Summary
Tires doubles in length for Season 2, offering up the same kind of juvenile theatrics but also great new characters and consistent laughs.
I’m perfectly happy to admit that enjoying Tires is contingent on liking the comedy of Shane Gillis. Granted, Gillis co-created the show alongside co-star Steve Gerben and director John McKeever, but it’s very much the Gillis brand of humour through and through – emotional immaturity, weapons-grade petulance, but something surprising and interesting lurking beneath it all, especially here in Season 2.
This twelve-episode follow-up – twice the size of Season 1 – largely follows the first outing’s loose, unstructured vibe, but the overarching story and character development, such as it’s there, benefits from the expanded runtime. Most episodes have a one-off gimmick – a HR presentation, a black mold outbreak – but are threaded with more serialized storytelling involving the fate of Valley Forge Automotive Center and its eccentric staff, especially after Will’s (Gerben) successful discount tire pitch at the end of Season 1, a leadership changeover, and the introduction of Shane’s (Gillis) father, Phil, played by a scene-stealing Thomas Haden Church.
The usual cast are all present and accounted for, including Cal (Chris O’Connor), Kilah (Kilah Fox), and delusional general manager Dave (Stavros Halkias), but it’s the new additions who give this season texture. Shane pursues a relationship with a caterer named Kelly (Veronika Slowikowska, Exmas) who shares his sense of humour, and it’s funny and a little awkward watching him trying to navigate that without becoming the butt of the kind of joke he’d usually tell at someone else’s expense. And Will develops an odd friendship with a tire salesman, Ryan (Ryan Farrell), who initially seems like he’s trying to rip Valley Forge off but reveals himself to be a surprisingly tender and misunderstood outsider who offers a rare note of sincerity in a sea of juvenile frat house theatrics.
But it’s the aforementioned Phil who really kicks Tires Season 2 into gear. I initially assumed he was going to be a cameo explaining why Shane is the way he is, but he quickly becomes a recurring character who takes on a prominent role at Valley Forge in a desperate attempt to bond with Shane, who can’t stand his efforts to interfere in his career and love life. Speaking of which, Shane’s career provides an interesting subplot, since Will keeps pushing him to become a manager instead of a mechanic, but he’s reluctant because he’s clearly nervous of stepping outside of his comfort zone and risking failing – a fear that obviously stems from his relationship with Phil.
Shane Gillis and Veronika Slowikowska in Tires Season 2 | Image via Netflix
Phil and Shane have a bunch of great scenes together, including one where they’re both dressed as George Washington during a Revolutionary War-themed rebranding exercise – remember when I said that Tires is very much a Shane Gillis show? – and the show benefits immensely from Haden Church’s presence and the increased focus on Shane. But it’s still fundamentally the same knockabout sitcom it was in Season 1, for better and worse. It’s very consistently funny – if you’re into this style of humour, which I get a lot of people aren’t – and also very consistently unconcerned with being anything other than a Gillisized blue-collar version of The Office.
But I’d still argue that there’s a little bit more depth involved than it’ll necessarily get credit for. The reason we like these characters is that they have real affection for each other. For all his ribbing, Shane consistently has Will’s back and vice versa; their constant attempts to cover for each other’s failings are typically what causes the carnage Tires burns for fuel. Repeatedly, the show proves it’s on the right side of things by taking aim at bullying workplace archetypes, and even hammers a dorky grindset influencer through a short but sweet Vince Vaughn cameo.
I like Tires Season 2, in other words, and I strongly suspect it’ll be a mega-hit like the first season was. And why not? Not every show needs to reinvent the wheel, and there’s something to be said for a laidback sitcom that is happy to be a laidback sitcom instead of a sneaky vehicle for social commentary. It isn’t trying to be offensive, but doesn’t care if it is, which is perhaps just as well since I’m sure it’ll upset plenty of people regardless, and it offers a bunch of very funny people and scenarios in a digestible format that breezes by without issue. What more do you need?
