Six Episodes of 'Small Prophets' Build a World of Tiny Truth-Tellers

The conflict at the heart of the new Apple TV+ series Small Prophets is simple: a man wants to know where his partner went. Michael Sleep, played by Pearce Quigley, has spent seven years maintaining his suburban home in the hope that his partner, Clea, will return. She disappeared without explanation. Quigley’s character, a man in his 50s with a white beard and flowing hair, works half-heartedly at a hardware store called the Tool Box. He also visits his father, Brian, who is cared for in a retirement home. Michael Palin portrays Brian as an inventive but scattered figure. The show consists of six 30-minute episodes that mix deadpan humor with fantasy elements.

The plot hinges on a specific recipe. Brian tells Michael about a friend in Egypt who could summon homunculi. These are miniature humanoid beings that live in glass jars. They answer any question and always tell the truth. Brian gives his son the instructions for creating them. The process requires old coins and a large quantity of manure. Michael is skeptical but decides to try the method. He hopes the small creatures will reveal what happened to Clea. The jars are kept in his shed, and the beings slowly come to life.

Michael’s quiet life is disrupted by several new arrivals. Roy, played by Paul Kaye, is Clea’s brother. He shows up broke and wants to claim the house. The neighbors, Clive and Bev, become obsessed with Michael. Clive is tormented by Michael’s overgrown lawn. Bev finds Michael’s personality intriguing. At work, Michael forms a friendship with a young coworker named Kacey, played by Lauren Patel. They bond over their shared dislike of their boss, Gordon. Gordon is played by Mackenzie Crook, who wrote and directed the series. Crook is known for offbeat comedies like Detectorists.

The characters are drawn with careful detail. Michael is portrayed as good-hearted and open to wonder. Kacey has large dreams but works a dead-end job. Even the less serious characters show moments of vulnerability. The show includes poetic touches, such as a falling star and an oil spill shaped like a rabbit. The homunculi themselves are fragile and truth-telling. Their faces show pain and isolation. Trapped in their bottles, they reflect the solitude of the humans around them. The series avoids cynicism. Michael leaves himself open to the strange and magical aspects of daily life. The show runs for a total of three hours across its six episodes.