In the quaint town of Tambury, somewhere in England, lives Tony Johnson. Tony has lost his wife, Lisa, and must find a way to go on without her. Lisa was an uplifting light, the chaser to Tony’s bitter, whiskey-like persona. Lisa’s passing has turned Tony into an angry and broken man, which is not ideal for his job: He’s a features writer at the Tambury Gazette. 

At this small-town paper, Tony is often forced to write about local phenomena, like an elderly man who received five identical birthday cards and a kid who can play two recorders simultaneously, with his nose. Truly riveting stuff! You get the feeling Tony doesn’t view these assignments as Pulitzer-worthy work, but he still trudges on. His boss, Matt — who is also Tony’s brother-in-law — is deeply concerned about Tony’s well-being, even if the concern isn’t totally mutual. 

While visiting Lisa’s grave, Tony strikes up an unlikely relationship with Anne, a widow also visiting her deceased partner. In these moments, Tony seems to be the most unguarded — there is a love and respect as he sits next to Anne, speaking with a fellow widow. 

Though Tony is acerbic and sarcastic, the sweet little town of Tambury and the characters within it might be enough to buoy Tony back to his normal self. Here’s what you need to know about what went down in the first season.

KEY PLAYERS:

Tony Johnson (Ricky Gervais): A features writer at the Tambury Gazette. Beneath the prickly, sarcastic, short-tempered shell, there is a soft, caring, animal-loving man waiting for his defenses to thaw. Matt Braden (Tom Basden): Lisa’s brother and Tony’s boss, he’s a polite and slightly timid guy — kind of the exact opposite of Tony.  Lisa Johnson (Kerry Godliman): Though she’s dead, Lisa appears throughout the show via recorded video messages addressed to Tony, as well as home movies that Tony recorded and stored on his laptop. It’s unclear how (or why) she chose her husband, but both seem better for it.  Ray Johnson (David Bradley): Tony’s father, who suffers from dementia and stays in an assisted living home. He often doesn’t recognize Tony, to Tony’s frustration.  Lenny (Tony Way): A photographer at the Tambury Gazette who often accompanies Tony on assignments, and, even more often, finds himself at the receiving end of Tony’s ridicule.  Emma (Ashley Jensen): Often referred to simply as “the nurse,” Emma is responsible for caring for Ray, Tony’s father, at an assisted living facility. Sandy (Mandeep Dhillon): The newest hire at the Tambury Gazette, Sandy is still bullish on the prospects of her career in journalism, no matter what Tony says. Her bright-eyed curiosity is a welcome reprieve from, well, other Tambury Gazette employees.  Julian (Tim Plester): A delivery person for the paper.  Anne (​​Penelope Wilton): A widow Tony meets at Lisa’s gravesite, she’s one of the few people Tony has patience for, given their shared experience of loss. Anne’s gentler and slightly older than Tony, but there’s no weird stand-in-mom thing going on here.  Tony’s Therapist (Paul Kaye): If there’s one person less equipped to deal with Tony’s emotions than Tony, it’s his unnamed therapist. His advice sounds like it came from a vintage men’s magazine, and he truly needs to brush up on doctor-patient confidentiality.  Roxy/Daphne (Roisin Conaty): A sex worker who Tony befriends, even though he has some bizarre hangups about her profession (at first).  Pat (Joe Wilkinson): Tony’s nosy mailman who can’t help but read Tony’s mail, he’s a decent but goofy lad who sadly can’t seem to get any respect from Tony.  Brandy: Tony’s German shepherd. Good girl.

KEY LOCATIONS:

Tambury: This small and quaint fictional town in England is lush, charming. 

KEY PLOT POINTS:

1. Tony, following the death of his wife, Lisa, is now trying to find a way to live without her. He considers taking his own life but, ultimately, decides that he must care for his dog, Brandy, whom he has a deep affection for.

2. Tony meets a widow named Anne who visits her husband’s grave, which is close to Lisa’s plot. Anne and Tony strike up a relationship based on their shared experiences of loss and attempting to move on.

3. Sandy, a bright-eyed new hire at the Gazette, seems particularly shocked by Tony’s behavior. For example, after Tony spends minutes ridiculing Lenny, Sandy asks Lenny why he lets Tony speak to him that way. 

4. Tony considers his IDGAF attitude a “superpower,” though he comes off as someone just being a jerk to everyone, including those who care for him the most, like his boss and brother-in-law Matt. 

5. Since he feels he has nothing to lose, Tony tries heroin with Julian. Later, Tony gives Julian money for drugs, knowing that Julian will use it to overdose. When Julian dies and Tony tells Matt what he did, Matt is in utter disbelief. 

6. Before her death, Lisa recorded a “guide” to live without her, which Tony watches on his laptop throughout the series. As part of the guide, Lisa wishes for Tony to date and find a new partner. 

7. Tony, via his unprofessional therapist, finds out his brother-in-law is having marital problems, which drives home Tony’s realization that the people in his life who have been caring for him have problems of their own. 

8. In the last episode, Tony decides he will use his superpower for good, only punishing bad people with his biting sarcasm, instead of the people who care about him the most. 

Key Questions:

1. Will Tony be able to move on from the loss of his wife, Lisa? 

2. Will Tony have a new superpower in Season 2?

3. Will Emma and Tony become a couple?

4. Will Lisa continue to appear in the show in Season 2? 

5. How will the Tambury Gazette adapt to the ever-shifting media landscape?