Looking at reviews on here, it looks like this premiered SOMEWHERE maybe a year ago, but around here it premiered only a few months ago, with maybe a week between seasons, so it's rather easy to compare. The title nicely fits the premise of season 1, Heaven is an office with departments, with Buscemi's God being the goofball CEO. Fun. And loved seeing Radcliffe in something else. We mainly follow two angels trying to pull off a miracle (where they're limited to techniques that don't automatically prove there's a heaven). I found it fun and funny, and as someone gleefully without religion, religious topics usually don't interest me, but that wasn't a problem here.
Cut to season 2, subtitled The Dark Ages. The subtitle likewise neatly explains the setup. But EVERYTHING from season 1 is gone! No god, no angels, no heaven, no divine influence... The only thing in common is the majority of the cast, all in completely different roles! Now, while it's cute that their experimental human from season 1 now gets to interact with the others in season 2 (though we're missing the female experimental human, I found her cute and would like to see more of her. Pity), that isn't anything, really. This is essentially a completely new show! Plus it betrays the title, there's no miracles going on, nobody is "working" on miracles. Plus I miss the magical elements, the Heaven way of doing things here and there.
I can't take off TOO many stars for this weird shift in tone and setting, the new season is still enjoyable (though unquestionably less so, with less and more subtle humour). Radcliffe becomes the new goofball. Buscemi and the female lead become downtrodden peasants (a SIGNIFICANT step down for Buscemi, LOL!). Of course, the focus changing to downtrodden peasants in a backward time has an unpleasant undertone of their sad bleak existence. One cute thing is frequent somewhat subtle references to modern life, converted to Dark Ages, like someone asking Alexa to play music and skip tracks becomes telling a minion the same things and having him sing things for entertainment. It's a cute gimmick, but it inspires a smile at best.
Hopefully if this gets to a Season 3 they'll remember the "Miracle Workers" part of the title "Miracle Workers", LOL!
Cut to season 2, subtitled The Dark Ages. The subtitle likewise neatly explains the setup. But EVERYTHING from season 1 is gone! No god, no angels, no heaven, no divine influence... The only thing in common is the majority of the cast, all in completely different roles! Now, while it's cute that their experimental human from season 1 now gets to interact with the others in season 2 (though we're missing the female experimental human, I found her cute and would like to see more of her. Pity), that isn't anything, really. This is essentially a completely new show! Plus it betrays the title, there's no miracles going on, nobody is "working" on miracles. Plus I miss the magical elements, the Heaven way of doing things here and there.
I can't take off TOO many stars for this weird shift in tone and setting, the new season is still enjoyable (though unquestionably less so, with less and more subtle humour). Radcliffe becomes the new goofball. Buscemi and the female lead become downtrodden peasants (a SIGNIFICANT step down for Buscemi, LOL!). Of course, the focus changing to downtrodden peasants in a backward time has an unpleasant undertone of their sad bleak existence. One cute thing is frequent somewhat subtle references to modern life, converted to Dark Ages, like someone asking Alexa to play music and skip tracks becomes telling a minion the same things and having him sing things for entertainment. It's a cute gimmick, but it inspires a smile at best.
Hopefully if this gets to a Season 3 they'll remember the "Miracle Workers" part of the title "Miracle Workers", LOL!