When it comes to the wonderful treat of a show that is Los Espookys, silliness is where it thrives. In the strong first season that first aired back in 2019, we were introduced to a group of friends that used their love and knowledge of horror to create an unusual business of sorts. Specifically, it was about creating frights and scares galore for various clients to use in convoluted ways to their benefit. Fittingly, it was the type of debut season that felt like a trick was being pulled off in just how simultaneously sharp and goofy it could get. Now, with its second season coming after a lengthy hiatus, the show continues to be must-see television.
Picking up shortly after the events of the first season, the gang is once again up to their old tricks. Though all different in comedic disposition, each character hits all the right notes to make for an ensemble unlike any out there. There is the more measured Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), the absurd Tati (Ana Fabrega), the arrogant Andrés (Julio Torres), and the uncertain Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) who have all gotten better at the horror gig.
Oh, there is also the return of Tico (Fred Armisen) as well as some other new faces that prove to be rather glorious surprises. However, all this would be for naught without the great core characters as the focus. The more shenanigans they get up to, the more the show hits its stride and builds upon the great foundation set by the first season. No gag goes to waste and every additional horror creation they make remains sidesplittingly funny. It is as ridiculous as ever, though it never coasts on what we’ve already seen as it grows into something new.
The story this go-around centers around all the most pressing questions of our time surrounding power, literature, and what happens after we die. There is Renaldo, who has begun being haunted by the recent winner of a beauty pageant who was thought to be deceased, Tati discovering a new talent for a unique kind of writing, and Úrsula finding herself involved with a political campaign. Oh, and Andrés is mostly just looking out for himself once again as he deals with the fallout of not getting married at the end of last season.
All of these various scenarios can see the characters split up in a way that feels more scattered than in the first season, though they all end up coming back together to great comedic effect. Each episode still contains a job they must do and, while some of them are not as elaborate as Season 1's, this is so they can get folded into the various storylines playing out. While this may leave some wishing for some of the more contained bits that it began with, all the new absurdity the show finds its way into will soon put any residual fears to rest.
While all the characters get their moments to shine, there is one who emerges as the standout: Tati just keeps getting funnier and funnier this season. Much of this is due to how in command of every single scene Fabrega is, hitting all the lines with a sincerity that ensures every single joke and aside kills. The way she captures the obliviousness of Tati, which seems to have only grown since last season, never stops being uproariously funny. While comedic performers can often get undervalued when it comes to acting, this is yet another reminder of how a great character is only as good as the person playing them. Getting to see Fabrega find new comedic ground for Tati at every turn is joyous to behold.
Without giving away what she gets up to this season, each new path that she goes down arrives at a destination that proves to be funnier than most other comedies out there. Even if the show was just built around Tati’s journey, it would be worth watching for her alone. It is obviously an ensemble piece, but it is Fabrega who can turn the most simple of situations funny. She is an agent of unassuming comedic chaos, making the most of every single moment that she gets and bringing us along with her as we get a closer look inside Tati’s mind. When it comes to the all-time great comedy characters, she is one of the best.
When operating alongside all the other Los Espookys, the show really makes the long wait since the last season all the more worth it. The show counts Lorne Michaels as an executive producer and, while there have been some funny moments scattered throughout SNL, it is the best thing he has attached his name to in recent memory. Everything is just so well-rounded and inventive, pushing the comedic premise to its absolute limits. It is a series that feels like it could run for as many seasons as it wants and still not be enough. Even if you don’t initially operate on its wavelength, the wacky world it creates is one that is bound to win you over.
There are some moments where it finds itself rather lost in extraneous bits, such as those with Armisen, who gets thrown into the mix and can feel like a bit of a one-note distraction from the main cast. However, it always finds its way back to the comedic core when it needs to. It is here where the creativity really takes hold of you and catches you off guard with each new joke. If you were looking for a worthy successor to the strong first season, always a fraught prospect, then it is hard to think of a show that is more outstanding than Los Espookys. While one can only hope that it won’t be another long wait before there is more from this quirky crew, what we have gotten is still something that is worth cherishing for as long as we have it.
Rating: A-
You can watch the first episode of Los Espookys Season 2 starting September 16 on HBO Max, with the remaining five episodes released weekly.