INDIE REELS:Black Books

Cast: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig

Reels: 4

By Paige Lauren Deiner
paige_deiner@themonitor.com 

If you're sick of reality television and still a little bummed that Friends is off the air, Black Books is for you. This British comedy series is Friends meets Masterpiece Theater. It's irreverent, funny and smart.

The show centers around three characters: Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) is a chain-smoking drunkard, who owns a small London bookshop, but hates customers and the work involved in running the store. Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), a stressed out, overworked accountant, enters into Bernard's life when he buys "The Little Book of Calm" from Bernard and then swallows it. Manny becomes the embodiment of the books message, during the zany first episode and becomes an integral part of Bernard's life. Fran (Tamsin Greig), who owns a shop next door, is Bernard's oldest friend.

Throughout the series the three have weird and very funny mishaps. From a vacation to an island paradise, where they spend 13 days in airports and four hours in paradise, to an episode where Fran tries to learn to play the piano and Manny discovers he's a natural and then has his talent abused by Bernard and Fran, who are both on missions to impress people.

Black Books is not your typical comedy, although the situations are sometimes a bit slap-stick, the dialogue is creative as are the situations the characters find themselves in. Strangely, Bernard's character is inspired by a real bookshop owner in Dublin, who Dylan Moran met and then based the character on. "He looks like he's swallowed a cup of sour milk and peed himself at the same time. He has this green bilious expression, years of displeasure have shaped his face," Moran said. This is how most people would describe Bernard, if they added a bit of neurotic behavior into the mix.

It's a shame the show only ran for three seasons, but fortunately all of the episodes are available on DVD.

Paige Lauren Deiner covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425. You can reach her at (956) 683-4425.