Wondering if The Catch season 2 will work as a romantic comedy? Read our spoiler free review to see what we think!
After a less than overwhelming response to season 1, The Catch promised some big changes for its second installment. We’ve seen the first few episodes of the new season, and we’ve got some thoughts on how these tweaks are changing the tone of the show, for the better. Check out our review before The Catch returns on Thursday, March 9, on ABC.
’The Catch’ season 2 review
With The Catch joining the famed Shondaland family of shows and #TGIT last season, expectations were high, right from the start. With Shonda Rhimes delivering hits like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and most recently, How to Get Away with Murder, new additions to her lineup are always enticing.
While that kind of built-in interest and audience can be invaluable for a new series, it does come with an added level of scrutiny. The Catch season 1 struggled to find its voice among the already packed #TGIT lineup, and in that struggle, it failed to live up to its own hype.
The initial premise of The Catch was interesting enough. A cat and mouse game between a successful private investigator and her ex-fiance/con man, with the latter conning the former for an entire year. However, when the “cat and mouse” premise was spoiled by an early reveal of Ben’s true intentions, the tone of The Catch became difficult to grasp.
Now that everyone’s cards are on the table, and some of the intensity and high stakes drama can be dropped, The Catch is free to be exactly what it wants to be: a fun and entertaining release following the drama of the other #TGIT offerings. To fully become that, though, some changes needed to be made to the structure of the show.
One of the elements that hurt The Catch in its first season was the case-of-the-week format. The day to day workings of Alice’s private security firm were forced upon viewers in every single episode, taking us out of the actual plot and character development that are so necessary in an inaugural season.
The cases did give us an opportunity to explore the characters of Danny, Sophie, and even Valerie in a way that we might not have, otherwise, but now that we know who they are, the cases are free to go. And go, they shall!
Alice’s involvement with a con man, and the firm’s subsequent investigation by the FBI, gave The Catch a built-in escape hatch from the procedural format. You can’t run a case every week if all of your clients have jumped ship! Much like The Catch, itself, AVI is starting fresh.
The cases they are taking on in season 2 feel much more personal and connected to the main story. The first case involves Alice’s brother, played by the wonderful T.R. Knight. He provides some intriguing information about Alice’s past life, and has also already entered into some very interesting dynamics with some of the other characters.
Another welcome addition to the cast is Gina Torres. While T.R. Knight is helping out on the AVI side of the show, Torres is a fantastic driving force for the cons. You’ll see exactly how, when you watch The Catch season 2, but rest assured, she can more than hold her own with Ben and Rhys. Even though the procedural aspect of the show has been abandoned, you can still look forward to seeing some fun, con man action.
The Catch also aimed to go for more of a “romantic comedy” vibe in season 2. We were initially concerned about this re-branding, since it seemed like a big shift for the drama. But, upon watching the first few episodes of season 2, we were struck by how natural the transition seemed.
The best moments in The Catch season 1 came from two things. The first, being the sweet moments between Alice and Ben, as they rediscovered their love for each other. The second, being the hilarity that the members of the Kensington firm, like Margot and Rhys, offered, especially when they teamed up with Ben! Peter Krause is pretty awesome at the whole comedy thing, so it’s nice to see him exercise that muscle, a little more, in season 2. If you loved the hilarious and adorable Rhys and Ben bromance as much as we did, season 2 will be a treat for you.
Since the elements of romance and comedy have always featured in The Catch (even if they were sometimes buried under piles of case work) the shift feels very organic, to the story. It definitely feels like less of a format overhaul and more of a slight tweak, in the right direction.
While The Catch is definitely going for a lighter tone, in season 2, don’t worry about being bored by a lack of action. All of the tensions that were generated between these characters in season 1 didn’t just dissipate over the whopping 72 hour time jump. They’re still there, and are still playing out in entertaining ways. Margot Bishop didn’t exactly make any friends in the season 1 finale, don’t forget.
What’s different about the action, drama, and conflict in The Catch season 2 is that it’s not taking itself so seriously. There’s plenty of story for you to get invested in, but overall, it really is just a fun time!
If you’re still not sold, watch the trailer for The Catch season 2, here! Season 2 premieres on Thursday, March 9, following Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.
