In the second season of The Kominsky Method octogenarian Hollywood agent Norman Newlander (Alan Arkin) attends an acquaintance’s funeral, and leaves having reconnected with an old flame. This type of gallows humour is to be expected from the Chuck Lorre-created comedy, which uses certain uncomfortable elements of aging to bolster the most lighthearted moments. But what really propels the new season of The Kominsky Method is how the truly awful things about getting older – the death of those closest to us and coming to grips with our own mortality in the face of health scares – seriously bind Sandy and Norman, showcasing a type of deeply vulnerable friendship that historically hasn’t been given a lot of screen time when its shared by men of a certain age. And this season takes a slightly more nuanced approach to mining the men’s differences by focusing on their perceived similarities, pulling on the threads that connect them, and laying them bare for viewers. It’s something of a risk for The Kominsky Method to not add several new characters in season 2. It’s still one of Netflix’s best comedies. And when it finds time to explore the notion of death and the many indignities of getting older with a sense of humour, it’s a pleasure to watch. Though it seems at times as if the show is working at cross purposes with regard to its humour and its storyline, there’s still enough of what makes the series so good to find yourself caught up in.

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