The second season of the dramedy with a social conscience starts off fairly well – the lazy storytelling and cheap laughs of season one jettisoned for a more structured narrative.
Billionaire Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph) still remains incredibly wealthy but has announced she intends to give all her money away with a focus on a string of buildings across the country catering for the homeless. Head of Novak’s foundation, Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) is all steam ahead for the project but is campaigning for Molly to bring into the fold more of her fellow billionaires for increased reach.
The one-dimensional Sofia is thankfully less prevalent in season two – love with musician Isaac (O-T Fagbenle) a distraction. So it’s Molly and her hip life-style advisor Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster) who remain central although Molly’s uncertain relationship with employee Arthur (Nat Faxon) ebbs and flows throughout the season. But it’s Howard (Ron Funches) and his dry, off-kilter wit and commentary that comes to the fore – his new involvement in the showmanship of wrestling taking Loot into a different direction.
Sadly, ten episodes appear too much for consistency and by the eighth, Loot has slipped once more into squirm inducing embarrassments. Nicholas and Howard have become friends with the latter helping Nicholas find his birth mother: an ill-advised scene of a drunken Nicholas on the phone to Korea plummets the series to a new low. Even Molly’s overly indulgent adventures with fellow billionaire Grace (Ana Gasteyer) are (just) funnier.
Bloated and hit and miss, Loot has its charm – and Molly is incredibly likeable. But it does not quite acheive what it sets out to do.
Rating: 40%
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