Leonard & Hungry Paul Overview: A Soothing Show Featuring the Voice of the Hollywood Star Provides an Ideal Remedy to Today's World

In a peaceful area of Dublin, a man can be found in his driveway, sporting a tank top and voicing his feelings. “It seems like myself getting quieter. More invisible,” states the main character, gazing into the darkness. “One thing’s led to another and currently I feel like if I don’t do something, I’ll just carry on in this quiet, unremarkable life.” Hungry Paul, his only and only friend, ponders this statement. “Nothing wrong with that,” he replies, his bathrobe swaying gently. “Superior to attempting to leave an impact only to wind up defacing it.”

For anyone tired by the bluster and fast pace of today’s TV landscape, Leonard and Hungry Paul steps in as a cozy wrap with a hot drink of blackcurrant juice.

Like its gentle leads, Leonard and Hungry Paul – a six-part show written by the writing duo, inspired by the author’s subtle book – casts a critical eye toward today's world; gazing skeptically above its spectacles at anything in the way of loud sounds, quick actions or – perish the thought – excessive aspiration. The series on the contrary, a celebration of shyness; a subtle homage for those content to pootle around out of the spotlight. However. He (another uniquely quirky turn by the actor) is unsettled. He senses a growing “desire to unlock the doors and windows in my existence … a little.” The recent death of his parent has whisked the rug from under his slippers and Leonard, a ghost writer, now feels doubting the choices which led him to where he is (alone; sporting facial hair; working on several educational volumes for a boss who concludes messages saying “see you later”).

Therefore Leonard starts himself on a quest for emotional fulfilment, alongside his more outgoing friend Paul (the actor) functioning as his trusted friend, mentor and co-conspirator in a recurring game night that serves both as symposium (“Does the pool feel warm because kids pee in it, or do kids pee in it because it’s warm?”) and refuge.

(What's the origin of "Hungry" Paul? It's unclear. The beginning of the nickname appears lost in history. It could be that Paul once ate some food unusually quickly, or answered to a tense moment by panic-peeling some food items with his teeth).

Into Leonard’s gentle world comes a vibrant character (the performer), a recent energetic co-worker who cheerily offers to kill the awful manager (the actor) at a fire practice. The swift movement you can hear is Leonard’s gentle world experiencing a revolution.

Elsewhere during the opening installment of a series focused less on story and more on what the under-30s could describe as “vibes”, we are introduced to Hungry Paul’s dad (the ever-wonderful the actor), a battered sofa of a man who covertly observes, tapes and rewatches trivia competitions to dazzle his devoted partner through his fact recall.

Shepherding us amidst this subtle warmth we hear a narrator who closely resembles – and, indeed, very much is – the famous actress. Yes, Julia Roberts. If you are thinking, “certainly the use of a big-name celebrity clashes with the program's low-key style and starts off as just a diversion?” you would be correct. Still, the actress performs admirably, and dialogue such as “Leonard's challenge is his absence of a look of sudden insight” assist in making sure that initial doubts yield if not quite to appreciation, then at minimum tolerance.

Enough complaining at this time. Leonard and Hungry Paul’s heart has good intentions: that place is “located on a seat in the company of gentle comedies, showing the duck it loves.” This is a show that ambles along in comfortable attire, occasionally looking up at the stars, at other times looking at its feet, calmly assured that there is nothing on Earth as uplifting as being alongside close companions.

Throw open the portals within your world, just a bit, and welcome it inside.