Ricky Gervais' 'After Life' on Netflix is truly awful

[Lottapianos]

I'm halfway through series 3 - you can't say I haven't done my research ☺️ I'm hypnotised by the awfulness. I think it's the most overrated load of claptrap since Gavin and Stacey. There's the odd very funny line and some great performances but dear god 🤦🏻

Main problems with it:

• obviously just a vehicle for Ricky Gervais' misanthropic worldview
• trite and sentimental
• doesn't go anywhere, same scenes repeated endlessly (sitting on couch getting pissed, lying in bed watching old clips on laptop)
• non stop misogyny - endless c-words and some truly vile lines from one character about how badly women stink and graphic sexual stuff
• he and his wife (seen in flashback) are bloody annoying, always honking with laughter at his tedious antics. Nothing like any couple I have ever come across ever
• lots of pointless characters seemingly there just to create a short role for Gervais' mates

I could go on! And yes of course I could just switch the damn thing off, but indulge me. Anyone else just not get it?

Im widowed in the middle of life and found Afterlife funny and poignant in parts., life through the filter of grief is really strange and some aspects of the show rang a bell (eg: having no filter for politeness anymore and It can be funny at times)
I think the quality wasn't as good second and third series but still worth watching.

Well tedious awful people still grieve. Grief does funny things and frankly its the most realistic depiction of grief Ive seen on screen. Everything else is totallyunrealistic hysterical wailing. Surely the whole point is that hes awful? Quite a lot of people are. RG is also quite open and unapologetic about going to the edge of what people think is acceptable and challenging boundaries with comedy. I think ots actually beautifully observed.

I was surprised at how they've got three series' out of it. I quite liked the first, despite being a bit schmalzy but I agree that they've rinsed and repeated it for the other two.

I also agree that it's a ridiculous protrayal of the relationship with his wife and them being constantly recording themselves being creased with laughter.

Having said that, I do like those internet memes of women ironically making fake candid videos of themselves to be played at their funeral rather than the shit photos husbands usually take of their wives with five chins or half blinking

I quite liked it but I think the flashbacks of him and his wife are soo annoying. Imagine walking through the front door and your husband chucks water over you? As if you'd be pissing yourself laughing

I thought the scenes with the psychiatrist and the local guy (not sure of his name, he’s the one with the beard and glasses) were both awful and unwatchable, made me squirm they were so uncomfortable!

It was the character whose wife had run off, describing her smelly fanny, that did it for me

First series was good. Second okay and hated the last one.

I think most things dip by the time they get to season 3 but overall I thought it was a great watch.

And surely the point of the overly nice- laugh at all his jokes- one dimensional wife is sort of the point? She isn’t even a character, she exists only in his memory.

I can’t imagine watching so many episodes of something that you hate that much though. Definitely unreasonable for that. If I’m not getting on with something I leave it after an episode or 2. Watching through to the 3rd season and hating every episode is insane, don’t you have better ways to spend over 12 hours?

I'm sure he wouldn't write a female character moaning about cheesy dicks

Every female character was only there to tell Ricky Gervais what a Good Man he was.

I like it.

The Office and Derek were amazing.

Series one of Afterlife was very poignant.

Ricky Gervais is a very talented but equally putrid little man.

Very hard to separate the two these days unfortunately.

I'm not a great fan of GR tbh.

I think his stand-up is weak and if you've watch one of his shows you've pretty much seen his entire act.

I sort of enjoyed the office, hated Derek though, managed about half an episode of that.

However, much to my surprise I really enjoyed After Life in spite of its many failings, at least I enjoyed the first series, that is. The second series was ok but pretty much more of the same and then came the third series, which frankly was just plain rubbish; he definitely jumped the shark with that one.

Not something I'll be watching again.

As far as the local newspaper goes, I'm another one that lives in a small Market town that still has a thriving local newspaper; they do still exist.

OMG, yes! I thought it was just me, everyone seems to not only love it but to be genuinely "touched by it." Some of the vignettes are entertaining but he is overall an asshole and frankly abusive.

I really liked it. I think it's an essay on masculinity, especially toxic masculinity. I think it's clever in the way that it uses side characters to explore really nasty facets of male behaviour. It's not laugh out loud funny but well worth watching.

I loved it..horses for courses.

@BotterMon

YANBU as anything featuring RG is an immediate switch off, but YABU about Gavin and Stacey.

Absolutely agree with that!

@Grandmum1

Absolutely fantastic series . Ricky is a genius - you either get him or you don’t . You clearly don’t so would suggest you don’t watch anything else he’s done as you won’t like that either . Love him 💕

Disagree with this completely. I loved Derek and I would go as far as to say The Office is one of my favourite series of all time. Such clever writing, hilariously cringeworthy moments and characters that I was deeply invested in. It felt real whereas Afterlife just seems contrived and lazy. It's totally possible to like some of his work and dislike others

What kind of person gives a suicidal addict enough money to kill themselves and then act like it was no big deal, I wouldn't feel that way about a stray dog that was dying of natural causes that had to be put down. The character is a psychopath and his wife was probably glad to die to get away from him.

I mostly just watch series 1 of a prog - some are good some are not - but series 3 of anything is either a completely different set of actors and story line and often not nearly as good or if it's the same actors it's boring.

First series was really good and I personally felt really encapsulated grief quite well. The sheer hopelessness of it all.

However, as the series progressed it became monotonous and repetitive. He was only excusably and arse for so long. I think the first 3/4 of series one are brilliant. After that it drops it's quality significantly.

I also agree his relationship with Lisa is irritating. I think it's to show how different he was pre and post her death. Always laughing vs suicidal.

Goodness, I thought I was the only one!
Series 1 was ok, but the following two were simply rehashing the same old stuff. RG's character didn't move on or develop. I felt it was just a vehicle for RG's stupendous ego.

I love Ricky Gervais, but I am not that keen on After Life. It isn’t as clever as The Office, or as touching and insightful as Derek. I think it is a bit bland and clearly has an American audience in mind.

Agree, OP. I watched one or two episodes and quit. Sentimental and tedious, and under the impression using 'cunt' is the absolute ne plus ultra of comedy.

I didn’t mean to refer to Lisa as ex wife. That was a mistake and thoughtless of me