Black Books (2000-2004)

Writing and reading about television is kind of a funny thing. Unless you're into subtitles, television is all about watching. I can write about my favorites shows all I want, but you need to watch to really know what's so great about them. I especially feel this way about Black Books (2000-2004). Why? Black Books is about Bernard Black (Dylan Moran), a man who owns and operates a small bookshop in London. 

Bernard falls asleep with a cigarette in his mouth.

Chain-smoking has rendered Bernard's sense of taste so useless that he mistakes a coaster for a cookie. He's perpetually drunk. He doesn't have any people skills or business sense to speak of. Luckily, his lone employee, Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey), does. Manny, a high strung, scatterbrained accountant, effectively takes a job as Bernard's babysitter after a near death experience. 

Manny, awake, with a playing card in his mouth.

Their friend Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig) owns the gift shop next door.

Fran falls asleep with a cigarette in her mouth, too!

Fran and Bernard obviously have a lot in common. She does try to give up smoking and drinking at least once, though. 

The main characters on Black Books might not be as recognizable as Rowan Atkinson or Hugh Laurie, but there's a good chance you've seen them before. 

Here's Dylan Moran in Shaun of the Dead (2004):

An ordinary day in London.

Tamsin Greig is in Shaun of the Dead, too, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-her way.

Here's Billy Bailey (playing twins) in Hot Fuzz (2007):

Identical twins, but with differently-textured hair.

What else do Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz have in common besides Black Books connections? Simon Pegg! He wrote and starred in both of those movies alongside his BFF Nick Frost. Yes, I did just use "BFF" to describe a the friendship of two grown men. I don't think they'd mind. Simon and Nick (since I just referred to them as BFFs I might as well be on a first name basis) both made appearances in Black Books, actually. Here's a lil' bit of S.P.'s:

Black Books is available to watch instantly on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. It's also available on DVD.