Netflix is known for finding diamonds in the rough and at one point basically green lighting anything that came across the development team’s desk, but the landscape isn’t the same as 10 years ago when the streamer had a stranglehold on series binging.
The first season of “Tires” captured something special. Creator Shane Gillis funded the series himself, and the 6 episode starter pack was about the length of a long movie. The strength of the show and what made it so popular in season 1 was the fast format and the quick laughs, but season 2 clearly shows off some ‘Netflix cash’. Warning, beyond this point there are spoilers for “Tires” season 2.
The strength of the show and what made it so popular in season 1 was the fast format
and the quick laughs, but season 2 clearly shows off some ‘Netflix cash’.”
What happened in between seasons, which surprisingly were only a year apart, was that the series was now picked up by Netflix. Gillis and his team now had a bigger budget, but also double the episodes of season 1. The season starts off strong, with lots of funny moments catching us up to how the gang over at Valley Forge Tires is handling their newfound success.
Each character deals with the increase in revenue (and responsibility) differently, with hilarious results to show for it. Shane (played by Gillis) buying a gun for no reason and being incredibly careless with it is a great side story, but the main story seemed very stretched out. Halfway through the season, the laughs felt fewer and farther between, while adding Thomas Hayden Church as Shane’s rich dad didn’t hit the notes we thought. The reveal does give more insight into Shane’s character, but also make his self-inflicted struggle less redeeming.
Will (Steve Gerben) really steeped up this season with his awkward humor and a few callbacks from season 1 make his character impossible not to watch while cringing and waiting for the next insult to his psyche, manhood or general being. Dave (Stavros Halkias) shines as an inexplicable ladies man, but seemed absent during a good chunk of the episodes. The budding relationship between Cal (Chris O’ Connor) and Kilah (Kilah Fox) was a subtle build up, but didn’t land as the Jim and Pam of Tires…if that’s what Gillis was going for.
Other notable guest stars include Vince Vaughn and Jon Lovitz, but neither had a significant impact on the story aside from some guaranteed laughs.
The series was already renewed for Season 3 ahead of Season 2, but if the road continues in this direction, there may not be many episodes left of what was one of the funniest shows on Netflix last year.
Overall, the season was great and the only issue we have is the drop off of quality plus a stretched out story. Is this the norm now? As attention spans are shorter and shorter while vertical short formats have captured the minds of YouTube and TikTok, is stretching things out really the best strategy for TV content in an ever changing media landscape? We don’t think so, but time and renewals will tell us the whole truth.
Was “Tires” everything it could’ve been in it’s sophomore season? Or do we need shorter more concentrated episodes that don’t focus so much on a long term storyline? With season 3 expected sometime in 2026 we’ll have to wait to find out, but Gillis will definitely be doing everything he can to keep the automotive workplace comedy running on all cylinders. Did you see “Tires” season 2? Should Shane have done better with his love interest? Why is Dave so appealing to the ladies? Will Valley Forge flourish or flounder?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
