'Flight of the Conchords' review

The last time we left Bret and Jemaine, they’d been cast aside by their manager, Murray, for his new band, the "Crazy Dogggz.” Even their biggest fan, Mel, abandoned them. There was nothing left for them to do but dance!

“Flight of the Conchords” takes the appropriate steps in the first episode to address these matters, but circumstances expectedly find themselves back at status quo. The new season is a retread of the first, with the hapless duo looking for love, money and gigs—typically to no avail.

So far, real life has been much sweeter for their alter egos. The duo took their catchy tunes from the first series, parlayed them into an album and a sold-out tour and became one of the hottest commodities in hipster pop culture. With only 12 episodes under its belt, the show is already something of a cultural phenomenon, but most fans are skeptical that their new material won’t come close to the old stuff.

The buzz: Season two’s paltry 10 episodes may not seem like enough “Conchords” to satisfy you, but the boys aren’t so hot on continuing the series much further. In a recent interview with British music magazine Q, Bret and Jemaine admitted that they’ve found it much more difficult to write songs for the second season and don’t know if they’ll be up to the task again.

The verdict: You can tell the new songs didn’t come as naturally, because they aren’t as dependably funny—or totally groove-tastic—as in the first season. But as much as some might argue the opposite, “Flight of the Conchords” isn’t about the music; it’s about Bret and Jemaine’s awkward trials, trying to make it in the business and in America. And that’s something the show still manages to execute quite perfectly.

Did you know? They can mock “The Lord of the Rings” all they want, but the truth is that Bret had minor roles in both “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Return of the King.”

"Flight of the Conchords" premieres Sunday, Jan. 18, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.