The show centers around Tony (Gervais), a middle-aged journalist whose “perfect life” has been reduced to dust since his wife died of cancer. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it’s like a Super Power, but eventually finds out life is more complicated, when everyone around him tries to save the nice guy they used to know.I've watched 4 episodes, and it has my recommendation. It's beautifully filmed in a distinctive small city in South West England. It is a dramatic comedy about living again after your loved one has died. There's also quite a bit about the subtle pain of working on a little newspaper that reports inanely uplifting stories about local people, like the man pleased with the water stain on his wall that looks like Kenneth Branagh.
"At the end of the day, it’s all those little mundane interactions that actually save your life — they’re the variety of life, they stop you from feeling too sorry for yourself. He’s got to take the dog for a walk, he’s got to go to work to make money to get drunk, and after all that, time heals,” Gervais explained to Variety in an interview.
April 6, 2019
"I have never had a reaction like this before. It’s been insane. And heartwarming. But now..."
"... I have to make sure the second season is even better so I’ll probably have to work much harder than usual. Annoying really," said Ricky Gervais, about the renewal of his TV show "After Life," reported at Variety.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
41 comments:
saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it’s like a Super Power
Reminds me of what Kanye West said about wearing a Trump MAGA hat.
a little newspaper that reports inanely uplifting stories
How can you not laugh at a baby that looks like Hitler?
“perfect life” has been reduced to dust since his wife died of cancer
Cancer causes stress.
“perfect life” has been reduced to dust since his wife died of cancer
Cancer causes stress.
And, perhaps, stress of all the windfarms in the UK caused the cancer to begin with. The origin paradox.
What venue is it being shown on?
I watched the entire 6? episodes. It was entertaining - good cast - lotta good laughs. I found I envy the Brit's free use of the word "cunt" - they seem to use it well and often.
He's a journalist? Does he die from shame at the end?
His Ghost Town (2008) is great and cheap.
Wow, sounds interesting. I'll give it a watch. I liked the Original "Office" and "Extras". Its hilarious that a TV "Season" is now 6 or 7 shows! I gave a relative an "I Love Lucy" DVD set years ago, and it had like 30 episodes in "Season 1"
Ricky Gervais is a symptom of the decline of Western culture. Just ask yourself if his Office shows, Derek and this latest one have added or subtracted to our culture. He's just part of the ongoing normalization of vulgarity in everyday life. I can't wait until you can't go anywhere in public and it's going to be 'fuck this and fuck that' every 5 seconds.
I really enjoyed "After Life". I usually give anything with Ricky Gervais a chance, most of the time he's funny. (If anyone is looking for something else on Netflix to kill an hour or so, I just watched "American Masters: Ted Williams". It's a PBS documentary. Fleshes out some of the things everybody already knows about The Kid. Couple F-bombs are dropped.
Definitely worth seeing. One caveat though: he flirts with violating political correctness, but, in the end, the targets of his ire are mostly overweight white men....,.A bit disconcerting to see Downton Abbey and GOT players pop up in a sitcom........Short series don't jump sharks.
I enjoyed the program, and I was especially fond of his very sweet German shepherd.
vulgarity in everyday life
It's good to see cunt properly used. It's the poeticization of everyday life.
Fuck isn't so useful because it's all over just as an intensifier making a convenience of grammar.
Cunt actually has a reference to a person, with connotations.
Cunt is dropped in In A Day (2011) here and there, and a sweeter romcom you won't find. More understated than most.
The vulgarization of romantic comedies began in "When Harry Met Sally" the infamous fake orgasm scene. 30 year of non-stop decline since.
"I'll have what she's having".
Since we’re talking television series set in Southwest England, let me recommend Broadchurch, available on Netflix. “Critics Consensus: Well written and beautifully shot, Broadchurch is a deliberate, slowly unfolding mystery procedural with terrific performances from a fine cast.” More importantly, the audience score of 96 percent exceeds the critic score of 94 percent.
I found I envy the Brit's free use of the word "cunt"
They gave up wanker in exchange for cunt. Savvy.
Incredibly moving show, yes the pejoratives are a blot, but the humanity shines through.
At least it's about real news, not fake news.
Ricky is okay, a comedian. Biden is the same but not okay, a warmongering fascist.
They share more alike than most humans their sex and race.
Bloody cunt, bloody wanker, all the same to we.
Murder in Suburbia featured two female cops, on posh and the other common. In one episode the common one is being reprimanded for using coarse language on a perp. The posh one comes to her defense: "Oh no. She said 'you cahn't do that! You cahn't! You bloody cahn't!"
fourth try
Alex @ 3:11. I think you might be right.
Thanks to our hostess Ann, I started watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I think the show is fantastic. It's marvelous! But wow is it loaded with f-bombs. More than even I'm comfortable with and I do have a potty mouth. In the show, it's unfortunate because I can think of a bunch of people who would otherwise enjoy the show - but the f-bombs and the crude language are over the top.
F-bomb alert:
I have no idea if this is true about the word "f u c k" but it's interesting and made me laugh. Sammy Hagar explains "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" origins.
I have to admit that the Battlestar Galactica(2004) using 'frak' instead of 'fuck' helped keep me immersed in that universe. Sometimes lessening the vulgarity helps. But I can't even imagine BSG(2004) being made in 2019 due to political correctness. Now Starbuck would have to be transgender.
The show centers around
A center is a point. You can center on something, but you can't center around it.
Grammar fail from Variety.
Just watched Ep 1. It is on Netflix, for someone who asked, but, Ann, and others, when you recommend something it is helpful to let us know where.
Anyway, I really, really, like it based on the first ep.
Not a big Gervais fan generally but he shines in this one. Thanks, Ann, for recommending it.
Cunt, in England, is a different word than in the US. It doesn't, generally, seem to refer to the female anatomy. I was a bit surprised to hear it used ambiguously here. As in "I'll jump off the roof and hope to land on a cunt from accounts" He seemed to be referring to the woman from accounting where he works and she was standing there taking it in.
So did he mean that she was a "cunt" in the British sense of just being an obnoxious person? Or did he mean that she was a woman and therefore a "cunt"? I could not really tell from the context.
Anyway, liking it so far.
John Henry
Did anyone know they have TVs in New Zealand? I stumbled across a sort of comedy, sort of drama called Outrageous Fortune that takes place in Auckland.
It's pretty raunchy, lots of oral and other sex pretty openly depicted. In the US it is the kind of thing HBO might have on late at night. In NZ it seems like what girls do instead of shaking hands.
It ran 6 seasons on over the air TV.
I thought of it because they REALLY let the language fly but in the 2 seasons I've watched so far, I don't think I have heard the word "cunt" used in any context.
The show is available for streaming or download on Amazon, free with Prime.
I am really enjoying it.
John Henry
Streaming alternatives to the SNL Late Night for Democratic propaganda on mainstream democratic-fascist TeeVee is much better. Masses of people are catching on.
I never get any laughs whatsoever from anything about being a widower. Trust me, there are no humorous angles. None.
I thought it was very well done. And it seemed to find it's groove a bit as it went on. Great characters. Great scenery. Not the same old shit. And Gervais means it when he says it's annoying, but he knows he's going to have to work harder now to make it better. I'm glad it's coming back for another round.
The best case for Ricky Gervais, apart from his ruthless star-mockery at various Golden Globes, is contained in this scene he wrote for himself and the late David Bowie. Trust me.
I gave it a shot but after he casually murdered someone I'm done. And like Alex said above, Gervais is a symptom of the decline the culture and so is the fact that I'm the first one in this comment thread that is bothered by the fact that he murdered someone. I find that really shocking
Best series I've seen in a very long time is another British production, Detectorists.
Detectorists seconded.
I discovered Detectorists by chance a few years ago. It's wonderful.
By happenstance, this week’s Desert Island Disk is a repeat from 2007 with Ricky Gervais.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-island-discs/id342735925?mt=2&i=1000434339406
I just finished binging on the whole season.
I doubt I will watch the second season. Though I will watch this again.
It was just too perfect. Anything else will just be a letdown.
Thank you for the recommendation Ann. If I'd found it I would not have watched it. I don't always enjoy your recommendations but I find I do often enough that I give them a try.
This was a perfect jewel.
John Henry
Thank you for getting our household out of the 'show-hole' for a while. I love Gervais and would give anything he does a try. But you neglected to mention the other main star of the show: the fabulous dog! I want that dog and I want to live in that nice quaint UK city. My only issue with shows like this as the urban settings are so pleasant, the bucolic countryside so wonderful...I spend half the time wishing I lived there than watching the show.
I did not remember that he murdered anyone in the show. Is the reference to his interaction with his drug supplier? No spoilers, but I would not call that murder, even if the death was predictable.
Although I agree with donald at 7:53, I found the show charming. Especially the video notes his wife left for him.
Very original, very well done.
Taking on Recommendation, as I need something uplifting that isn't "Zorro the Gay Blade" right now.
Post a Comment