Paradise PD Season (2020) doubles down on hillbillies and sexual innuendos, but that doesn’t turn the series any better. If anything, it makes it less funny.

To some extent, animated comedy shows – at least those most popular ones – were always on the edge when it comes to keeping things classy.

A most obvious example would be Seth McFarlane’s long-running creation Family Guy. It was a lost cause on various occasions, however it’s been also undeniably hilarious for the vast majority of its seasons, even despite many eyebrow-raising moments. Frankly, Family Guy invented its own type of humor. So was the case of BoJack Horseman, an ingenious show from Netflix, and one which set the bar way higher than anything else in that field. The show struggled in its first, uneven season, only to blossom into the finest series Netflix ever ordered.

A few more shows could be mentioned here, and in that competitive area of intelligent, sarcastic and creative shows, Roger Black and Waco O’Guin devised Paradise PD – a show that derives its jokes from dildos, elderly sex offenders and drugs.

Don’t get me wrong here.

Paradise PD Season 1 (2018) was always and all about this kind of humor. While the characters – such as an overly aroused geriatric cop Hopson, or forever-virgin Kevin Crawford – were left with little of character development, they fitted the situational humor known from McFarlane’s invention in Family Guy. So, despite some rougher moments that didn’t land for me, Season 1 was bizarre enough to keep me mildly invested.

The spicy humor isn’t the problem of Paradise PD.

The issue with the second take on the wacky Paradise city isn’t, therefore, the show’s edginess. And given the fact that Paradise PD‘s raunchy humor wasn’t designed to appeal to masses, one could expect the second run to be bolder and more iconoclastic.

Indeed, Waco O’Guin and Roger Black deep-dive into more explicit, more fecal and more dildo humor. The range is impressive – from an episode about shy-pooping and the act of defecation being called “a white-knuckle ride of terror that leaves your ass in tatters“, the show also turns the famous Cookie Monster into a meth-head and prostitute (in a rather obscene way), as well as gives Ron Perlman a hard time due to his appearance. The latter is especially low, and that’s a common path for the jokes cracked in Paradise PD Season 2 (2020).

Because among all these edgy punchlines, the sad thing about Paradise PD Season 2 (2020) is that it reveals a worrying lack of its own soul too. The jokes’ on you when you reach for somebody else’s popularity to come on top – like the recurring Brooklyn 99 joke.

The so-so jokes would still pass through, if the story or characters were entertaining. None of these, however, is.

The writing is simply poor.

The choice to stick to a linear arch – one that bridges the two seasons together – is a missed opportunity too. My impression is that it leads to a dead end in terms of writing, which then further confines the range of jokes. Instead of opting for loosely-tied sketches, O’Guin and Black insist on painting an end-to-end story. As a consequence, the story of the Kingpin, whose empire nearly collapsed in previous season, carries the show’s weight on its withered shoulders. Unfortunately, there’s no new angle for the investigation, and the show is muddled with so many dildo-themed, fellatio-oriented humor that any attempts at building on top of that narrative, feel just futile.

Finally, the Paradise PD characters.

Some of them are likable – like Gina, who became my Paradise PD’s favorite – to Hopson and his barely bearable existence. But alas Hopson’s been quite terrible, these two – at least – leave an impression, which cannot be said about a plethora of other characters – like the Crawfords. And for a show such as Paradise PD Season 2 (2020), given all of its spiciness, being bland and passable is just the least acceptable outcome.

Paradise PD Season 2 (2020) – Culturally Loved or Hated?

The second season picks up where the first left off, and by slogging away in the mud of its pointless plot, this new installment wears off the charm pretty quickly.

Paradise PD Season 2 (2020)

Hate Grade: 7/10

Creators: Roger Black & Waco O’Guin

Starring: Sarah Chalke, David Herman, Tom Kenny

Available At: Netflix