Leonard and Hungry Paul Analysis: A Gentle Show With Narration from Julia Roberts Offers the Perfect Remedy to Modern Life

In a quiet area of the Irish capital, an individual can be found in his driveway, dressed in a sleeveless jumper and voicing his thoughts. “It seems like my voice is fading. Less noticeable,” says Leonard, staring up at the night sky. “Events have unfolded and at this point it seems without a change, I will continue in this minor, harmless existence.” His friend Paul, Leonard’s best and only friend, reflects on the idea. “That's perfectly fine,” he answers, his dressing gown moving with the wind. “Preferable to attempting to leave an impact and causing harm instead.”

For viewers weary by the noise and rat-tat-tat of today’s TV offerings, this series steps in similar to a warm cover and warming mug of a sweet cordial.

Similar to its gentle leads, the series – a half-dozen installment program written by Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson, inspired by the author’s understated 2019 novel – takes a dim view at modern life; looking disapprovingly above its eyewear on everything related to loud sounds, sudden movements or – perish the thought – an abundance of ambition. This show is, instead, a celebration of shyness; a gentle tribute for those satisfied to amble along out of the spotlight. And yet. Leonard (a further distinctly original performance by the actor) is unsettled. He feels a creeping “urge to throw open the openings in my existence … a little.” The loss of his beloved mother has pulled the carpet out from under him and this young man, a writer for others, now finds himself doubting the paths which led him to his current situation (unattached; with a protective mustache; working on a range of educational volumes for an employer who ends messages using the words “goodbye for now”).

And so Leonard begins on a journey for personal satisfaction, alongside his more outgoing Paul (the actor) serving as his close companion, life coach and partner in a weekly board games evening which acts as symposium (“Is the pool warm because kids pee in it, or do children urinate as it's heated?”) and safe space.

(What's the origin of "Hungry" Paul? The reason is unknown. The beginning of the moniker appears lost in history. Maybe Paul once ate a sandwich unusually quickly, or reacted to a socially fraught incident by nervously peeling four scotch eggs using his teeth).

Entering Leonard's quiet life cartwheels a vibrant character (the performer), a recent spring-loaded associate who happily suggests to get rid of the awful manager (the actor) during the office fire drill. That whooshing sound audible is Leonard’s gentle world experiencing a revolution.

In another part in the initial show of this program focused less on story and more on what younger viewers could describe as “atmosphere”, we meet the older generation (the consistently great the performer), a battered sofa of a man who covertly observes, records then replays daytime quiz shows to impress his loving spouse using his trivia skills.

Guiding viewers throughout this minor-key niceness is a narrator that is unmistakably – and, indeed, very much is – Julia Roberts. Truly, Julia Roberts. In case you're considering, “undoubtedly the inclusion of a big-name celebrity clashes with the show's modest approach and starts off as just an interruption?” you're right. However, Roberts does a good job, and lines for example “Leonard’s problem is his absence of a ‘eureka’ face” contribute to ensuring that first reservations yield if not quite to appreciation, then at least acceptance.

Enough complaining for now. The series' spirit has good intentions: that place is “located on a seat alongside similar shows, indicating the duck it loves.” It’s a series that strolls leisurely in its sleeveless jumper, sometimes gazing upward at the stars, at other times looking toward the ground, quietly confident that no experience is in life as heartening as being alongside dear pals.

Unlock the entryways in your existence, just a bit, and let it in.