Leonard and Hungry Paul Review: A Gentle Show Featuring the Voice of the Hollywood Star Provides an Ideal Cure to Today's World

In a peaceful neighborhood of Dublin, a person is standing on the pavement, sporting a vest and voicing his concerns. “I notice I'm becoming more silent. More invisible,” remarks Leonard, staring into the darkness. “One thing’s led to another and currently I believe unless I take action, I will continue in this simple, peaceful routine.” Hungry Paul, Leonard’s best confidant, reflects on these words. “That's perfectly fine,” he answers, his bathrobe moving in the breeze. “Preferable to attempting to leave an impact and ending up damaging things.”

For anyone exhausted by the bluster and rat-tat-tat of today’s TV landscape, this series comes as a cozy wrap and warming mug of Ribena.

Like its quiet characters, this comedy – a six-part comedy developed by Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson, adapted from the author’s quiet book – looks disapprovingly at modern life; looking skeptically through its eyewear toward anything that involves disturbances, abrupt changes or – goodness forbid – too much drive. This show rather, an ode to introversion; a subtle homage of those satisfied to amble along out of the spotlight. However. Leonard (one more distinctly original performance by the actor) is unsettled. He feels a creeping “need to open the doors and windows of my life … just a bit.” The loss of his parent has yanked the floor out from under him and this young man, a ghost writer, now realizes questioning the decisions that directed him to his current situation (alone; sporting facial hair; writing a range of educational volumes for an employer who signs off messages using the words “ciao for now”).

Therefore Leonard begins on a journey for personal satisfaction, with the slightly bolder friend Paul (the actor) acting as his trusted friend, life coach and co-conspirator during their regular board games evening which acts as debate (“Is the water heated due to children urinating, or do kids pee in it because it’s warm?”) and safe space.

(How did Paul get his nickname? The reason is unknown. The origin of this name seems forgotten in history. Perhaps he previously devoured some food very fast, or responded to a socially fraught incident by nervously peeling some food items by biting into them).

Entering Leonard's quiet life comes Shelley (the actress), a new energetic colleague who lightheartedly proposes to kill the awful manager (Paul Reid) during the office fire drill. The swift movement audible signals Leonard's peaceful routine experiencing a revolution.

In another part in the initial show of this program focused less on story and more by what younger viewers could describe as “atmosphere”, viewers encounter Paul's father (the consistently great the actor), a tired character who privately views, tapes and rewatches daytime quiz shows to impress his devoted partner using his trivia skills.

Leading viewers through all this gentle kindness we hear a narrator who closely resembles – and, indeed, very much is – the famous actress. Yes, Julia Roberts. In case you're considering, “surely the inclusion of a major Hollywood star is at odds with the program's low-key style and at first acts merely as a diversion?” that's accurate. Nevertheless, the actress performs admirably, and dialogue such as “Leonard's challenge is his absence of an expression of discovery” assist in making sure that early misgivings fade if not full admiration, then at least acceptance.

Enough complaining at this time. The series' spirit has good intentions: the right place being “resting on a bench next to the Detectorists, indicating its preferred bird.” The program that strolls leisurely wearing its simple clothes, occasionally looking up at the stars, sometimes downward at its slippers, calmly assured that there is nothing in life as cheering as passing time with good friends.

Open the doors and windows of your life, a little, and allow it entry.

Dustin Jackson
Dustin Jackson

A passionate casino analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online slots and sharing gaming strategies for German players.