Character Arc
Adam is the elder Goodman brother, a music journalist who arrives at every Friday dinner armed with sarcasm and a thin veneer of grown-up superiority. He fancies himself the more sophisticated and mature of the two sons, yet he is just as quick as Jonny to start a war over a stolen jumper or a hidden ketchup bottle. His deadpan delivery and weary expressions anchor much of the show's humour.
Across the series Adam's life nudges slowly forward, and his on-off relationship with the lovely Mel becomes a recurring thread, exposing how hopeless both brothers remain at adult romance. He spends much of his energy trying to outwit Jonny, sabotage his schemes and avoid being roped into his father's latest project, usually failing on all three counts. Beneath the cynicism, his loyalty to the family is never really in doubt.
By the later seasons Adam has barely matured, and that is precisely the point. The eternal squabbling, the petty point-scoring and the inability to escape childhood roles keep him locked in a comically arrested adolescence. It is a portrait of brotherhood that any sibling will recognise, and Simon Bird plays it with pitch-perfect understatement.