The series follows the eponymous Alma, from Bolton, as she tries to give her life meaning and the "fabulous" outcome she has always dreamed of, while coping with the strained relationships of her family that saw her spend time in care, something else which she is trying to reconcile.

[6] The script was performed as a rehearsed reading in front of an invited audience including Controller of BBC Two, Patrick Holland.

In her four star review of the pilot episode broadcast in 2020, Lucy Mangan in The Guardian praised the fine cast and the "swiftly and surely drawn characters" and commented on the episode's "emotional undertow, that, with perfect timing, surfaces to punch the viewer in the stomach and leave them breathless with sorrow".

He praised the "universally strong performances" of the cast and the humanity of the characters bringing lightness to what could have been a bleak set of subject matter.

[11] The Daily Mirror's Ian Hyland called it "Phoenix Nights meets Fleabag, guided by the spirit of Victoria Wood" adding that the pilot convinced him "that BBC2 has a massive gem on its hands".