Acapulco S2 | Channel

SHOW:

Acapulco

WHERE TO WATCH:

Apple TV+

OUR RATING:

4/5 Stars

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Following the events of New Year’s Eve, season 2 follows Maximo as he enters a new year at Las Colinas, and the older Maximo tries to reckon with his past. 

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

Acapulco was one of the most underrated comedies of the last year. It deserved to be celebrated as much as Apple TV+’s other big comedy Ted Lasso, but it feels like it is always falling under the radar. Well, if the reviews after season one weren’t enough to get you watching, I’m here to say that season two is even better. 

Season one ended with Maximo (Enrique Arrizon) revealing his feelings to Julia (Camila Perez) but her accepting her boyfriend Chad’s (Chord Overstreet) proposal on New Year’s Eve. Determined to move on from his heartbreak as well as not getting the promotion he was working towards, and his fallout with his mentor Don Pablo (Damián Alcázar), Maximo starts the new year on a positive note. Don Pablo forgives him and tells him he wants to help him become indispensable to resort owner Diane (Jessica Collins); he moves on to a potential new love interest Isabel (Gabriela Milla), and with Hector (Rafael Cebrián) being promoted, there is an extra position at the pool for his best friend Memo (Fernando Carsa). We watch as the innocent Maximo we met in season one becomes more corrupted by his ambition. 

In my review of the first season, I noted that the present-day storyline was my least favourite aspect of the series. The show is framed by the present-day Maximo (Eugenio Derbez) telling the story of his life to his nephew Hugo (Raphael Alejandro) in How I Met Your Mother style. But season two completely changed my view on this. Instead of older Maximo and Hugo just sitting at Maximo’s mansion, the two go on a trip to Acapulco accompanied by Maximo’s employee Joe (Will Sasso). This shows more of a link between the two stories as we see older Maximo trying to come to grips with his past and present. It serves less as a life lesson for Hugo and more about Maximo himself, trying to remember his values and trying to make amends. I found myself looking forward to these scenes. Derbez also does an amazing job of showing older Maximo’s vulnerabilities and struggles as he walks the paths that he did as a young man. 

As the older Maximo softens, we watch the younger Maximo harden and start making some dubious decisions. It was difficult to see how the innocent and well-meaning Maximo from the 80s turned out to be a ruthless businessman. But season two bridged this gap a lot and showed Maximo’s ambitious nature and how a new character becomes a sort of mentor to him. We also learn about how certain situations cause him to make difficult decisions. It is compelling to watch, and because we know that he is not on good terms with most of the former staff at Las Colinas, it will be interesting to watch how he goes from golden boy to enemy number one. 

Just like last season, a lot of the emotional pull of the series has to do with Maximo’s home life. His mother, Nora (Vanessa Bauche), has recovered from eye surgery, but there is still a bill to pay, but she also realises what it is like to open herself up to date for the first time. And then there is his sister Sara (Regina Reynoso), who is trying to hide the fact that she is a lesbian from her very religious mother. The drama that ensues between the two pulls on the heartstrings and helps to tell a very beautiful story about family and love. 

Even characters who were sidelined in the first season, like Diane, Chad and Hector, get more complex storylines this season. We learn more about their motivations, their backgrounds and how certain things affect them. And we begin to care about them in a way that makes this a truly great workplace ensemble comedy. So that even when they are working against what Maximo wants, we still root for them. 

Acapulco is a fun and tender (but still hilarious) comedy series. It reminds me of the network sitcoms that were popular in the 90s before the binge era, as each episode is solid and funny enough to stand on its own while still giving us enough that we can’t wait to tune into the next episode. It’s bright, colourful, and full of catchy Spanish versions of popular 80s songs, and it is definitely the type of show you don’t want to miss the boat on.