If Marmite came from Tipperary and never left the house without a trusty pair of boot-cut jeans, the results would look a lot like rural comedy duo the 2 Johnnies. You can love them or hate them – but everyone will agree there’s no in-between. Nobody has ever been on the fence about the 2 Johnnies.
Some will see the partnership of Johnny McMahon (“Johnny Smacks”) and Johnny O’Brien (“Johnny B”) as a welcome embodiment of a “real” Ireland we seldom encounter on our screens (or on the airwaves, during their brief tenure on 2FM). Others may feel they fit a little too neatly into a some Dubliner’s idea of what a “country” person should look like – cheerfully guileless, and obsessed with GAA and carverys. In that regard, they function as a sort of Dublin comfort blanket – a reassurance life beyond the M50 is a hellscape of county colours and non-ironic mullets.
Whichever camp you belong to, there’s no denying their popularity. They’ve sold out arenas, released a hit single and are now back for a second season of The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In (RTÉ2, Thursday, 9.35pm). It features a boozy crowd and 1990s-style zany camera angles that recall TGI Friday on Channel 4 (without the constant threat of the Stereophonics popping along for a song).
The saving grace is that McMahon and O’Brien appear at least vaguely in on the joke. It could all be an act but they come across as down-to-earth, bordering on humble, as they welcome guests Jamie Lee O’Donnell of Derry Girls and comedians Jason Byrne and Gearóid Farrelly.
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The interviews are perfunctory and the real heart of the episode is the various skits. In one, the audience is invited to guess whether a stranger on the street is from Dublin or beyond. Another has a punter from Donegal and Leitrim answering questions about their local parish.
Late Night Lock In is harmless fun, and everyone involved appears to be enjoying themselves. It surely isn’t the most expensive show to put on air either, and you can’t blame RTÉ for commissioning a second season.
Nor can you condemn McMahon and O’Brien for cashing in.
But it is aimed at a distinctive demographic – and obviously everyone involved is having a good time on the show. But for the rest of us watching, it isn’t long before you just want it to end.
[ A large swathe of the country looks at the 2 Johnnies and sees themselvesOpens in new window ]
