In the first episode, we meet the Man (Berkeley), an anonymous, morally ambiguous agent who habitually occupies the booth at the end in a classic 1950s-style diner in an unnamed city (a fictional version of Los Angeles). In each episode, a character enters the diner, and after giving a passphrase, they beg the Man to grant them a wish, typically something of a life-changing or redemptive character. The Man consults a large book, in which he occasionally makes notes, and which evidently provides both the nature of his clients's tasks, and the progress they make towards its completion, after which their wish will be granted.
In Season 1, the Man and his book are found at Cadillac Jack's, a diner, where he is waited on by Doris, and is seen, with moral ambiguity, to offer each of the visiting characters a deal toward her or his Desire in return for the completion of a task. The first season of the show premiered on August 27, 2010, on the Canadian network City, and was directed by Jessica Landaw.
The series can be seen streaming via Hulu in the UK & Ireland. Series 1 can be streamed via Amazon Video. Season 2 can be streamed via Amazon Video. Each season consists of 5 twenty-three minute episodes. The show was also shown on FX in the United Kingdom at the beginning of January 2012 and on the online video on demand channel of walla!. It also aired on FX in the UK during November and December 2012 and Season 1 was previously available on Netflix in the UK and Ireland.
Melody (Jennifer Del Rosario) is a 17-year-old girl, charming and positive. She loves her father, and wants him to be happy again – like he was before his Business started having trouble – and the Man tells her to get a shut-in out of his home. Melody volunteers with a shut-in and slowly builds his trust. He remains unwilling to leave his house and she discovers evidence that he is actually a serial killer. When the police ignore her, she plans to drug the shut-in and drag him out of the house. While she successfully drugs the man, he is not completely unconscious and attacks her while she is dragging him. She is able to drag him out of the house, but then succumbs to her wounds and dies. However, her wish is fulfilled and her father's financial problems are resolved.
