Stoner detective sitcom series Bored to Death returns for a second season, and while the first season was something of a slow burner, this one starts off at the canter that the first season culminated in.

The incredibly hard to spell core trio of Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galafanakis and Ted Danson return in force, and they continue to provide the bulk of the series’ selling points. Their laconic interplay remains fun whilst being built on and evolved, with Danson’s neuroses continuing to play beautifully off the laid back sensibilities of the other two as they all get increasingly in over their heads.

Galafanakis in particular gives his standard loveable simpleton shtick an amusingly introspective edge. He’s bolstered by some excellent writing – it’s only occasionally laugh out loud funny, but it’s consistently amusing throughout the series.

The situations that our heroes find themselves in are a little ridiculous – the season opens with a contrivance that sees Jonathan (Schwartzman) chaps-deep in an S&M dungeon and escalates itself from there – but the silly story-lines are juxtaposed against dialogue that practically escapes from the character’s mouths on a Lay-z-Boy.

Come the third episode, where the ramifications of the S&M escapade are swirled into one of the characters receiving some rather bad news, the show really hits its stride, both in terms of story-telling and comedy. Choice quotes abound – ‘I don’t procrastinate! I just like to do things later!’ – and the stories all wrap themselves up nicely, whilst maintaining nicely developing character arcs.

It makes a pleasant change to the almost relentlessly downbeat dramas we’re in the midst of at the moment that Bored to Death never darkens its tone beyond mild melodrama and occasional peril, but both are handled with a tongue in cheek, a spark in the dialogue and a sly wit in the way that the various situations thicken the plot.

Once again, the only weakness of the series is that it’s as fleeting as a cloud of…*ahem*… ‘herbal’ smoke, and it never really reaches any particular heights, nor does it stumble into any lows, remaining at a consistent level of entertaining throughout. It never truly leaves an impression beyond a few particularly amusing lines – but it’s a little difficult to hold this against it.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first series, this will continue to entertain you. If you weren’t sold, this won’t do enough different to sway you onto it. But it’s still a fun slice of easy comedy, and I can think of worse ways to spend 8 half hour episodes.

Released on DVD on Monday 25th June 2012 by Warner Home Video.

> Buy the Season 2 boxset on Amazon.

What did you think of Season 2? Let us know below…