People love dogs, often more than they love other people. This has inspired any number of comedies, from “Must Love Dogs” to “Strays.” Romantic comedies are also heavily reliant on the “meet cute” concept, a device that throws two strangers together in the most endearing way and waits three acts for them to finally get the hint that they are fated for each other.
So how about a “meet cute” comedy featuring a dog in all the worst ways? And by “worst,” I mean “Colin From Accounts,” streaming two new episodes a week on Paramount+.
“Colin” stars Harriet Dyer (“The Invisible Man”) as Ashley, a brash young woman who’s not above a bit of flirtation. In fact, as “Colin” opens, she all but flashes Gordon (Patrick Brammall), distracting him as he drives by and causing him to run over a dog.
The good news is that the dog lives, but will require a staggering vet bill. And the canine’s care and convalescence forces these two strangers to spend quality time together, learning, for instance, that Gordon is a bit of a unicycle-riding nerd and Ashley is the kind of girl who thinks nothing of causing men to take their eyes off the road.
But about that dog? Will viewers, particularly fans of romantic comedies, ever get over this premise? Most dog comedies are more about caring for the pooch, not nearly killing it. Just this year, Freevee streamed the 2023 comedy “Puppy Love,” about a couple (Lucy Hale and Grant Gustin) forced together when one of their dogs impregnates the other’s.
The defense of dogs can illuminate even the darkest sensibility. In Ricky Gervais’ pitch-black 2019 comedy “After Life,” he plays a grief-stricken widower so devastated by the loss of his wife that he seriously considers ending it all. The only thing that keeps him going is the thought that there would be nobody to feed the dog who had brought so much joy to his cancer-stricken wife.
So, running over the dog just might be a deal breaker for potential fans of “Colin From Accounts.”
But to every rule there is an exception. In the long-running U.K. import “Doc Martin,” Martin Clunes’ dyspeptic M.D. can’t stand the dog who believes he has a right to live in his home and what the Brits call his “surgery.” At one point (spoiler alert) he even tries to euthanize the mangy intruder. And viewers stuck by him for 10 seasons.
So perhaps there’s some hope for Ashley and Gordon after all.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A connection to the force offers a clue to a businessman’s murder on “Law & Order” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— Angelina wants straight answers from Mike on “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” (8 p.m., MTV, TV-14).
— A high-school reunion exhumes old heartaches in the 2023 documentary “You Were My First Boyfriend” (8 p.m., HBO2, TV-PG).
— The Chicago Bears host the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m.), streaming on Prime Video.
— A personal crisis has Mags feeling derailed on “Transplant” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Notorious “bad taste” director John Waters followed up his breakthrough 1988 comedy “Hairspray” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-14) with “Cry Baby” (10 p.m., TCM, TV-MA), a sendup of Elvis musicals. It continued his penchant for blending conventional entertainment with shock value. Johnny Depp leads a sprawling ensemble cast including Hollywood actors, veterans of underground movies, rockers and tabloid fodder, including Amy Locane, Polly Bergen, Susan Tyrrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, Joe Dallesandro, Joey Heatherton, David Nelson, Willem Dafoe and Patricia Hearst.
SERIES NOTES
“Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A pit master sets the agenda on “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “The Golden Bachelor” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Left holding the bag on “Lego Masters” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … “Bachelor in Paradise” (9:10 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … A blown cover leads to a delicate escape on “SEAL Team” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “Dateline” (10 p.m., NBC, r).
LATE NIGHT
Adam Kinzinger and Willie Nelson are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jared Leto and AJR on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Daniel Ricciardo and Lauren Daigle appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Hilary Duff, Ben Marshall, John Higgins, Martin Herlihy and Justin Faulkner visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … John Mendoza, Vince Morris, Ritch Shydner and Judy Tenuta appear on “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
