Small Prophets uses 6 episodes to mix comedy with fantasy on Apple TV
The BBC series follows a man who attempts to summon truth-telling miniature beings to uncover the disappearance of his partner.
By Sergio Ramirez ·
Apple TV added the six-episode BBC series Small Prophets to its streaming library this week. The show centers on Michael Sleep, a character played by Pearce Quigley, who lives in a suburban house with an overgrown lawn. He has maintained the property without change for seven years since his partner, Clea, vanished.
Michael works part-time at a retail store called the Tool Box, which the source describes as similar to Home Depot. He also spends time visiting his father, Brian, at a retirement home. Brian is portrayed by Michael Palin. The father tells Michael about a friend in Egypt who summoned homunculi. These miniature humanoid beings live in glass jars and answer questions with absolute truth.
Brian provides a recipe for creating the small prophets, a process that requires old coins and a truckload of manure. Michael begins the procedure in his shed, hoping the creatures will reveal what happened to Clea. The homunculi are depicted as fragile and painful, mirroring the isolation of the human characters around them.
Other characters enter Michael's life as the jars fill. Roy, played by Paul Kaye, is Clea's brother who arrives broke and seeks to claim the house. The next-door neighbors, Clive and Bev, become obsessed with Michael. Clive is tormented by the messy yard, while his wife finds Michael interestingly different.
Michael forms a friendship with Kacey, a coworker played by Lauren Patel. They bond over their shared disdain for their boss, Gordon. Gordon is an officious incompetent with a greasy ponytail, a role performed by Mackenzie Crook, the series' writer-director. Crook is known for offbeat comedies like Detectorists, which focused on a metal detecting club.
The series blends deadpan humor with fantasy and social comedy. It includes poetic touches such as a falling star and an oil spill shaped like a rabbit. Michael's interactions with customers at the store provide comic relief, while his demeanor remains quiet and confident.
The show portrays its characters with a sympathetic eye, focusing on loners and dreamers in unsatisfying jobs. Even characters who appear foolish are shown with vulnerability. Michael remains open to the wonder of life, embodying a resolutely uncynical approach to his circumstances.
