Smoggie Queens: Season 2 (UK) (TV Series)

It is a genuinely fun return, with the entire gang back for season 2. Having watched both seasons back-to-back, I found this one felt slightly flat compared to season 1, though that might just be because I went straight from one to the other. It isn't bad by any means; it is simply difficult to live up to the predecessor. Everyone is back and remains hilarious, including Mam, Dickie, Stewart, Lucinda, Sal, and Neil. The series picks up exactly where it left off with the same madness and the same crowd, consisting of six episodes that are thirty minutes each.
Dickie is back on the hunt now that he is single again, while Mam faces some seriously uncomfortable history that has come back to haunt her. Sal finds herself caught in a messy situation involving Danni and Mel, and Mel has begun dating a new, truly insufferable TikTok type. Lucinda's relationship with Neil hits a snag upon the discovery that his ex-girlfriend's name is tattooed on his back, whereas Stewart is out enjoying life. Dickie handles his singlehood by making everything about himself and convincing himself that every stranger he encounters is a rival. While Mam continues to be the glue keeping everyone from falling apart, her own mess begins when her estranged wife appears. Stewart remains absolutely brilliant, using his deadpan humor to navigate all these new developments. The setups for the episodes this season are quite specific. In the first two, the gang somehow loses a white rabbit inside a carpet warehouse—complete with fun Alice in Wonderland touches—and Stewart's first date devolves into a coleslaw fight that pulls everyone in. One full episode centers on a charity football match called Nipple Aid, which raises money for people with extra nipples and represents peak show. Another focuses on the Mr Teesside Beauty Pageant, an official competition of beauty, talent and bulges that Stewart enters even after Dickie tells him he looks like the human embodiment of a perverted rat. There is an episode where a straight group completely takes over a gay networking event, and the return of Mam's nemesis, Nan, was a very welcome surprise. The final episode features Dickie hosting a drag show for elderly people, which might not appeal to everyone.
The show provides exactly what you would expect. My only issue was that my expectations were sky high following season 1, which is a difficult thing to overcome. While the laughs remain, some moments felt a bit excessive or simply didn't click for me, perhaps due to how deeply local some of the humor is. You can see the real ambition in every episode, evidenced by the thought put into the writing, the jokes, and the outfits. The situations are wilder and the characters feel even more settled, yet the humor doesn't always land as powerfully. I found myself missing the full extent of Dickie's arrogance; that edge is still present but has been dialed down a notch. However, the cast is something special; they feel like people who truly know and love one another, and it wouldn't be surprising if they have formed their own version of this found family off-camera. Because every character is written so distinctly, you find yourself rooting for all of them. Mam remains the beating heart of the series, constantly prioritizing the group. Her storyline involving her past and her ex-wife is handled well, avoiding melodrama while still acknowledging these as real experiences within the queer community that deserve proper representation. The show also masters a very specific brand of campy humor through its casual irreverence, dry delivery, complete lack of pretension, and a gleeful embrace of the loud and over the top.
Even when certain moments miss the mark, the series remains wonderfully strange, silly, and sharp, maintaining a momentum that keeps you hooked. I am sincerely hoping this isn't the last time we get to see this group.(7/10)