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In a quiet suburb of the city, a man is standing in his driveway, dressed in a tank top and expressing his concerns. “I feel my voice is fading. Harder to see,” remarks the protagonist, staring up at the night sky. “One thing’s led to another and at this point it seems if I don’t do something, I will continue in this quiet, unremarkable life.” His friend Paul, his only and only friend, ponders the idea. “That's perfectly fine,” he answers, his dressing gown swaying gently. “Superior to striving for recognition only to wind up defacing it.”

For anyone exhausted by the noise and fast pace of current streaming landscape, this series comes as a cozy wrap and warming mug of Ribena.

In line with its harmless protagonists, Leonard and Hungry Paul – a six-episode show developed by Richie Conroy and Mark Hodkinson, based on the author’s understated book – takes a dim view at modern life; looking critically above its spectacles toward anything in the way of loud sounds, quick actions or – perish the thought – excessive aspiration. This show on the contrary, a tribute to quiet people; a subtle homage to people satisfied to pootle around below the parapet. And yet. He (another uniquely quirky portrayal from the star) is unsettled. He notices an increasing “desire to unlock the doors and windows of my life … a little.” The recent death of his beloved mother has yanked the floor away from his feet and this young man, an anonymous author, now realizes doubting the paths that have brought him to this point (single; with a protective mustache; creating a range of kids' reference books for a boss who ends messages using the words “see you later”).

And so Leonard begins himself on a quest for personal satisfaction, alongside his more outgoing friend Paul (the actor) serving as his trusted friend, mentor and ally in a recurring gaming session which acts as discussion (“Is the pool warm from kids relieving themselves, or is it that kids pee as it's heated?”) and safe space.

(What's the origin of "Hungry" Paul? It's unclear. The beginning of the nickname appears lost in history. It could be that the postal worker on one occasion consumed some food very fast, or reacted to a socially fraught incident by nervously peeling several snacks by biting into them).

Into Leonard’s gentle world comes Shelley (the actress), a recent energetic colleague who cheerily offers to kill Leonard’s appalling boss (the character) at a fire practice. The swift movement noticeable is Leonard’s gentle world experiencing a revolution.

In another part in the first episode of a series driven less by plot and centered around what younger viewers may refer to as “atmosphere”, we are introduced to Paul's father (the ever-wonderful the actor), a battered sofa of a man who secretly watches, saves and reviews trivia competitions to amaze his devoted partner through his fact recall.

Guiding the audience amidst this gentle kindness is a narrator that sounds very much like – and truly is – the famous actress. Indeed, Julia Roberts. If you are thinking, “certainly the inclusion of such a famous actor clashes with the program's low-key style and starts off as just a diversion?” that's accurate. Still, Roberts acquits herself well, and dialogue such as “Leonard's challenge is the missing a ‘eureka’ face” contribute to ensuring that first reservations yield though not complete approval, then at minimum tolerance.

No more criticism for now. The series' spirit has good intentions: that place is “resting on a bench alongside similar shows, pointing out its preferred bird.” It’s a series that ambles along wearing its simple clothes, at times staring at the stars, sometimes downward at its feet, quietly confident that no experience is in life as heartening as spending time in the company of close companions.

Throw open the portals in your existence, a little, and allow it entry.