Ricky Gervais’ dark comedy After Life will arrived on Netflix on March 8th, promising a philosophical exploration into grief and loss, with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
The six-part series features an impressive cast, including David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter) and Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), as well several colleagues on previous Gervais show such as Ashley Jensen (Extras) and David Earl (Derek). Some notable names from the comedy scene also appear, such as Joe Wilkinson and Roisin Conaty.
The show features Gervais as a widower called Tony who struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife. It opens with him watching a video his wife left during chemotherapy but only to be watched after her passing. In it she describes how to live life without her, including details like how to use the washing machine.
It’s a dark, touching yet somehow funny moment which, according to Gervais, encapsulates the series. After contemplating suicide, Tony decides to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he wants in the time he has left.
Netflix and Gervais have already tasted recent success with Humanity, his first-stand up show in seven years which centres around self-awareness, particularly the aging process. In it he jokes about the need for comedy in every situation, even family funerals, as a coping mechanism and as a fundamental part of life.
In that sense, After Life feels like the linear progression after Humanity, this time focusing on how other people experience grief and pain through the characters Tony meets in his last, great adventure. Whilst an obvious departure from the likes of The Office and Derek, fans of Gervais should be familiar with the dark comedy style. The show promises to deliver several classic ‘Gervais moments’, poking fun at the oblivious stupidity of the public, but with a tragic backstory which should turn even the jokes into hard-hitting moments.
Never one to put a filter on things, Gervais is famous for pushing the boundary in comedy without caring for consequences, but it will be interesting to see whether his style of frank comedy will mix with tragedy and raw emotion, particularly for new fans or the casual viewer.
Picture: shropshirestar.com
