Animals. Season 2

one of the decade's best, Animals. Season 2 is currently streaming on and with a 6/10 audience score that speaks for itself. 10 episodes — the right length to tell the story it is telling. Television that earns its era label is rarer than the number of shows attempting it suggests — most of what gets called prestige TV is really just expensive TV. Animals. Season 2 is one of the genuine examples: the craft is there in the writing, the performances, and the way it handles its subject matter. Mike Luciano's involvement signals the kind of production that attracts serious talent and uses it properly. Available now on streaming — no excuses left for not watching it.

Animals. Season 2 does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. An animated comedy focusing on the downtrodden creatures native to Earth’s least-habitable environment: New York City. Whether it’s lovelorn rats, gender-questioning pigeons or aging bedbugs in the midst of a midlife crisis, the awkward small talk, moral ambiguity and existential woes of non-human urbanites prove startlingly similar to our own. Mike Luciano and Phil Matarese lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It aired in 2017. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Animals. Season 2 holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-season curiosities.

The kind of show you put on in the background and find yourself actually paying attention to. It earns every laugh across its entire run — no coasting on goodwill. The comedy comes from character rather than situation, which means it holds up on rewatch in a way that pure farce never does. Mike Luciano sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night when you want quality comedy without the homework.