Review: 'Doom Patrol' Makes the Leap to HBO Max For Season Two

The strangest heroes of all... just got stranger! in "Doom Patrol" Season 2 premiering on HBO Max, the Original Series from the mind of super-producer Greg Berlanti, the executive producer behind The CW network's primetime line-up of DC Comics favorites, continues to push every boundary and expectation on this series of an unconventional family of misfits that don't necessarily want to save the world, not when they can't even save themselves! Their uncanny adventures have seen the team travel to the darkest regions of the imagination and through decades of backstory, and now they're back for more!

Cliff Steel the Robotman (Brandan Fraser), Rita Farr the Elastic-Woman (April Bowlby), and Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) are determined to do right by their newest addition, Dorothy the Ape-Faced Girl (Abigail Shapiro). After escaping their miniaturized captivity at the hands of their nemesis, Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk), life barely has a chance to return to normal (whatever that is) when things start getting even weirder. Dorothy has a new home, as do all of her imaginary friends and fiends, but given the world of the Doom Patrol there's always someone or something, a mystery or conundrum, minutes away from tearing them apart.

The group has uncovered the awful truth: Dr. Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) their mentor and benefactor, is dying! The only way to save his life is to track down one of the new season's "big bad guys" the mysteriously elusive Doctor Tyme – a supervillain who harbors an alien element that can control time itself, but that's only the beginning of their problems. The heroes will also face the horrors of the inter-dimensional menace that calls himself Red Jack, who has been keeping a close eye on Niles Caulder and wants to recruit him for his own dark means. "Doom Patrol" benefits from keeping off of network television, and is able to take storytelling risks.

Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), The Negative Man and Vic Stone (Joivan Wade), the heroic Cyborg are also finding that their lives outside of the Doom Patrol require some attention as they both wrestle with some deeply personal developments. "Doom Patrol" is widely engaging and benefits from staying very close to the source material, which for fans of the Grant Morrison run of the comics is a real treat to see come to life. "Doom Patrol" is unlike its contemporaries in the genre, and may well be a stand-out because it takes such imaginative bends, but it still sits perfectly alongside hit series like "The Flash" and "Titans."

Though if you prefer the more traditional superhero story arcs, then stick to the newest in the line "Stargirl" which takes a more accessible approach and will appeal to every member of the family. "Doom Patrol" is a different kind of family, flawed and with cracks, and even as they fight to protect the world from the bad guys, they still face their own demons – sometimes going to those dark places requires the greatest courage. "Doom Patrol" Season 2 makes the mainstream leap joining the content of new offerings on the HBO Max subscriber service, but will also premiere on its original home on the companion service "DC Universe."

"Doom Patrol" Season 2
an Original Series on HBO Max.