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In a quiet suburb of the city, a man is standing outside his home, sporting a sleeveless jumper and expressing his thoughts. “I feel myself getting quieter. Harder to see,” remarks the protagonist, looking up at the night sky. “Circumstances have evolved and currently I believe unless I take action, I’ll just carry on in this quiet, unremarkable life.” Paul, his only confidant, reflects on these words. “Nothing wrong with that,” he replies, his dressing gown moving gently. “Superior to striving for recognition only to wind up defacing it.”

For those tired by the bluster and constant stimulation of today’s TV terrain, the show comes similar to a warm cover with a hot drink of Ribena.

Similar to its quiet characters, this comedy – a six-part comedy written by its authors, based on the novelist’s subtle book – casts a critical eye toward today's world; peering skeptically above its prematurely middle-aged glasses at anything in the way of disturbances, abrupt changes or – heaven forfend – excessive aspiration. This show on the contrary, a celebration of shyness; a gentle tribute to people happy to wander out of the spotlight. However. The character (another distinctly original performance from the star) is unsettled. He notices a growing “desire to unlock the doors and windows of my life … a little.” The loss of his parent has whisked the rug out from under him and this young man, a writer for others, now feels reconsidering the paths that directed him to this point (alone; with a protective mustache; working on a range of educational volumes for a boss who signs off emails using the words “goodbye for now”).

Thus Leonard starts an exploration for personal satisfaction, alongside his more outgoing Paul (the actor) acting as his close companion, mentor and partner in a recurring game night that serves both as debate (“Does the pool feel warm because kids pee in it, or do kids pee in it because it’s warm?”) and refuge.

(Why “Hungry” Paul? No idea. The origin of this name seems forgotten in mystery. It could be that Paul previously devoured a sandwich very fast, or answered to an awkward situation by panic-peeling several snacks by biting into them).

Entering Leonard's quiet life cartwheels a vibrant character (the actress), a new lively co-worker who cheerily offers to eliminate the awful manager (the character) at a fire practice. The rushing noise noticeable represents Leonard's calm life experiencing a revolution.

In other scenes in the first episode of a series driven less by plot and more by what younger viewers could describe as “mood”, we meet Paul's father (the consistently great the performer), a battered sofa of a man who privately views, saves and reviews daytime quiz shows to amaze his loving spouse with his general knowledge.

Shepherding the audience through all this minor-key niceness is a narrator who closely resembles – and truly is – the famous actress. Indeed, Julia Roberts. If you are thinking, “certainly the use of such a famous actor clashes with the series’ unshowy MO and starts off as just an interruption?” you would be correct. Nevertheless, the actress performs admirably, and lines for example “Leonard’s problem is the missing a look of sudden insight” help ensure that initial doubts give way though not complete approval, then at minimum tolerance.

No more criticism for now. The show's core is in the right place: the right place being “located on a seat in the company of gentle comedies, pointing out its preferred bird.” It’s a series that ambles along in its sleeveless jumper, occasionally looking up toward the sky, at other times looking at its feet, calmly assured that there is nothing in life as cheering as being in the company of close companions.

Throw open the portals in your existence, slightly, and welcome it inside.