Black Books
2000 - 2004
The wacky adventures of three friends who run shops in London: Bernard, the grumpy and perpetually drunk bookshop owner; Manny, Bernard's longsuffering assistant; and Fran, their desperately single neighbor who sells "a lot of wank."
- Stars: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig
- Created by: Dylan Moran
- Tags: friend-group
Where to Watch :
Episode Tropes
Season 1
- Security Arms: Episode 5, "The Big Lockout" (2000). After the shop gets robbed (because Manny left the door unlocked), Manny has a security door installed, but he doesn't pay attention when the technician tells him how to use it, so he accidentally locks Bernard outside and himself inside for the whole night.
Season 2
- Vacation from Hell: Episode 6, "A Nice Change" (2002). Loud construction is going on next to the bookshop for two weeks, so Bernard, Manny, and Fran decide to go on vacation. They find a location that satisfies all their requirements (a jungle, a beach, and a place to sit, read, and drink), and Fran books the cheapest flights there. Unfortunately, they have to take so many connecting flights, that they spend the whole two weeks flying around to different airports.
Season 3
- Home Sweet Office: Episode 1, "Manny Come Home" (2004). Manny and Bernard get into a big fight, and Bernard fires Manny, so he gets a job at the Goliath Books that just opened next door. Bernard feels betrayed, so he evicts Manny from their apartment. With nowhere else to go, Manny sleeps in a sleeping bag on the counter at work, gets caught, and gets a dressing down from his boss.
- Author Author: Episode 2, "Elephants and Hens" (2004). After hosting a kids day at the bookshop, Bernard and Manny think they could write a children's book, but they can't think of an idea, so they get drunk and somehow manage to write a brilliant children's book about an elephant who lost his balloon, but they don't think they could handle being rich and famous authors, so they burn it.
- Lie for Me: Episode 3, "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa" (2004). Manny's parents come to visit, and apparently he told them he's a partner the bookshop and Fran is his girlfriend, so he asks Fran and Bernard to play along, but it gets old fast, and "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa" overstay their welcome.
Character Tropes
- Slutty Spinster: Fran Katzenjammer - Played by Tamsin Greig.