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In a peaceful suburb of Dublin, an individual is standing on the pavement, sporting a tank top and sharing his thoughts. “I notice my voice is fading. Less noticeable,” states the main character, staring into the darkness. “Circumstances have evolved and at this point it seems if I don’t do something, my life will proceed in this minor, harmless existence.” Hungry Paul, his closest and only friend, considers these words. “That's perfectly fine,” he responds, his dressing gown moving with the wind. “Better than trying to make a mark only to wind up defacing it.”

For viewers exhausted by the bluster and constant stimulation of modern television landscape, the show comes as a foil blanket and a comforting beverage of Ribena.

In line with its quiet characters, this comedy – a six-episode show created by the writing duo, adapted from the author’s quiet book – casts a critical eye at modern life; peering skeptically above its spectacles toward anything related to unnecessary noise, quick actions or – perish the thought – excessive aspiration. The program on the contrary, a celebration of shyness; a quiet celebration of those content to amble along out of the spotlight. However. The character (another uniquely quirky portrayal from the star) is unsettled. He notices a creeping “need to open the openings of my life … a little.” The recent death of his mother has whisked the rug away from his feet and Leonard, an anonymous author, now realizes doubting the paths that have brought him to his current situation (unattached; with a protective mustache; writing multiple educational volumes for an employer who signs off emails using the words “goodbye for now”).

Therefore Leonard starts himself on a quest for personal satisfaction, with the slightly bolder Paul (the actor) functioning as his close companion, mentor and co-conspirator in a recurring gaming session functioning as both discussion (“Is the pool warm due to children urinating, or is it that kids pee as it's heated?”) and refuge.

(Why “Hungry” Paul? It's unclear. The source of the nickname appears lost to the mists of time. Perhaps he once ate a snack unusually quickly, or answered to an awkward situation by panic-peeling several snacks using his teeth).

Arriving in Leonard's calm existence bursts Shelley (the actress), a new lively colleague who cheerily offers to eliminate Leonard’s appalling boss (the actor) during the office fire drill. That whooshing sound you can hear is Leonard’s gentle world being turned upside down.

Elsewhere during the opening installment of a series focused less on story and centered around what a modern audience could describe as “mood”, we meet the older generation (the brilliant the performer), a worn-out individual who covertly observes, records then replays daytime quiz shows to dazzle his adoring wife using his trivia skills.

Leading viewers amidst this subtle warmth we hear a narrator that is unmistakably – and, indeed, very much is – the famous actress. Indeed, Julia Roberts. Should you wonder, “certainly the inclusion of a major Hollywood star contradicts the program's low-key style and initially serves only as a diversion?” you're right. However, Roberts acquits herself well, and phrases like “The issue with Leonard is his absence of an expression of discovery” help ensure that initial doubts yield if not full admiration, then at minimum tolerance.

But that’s enough grumbling at this time. The series' spirit is in the right place: the right place being “located on a seat alongside similar shows, indicating its preferred bird.” This is a show that moves gently in its sleeveless jumper, at times staring into space, sometimes downward at its slippers, calmly assured that nothing is on Earth as heartening as passing time with dear pals.

Open the doors and windows in your existence, slightly, and let it in.