Bernard Black runs a book shop, though his customer service skills leave something to be desired. He hires Manny as an employee. Fran runs the shop next door. Between the three of them many adventures ensue.
There is no triumphant send-off or big event that transpires: it's just another episode. Then the show ends. As a viewer, it's maddening. From an absurdist standpoint, however, the lack of resolution makes perfect sense: it's just like life itself.
It's everything that makes the show special, unafraid to jump straight to the surreal to get a joke across, while rejecting the shiny-shiny trappings of more aspirational US sitcoms, where even the worst character has a heart of gold buried somewhere.
For all its caustic wit, the cracking trio of Moran, Bailey (whom Spaced devotees will recognize as Pegg's comic-store boss), and Greig does a fine job of clearing some of the darker clouds-emphasis on some.
