Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave Returns with More Clever Absurdity | TV/Streaming

It’s interesting to see what recurring ideas there are in the sketches—more abrasive jokes about funerals, tacky men’s clothing, hot dogs. And there’s an endless amount of set-ups in a board room, as if we wouldn’t notice, but it’s getting a little old. Overall, there’s still many, many jokes about people who violate unwritten social contracts (from season one: you don’t create a fake rule about someone eating all of the nacho meat; you don’t non-stop honk at a bumper sticker that says “Honk If You’re Horny”; you don’t throw heavily obscure names in the hat during charades, etc.) Season two seem as if the series was all about similar dysfunctional human interaction, normally with Robinson’s screeching, Adam Sandler-esque presence showing people unable to wrap their heads around what is assumed to be normal. 

Robinson is of course a huge source of the energy in this series—he’s fun to watch even if he’s not making you laugh as much as you’d like, in part because there’s always a chance he’s could spontaneously combust on camera. The series has strong guest stars too, like Patti Harrison who is funny every time she’s on-screen; Conner O’Malley returns with a little less intensity as in season one; and Bob Odenkirk is thrown into the mix for what seems like a prototypical joke in the “I Think You Should Leave” style. Odenkirk’s sketch touches upon a casual type of human act and drills to the core of it, although the joke wears off even as it adds more. Sam Richardson, currently having an all-star summer with “Werewolves Within” and “The Tomorrow War,” appears in a couple sketches too as in season one, with his genial intensity. 

So, consider this a tempered but supportive recommendation for something you probably know if you were going to watch anyway. If you haven’t seen it at all, I highly recommend the first season to start with, to see if it’s your type of comedy. For those who do like those first six episode, these next six are reliably absurd, but their ability to sink their claws into you is a bit more uncertain. It could be another viral hit, and this series could be potent with its next batch of inside jokes. But whatever happens, Robinson remains a victor in the competitive landscape of all streaming entertainment, and I have no doubt that we’ll want to see whatever he does next. 

All of season two screened for review.