Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, the married stars and creators of the Australian comedy series Colin from Accounts, have announced the show will end with its third season. The couple, who also write the series, said the decision feels right and they want to avoid overstaying their welcome. 'We don't want to flog a dead horse,' Brammall said. 'It definitely feels right.' Dyer added, 'It is not that the horse is dead yet – we don't even want to find it is having trouble breathing.'
A Show Born from a Nipple Flash
The series, which premiered in 2022, follows Ashley (Dyer), a student doctor, and Gordon (Brammall), a brewery owner, who fall in love after a chance encounter involving a nipple flash and a hit-and-run dog. The show quickly gained a global fanbase, including celebrities like Nick Offerman, Lena Dunham, and Anne Hathaway. Brammall recently played Hathaway's boyfriend in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Ending on a High Note
Season three picks up three years after Gordon's disastrous marriage proposal at a friend's wedding. Ashley and Gordon have split and are dating other people, but reunite when Gordon makes a doctor's appointment at Ashley's workplace. Dyer described the season as having 'a slight forlorn quality and an awkwardness – it's almost like taking them back to the start.' She added, 'All tension is good, I think. Yearning.'
Brammall said wrapping the show hasn't fully sunk in. 'There were lots of mini moments – ‘Oh shit it's the last time I'm gonna do this, it's the last time I'm gonna do that,’' he said. Dyer has had three 'big old cries,' the last one in the editing suite. 'I just looked around at the little grey room and it came out like vomit,' she said.
Real-Life Couple, On-Screen Exes
The couple, married with two adopted daughters and a dog, found it fun to play exes. 'We're actors by trade, so we love pretendies,' Brammall said. 'I had a ball. I think Harri did too.' Dyer noted that playing tension and yearning is easy 'with someone that you know so well.'
Unlike previous seasons, the couple didn't have their traditional one big fight during production. 'We've been having to get very economical with our energy,' Dyer said. Brammall added, 'The last two seasons we've had one kid. This time we had two and it's like, who's got time?'
An Authentic Sydney Story
The show avoids clichéd Sydney landmarks like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, instead setting Gordon's microbrewery in the inner west. 'People haven't seen that side of Sydney, which makes it interesting,' Dyer said. 'Something about terraces and warehouses – it didn't feel quintessentially Sydney, which gives it a universality.' Brammall added, 'We don't need to sell Sydney to the world, we don't need to sell Australia to the world.'
The creators once ignored a note from an American executive to change the Australian slang 'arvo' to 'afternoon.' 'It stayed in,' Brammall said.
Personal Truths in the Script
Many storylines draw from real experiences. A version of the poo incident in the first episode happened to Dyer, and Gordon's fertility problems after testicular cancer reflect Brammall's own infertility from childhood illness. 'These little truthful thoughts or feelings or ideas or experiences can float through and generally, if it's funny or if it feels real, then it's in the show,' Brammall said.
The couple said they aim for a mix of light and dark. 'Get people laughing and then punch them with something really heavy,' Brammall said. Dyer added, 'It's not all gold, but Pat and I are always trying to make it the best it can be.'
What's Next?
For Dyer, success now means balance. 'The hours of this life are so demanding – it's not really designed for a married couple to leave and come home at the same time when you've got little people looking for you,' she said. 'To me, success looks like balance and finish reading my book. But we're definitely going to work together again because I wouldn't want to write with anybody else.'
The first two episodes of Colin from Accounts season 3 are available on Binge in Australia, with new episodes weekly. UK and US airdates are yet to be announced.
