for the remaining part of the night between Ashley and Gordon.
8
8
"High Needs People"
Matthew Moore
Harriet Dyer
1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)
Ashley and Gordon must find a new home for Colin so they can go their separate ways.
Ash and Gordon have moved in together, but there’s a big, Colin-shaped hole in their hearts as they try to get their beloved special needs dog back from his new owners – and work out whether they want a relationship or if they just wanted a dog.
Brett is stressed about having to move out from home. Kiara admits that she is sexting with Meghan when caught by Gordon.
Gordon asks Colin’s previous owner, Matt, to confirm that they bought Colin only to find that he is a friend of the new owners. They then try to kidnap Colin before thinking better of the idea. Colin, who is chipped, goes missing only to be returned to Ash and Gordon by the vet. The new owners accept defeat. The vet tells Gordon that she is pregnant by him and that she intends to keep the baby.
10
2
"Bacon in the Drawer"
Trent O'Donnell
Harriet Dyer
6 June 2024 (2024-06-06)
Ash is confused by Gordon’s tetchiness. Gordon has a less than satisfactory meeting with his doctor who confirms he may well have been responsible for Yvette’s pregnancy. Yvette tells him that only he can be the father but that she doesn't want anything from him but will be waiting for him.
Gordon decides to come clean with Ashley and they have to come to terms with Yvette's latest play for Gordon's affections. He runs into Ashley’s tutor who he knows from his cancer treatment.
Ashley calls on her mum only to find that Lee has moved back in. Learning that Yvette is hoping for her relationship to come to an end Ashley insists on talking to her at the surgery. Gordon learns that Yvette’s nurse Mica may be the father.
11
3
"Heavy"
Trent O'Donnell
Patrick Brammall
6 June 2024 (2024-06-06)
Gordon's house is overrun by chaotic visitors, including his brother Heavy, who makes things awkward with Ashley when he indelicately sheds some light on Gordon's past.
12
4
"Ethical Porn"
Trent O'Donnell
Harriet Dyer
13 June 2024 (2024-06-13)
Ashley feels rejected after catching Gordon masturbating, Gordon gets an offer to buy Echo Park, and Megan introduces her new girlfriend.
When Ashley doesn't turn up to dinner, Gordon goes on a quest around Sydney to find her.
14
6
"Yass King"
Madeleine Dyer
Harriet Dyer
20 June 2024 (2024-06-20)
Ashley and Gordon head to Yass for a weekend at home with Gordon's family.
15
7
"Wawam"
Robyn Butler & Wayne Hope
Patrick Brammall
20 June 2024 (2024-06-20)
Gordon redirects his grief into making Colin a TV star, while Ashley tries to make amends for her hurtful comment about Gordon’s father. Lynelle hosts a fundraiser for Women Against Women Against Men (WAWAM). The brewery is running financially in the red, causing Gordon’s coworkers to question their continued involvement in the brewery. Gordon finds a last minute saving inheritance for his business.
16
8
"Speedy Susans"
Robyn Butler & Wayne Hope
Harriet Dyer
27 June 2024 (2024-06-27)
Gordon and Ashley attend Megan and Rumi's pop-up wedding held at the brewery. Despite his attempts Gordon finds it difficult to apologize to Rumi for his previous actions. Gordon and Ashley get tied up on the romance of the occasion to declare their feelings for each other, but Gordon takes those intentions way too far.
Production
Colin from Accounts is a CBS Studios production in association with Easy Tiger Productions for the Foxtel Group with production in Sydney, Australia commencing in February 2022.[8]
Filming for the second series began in November 2023.[9]
Reception
The first season holds a 100% "Certified Fresh" score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 critic reviews with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Tonally elastic and blessed with Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer's sparky chemistry, Colin from Accounts makes the alchemy of a satisfying rom-com feel effortless."[10] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season holds a score of 80/100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
The second season holds a 100% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews with an average rating of 9.0/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Retaining its first season's laidback charms without resting on its hind legs, Colin from Accounts' second outing is as cranky, funny, and delightful as ever."[12] On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 90/100, based on eight critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]
Kylie Northover of The Sydney Morning Herald gave the show 4-stars stating "Yes, that's right: it's a romcom. But Australian romcom offerings, particularly on television, are something of a rarity, so to see one executed well, and with particular emphasis on the 'com', is a genuine treat."[14]
Film and TV critic Luke Buckmaster from Guardian Australia also gave the series 4-stars, praising the writing efforts of co-stars Harriet Dyer
and Patrick Brammall: "Here we're in good hands, with Dyer creating the show and co-writing it with Brammall, the pair developing their roles from the inside out – creating personalities that slowly reveal layers, nuances and virtues in ways that feel genuine and germane to the narrative."[15]The Economist listed Colin From Accounts among the best TV shows of 2023, describing it as "charming" and calling the dialogue "superb".[16]
