“Paramount Plus?!” That’s a response I’ve received more than once when touting Colin From Accounts, a hilarious Australian comedy that just finished its second season on a streaming service that really shouldn’t be that obscure, as Paramount+ currently has 71.2 million subscribers.
Then again, that only represents 8% of the subscription video on demand (SVOD) marketplace in the U.S. Sure, it depends on what statistics you use, but in old-school TV terms, when compared to the biggest players in the market (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+), Paramount’s streaming service is about the equivalent of the WB to NBC, or Starz to HBO. It exists, you’ve heard of it and maybe your cousin — most likely a Star Trek fan who loves Paramount+’s fleet of Trekkie spinoffs — considers it essential viewing.
But I’m here to tell you, if you’re not diving into these second-tier streaming options, you’re missing out. The problem with streaming is the paradox of choice: When confronted with too many options, we become trapped and end up on our 13th binge-watch of The Office. It’s more of an issue with music streaming, where you’re served up pretty much every song from every artist no matter what service you subscribe to. But with TV? What you get on Apple TV+ isn’t probably going to be on Amazon’s Prime Video (well, it is if you bundle services…but let’s not go there now).
I originally purchased Paramount+ in some sort of ridiculous deal that I can’t remember, but I believe it was something like $1.99 per month for a year and $5.99 afterward. (One major issue of streaming? I can’t remember what rate I’m getting or which person in our household is subscribing, which is why I secretly believe we have two Hulu subscriptions.) And I only got it to watch the premiere of some terrible Paranormal Activity sequel, with plans to cancel a few weeks in.
That didn’t happen, and years later I found myself stumbling around the app for a new show to watch. Admittedly, Colin From Accounts is a misleading name for a show that has nothing to do with office work. The titular character is actually a dog that’s injured in a car accident; said injury (caused by a flirtatious flashing and a distracted driver) brings together Ashley and Gordon, two singles played by the real-life couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall. From there, the show plays out as a mildly acerbic and keenly observational rom-com that, by season two, puts the dog in the background (as for the name of the pooch, it’s an in-joke between the couple). And no, you don’t have to be Australian to appreciate the series.
An Ode to “Extraordinary,” the Funniest Show on TV
Hulu’s little-known comedy lands somewhere between “Community” and “Fleabag,” but with superpowersIn other words, CFA is not a spinoff, adaptation, sequel or a half-billion-dollar genre play. It’s grounded, funny and willing to break out of its normal settings on occasion (see season two, episode five: “Waterfall,” when Ash gets lost in Sydney without a wallet or phone). The banter is spectacular and the characters are both likable and disagreeable; they’re somewhat selfish people who occasionally make good decisions and truly seem to love each other. Even the jabs at political correctness (S2 E4 “Ethical Porn”) aren’t terribly mean-spirited.
Brammall and Dyer also co-starred in No Activity, a mid-2010s slow-burn comedy series (also Australian) about detectives on a stakeout that’s well worth checking out….except you can’t because it’s not currently available on any streaming service. If you’re willing to pay more, you can buy (not stream) the American remake of the show, which ran for four seasons on, you guessed it, Paramount+, before being discarded like so many other streaming shows that don’t make an immediate impact.
Given the fate of that show and other worthy series condemned to obscurity or actual obsolescence (like last year’s best you-never-watched-it-and-now-you-can’t comedy, Shining Vale on Starz), I implore you: take the time to wade through the streaming services and pay channels you forgot to cancel. Don’t just give up on them when you’ve finished the one series you subscribed for in the first place. On those second-tier platforms, you’ll find a creepy Lost-like series called From (MGM+/AMC+), an ‘80s genre homage that mixes heavy metal and teen angst (Hysteria! on Peacock) and dozens of pretty good to great exclusive new horror films on Shudder (part of AMC+).
And these hidden gems don’t even have to be on a channel or service you’ve barely heard of! I doubt the ratings for the coming-of-age (with superpowers) comedy Extraordinary move the numbers over at Hulu, but the idea is to find shows that you’ll enjoy and champion that aren’t necessarily forced upon you — or starring Nicole Kidman. You can even catch Colin From Accounts star Patrick Brammall’s hilarious 2013-16 comedy series Upper Middle Bogan on Netflix. It’s certainly a worthy show to stop on during your next indecisive, endless scrolling session.
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