After Life: Ricky Gervais’ Netflix series renewed for season 2
By Wade Wainio
Good news for Ricky Gervais fans: His Netflix dark comedy series After Life will have a 2nd season! Get ready for more jokes.
According to Deadline, After Life will have a 2nd season! It should come as no surprise, of course. Before After Life premiered in 2019, Ricky Gervais had already firmly established his career as a comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter. Why not keep the ball rolling? After Life has so far examined the life of Tony (Gervais), who resorts to brute honesty as a way of coping with the loss of his wife, Lisa (Kerry Godliman). However, he has a harder time offending everyone (and generally going off the rails) when the people care about him.
While some have criticized the show (and Gervais’ comedy style generally) for its constant air of “intellectual superiority,” this series is nevertheless relatable to plenty of viewers. In fact, it seems to already be among his most beloved series. Gervais has stated: “I have never had a reaction like this before. It’s been insane. And heartwarming.” On that note, it’s likely Gervais will also have even more films, TV shows, and stand-up specials, on Netflix and elsewhere.
While After Life gets pretty dark, it still has some of the lighthearted elements also common to The Office or Life’s Too Short. It’s a combination of bleak, honest and funny, but it doesn’t have the “mockumentary” approach those two shows are known for. Of course, if you were offended by his roast-style jokes at the Golden Globe Awards, his style of humor (and ever-encroaching intellectual superiority) is probably just not for you.
Produced by Gervais, Duncan Hayes and Charlie Hanson, After Life also stars Tony Way (Extras), Tom Basden (Plebs), Diane Morgan (Mock the Week), Mandeep Dhillon (Some Dogs Bite), Ashley Jensen (Extras), David Bradley (Game of Thrones), Tim Plester (Way of the Morris), Tommy Finnegan (Les Misérables), Penelope Wilton (The Borrowers), Jo Hartley (Not Safe For Work), and Anti as Tony’s dog, Brandy (one of Tony’s main reasons for living).
What are your thoughts on Ricky Gervais and After Life? Let us know in the comments!