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?

Someone above mentioned the Yoga scene where she just breaks down. Her brittle loneliness and desperation to keep it hidden hits home. I think it plays to the shame many single women feel of being lonely, of feeling isolated, at not having close family or friends or ‘someone’.

Agree completely.

I had such a lump in my throat when she said 'I'm just so lonely'. I knew exactly what she meant.

Loved it, and I usually don't enjoy RG.

I didn't enjoy it but love gavin and stacey

I liked it. I get that most of the characters are absolutely awful and designed to show various horrible sides of humans, ie the horrible misogynist friends. It does go a bit too far with them and also with Brian who says some utterly vile things about women with everyone just sort of shaking their heads and rolling their eyes rather than tackling him on it.

The character I really didn't like was the prostitute played by Roisin Conarty(?) I don't like prostution being used as a comedy vice or promoting a 'happy hooker' type story. It was the same in Stephen Merchants show The Outlaws where he was given community service for using a prostitute and that was supposed to be sort of funny I think, as opposed to a real crime.

I loved Kath. I thought she was one of the best and most realistic characters.

It had some good moments but also some truly awful moments.

Series 1 was mostly good but then it went very downhill. He should write with someone else who can rein him in a bit.
The Office and Extras were far, far superior to this.

I liked it and wept buckets. I thought series 1 and 2 pulled their punches in being a bit sentimental. "Cunt" overused in 3, but I need to re-watch it.
As a widow, I found so much of its evocation of grief utterly convincing. Cavils about Tony's filmed marriage miss the point that this is art, not life, and the ridiculous joy contrasts with the workaday grind of bereavement. For me, another part of its art was Tony's acting out of his grief, when in RL so much is concealed. I've no objections to the function of others in the series, as for Tony, nothing is as significant as his enduring loss.

In series 3 I found the repeated shots of his going upstairs to bed each night very moving. Loved the dog, but as a dog owner myself, kept seeing Brandi looking at the trainer and not gazing into Tony's eyes, as a real dog would with its real owner (at least my dog does).

Since my DH died, I've often toyed with the idea of starting a "Has grief turned you into an arsehole?" on the Bereavement forum, as, while not so spectacular a cunt as Tony, feel curmudgeonly, lacking in charity.

Echt, that's a lovely thoughtful post. I'm so sorry about your DH. I have experience of grief myself, and I think it's totally normal and understandable to feel as you say 'curmudgeonly, lacking in charity' x

Yes, thank you Echt.

And that thread idea sounds great!

I watched a bit and agree. Lots of jokes recycled from Ricky's standup as well.
Like it's reaching for a kind of quiet profundity but doesn't get there because it's not true or well-crafted or heartfelt enough.

I can't disagree with you enough, it's an excellent show. I disagree about it being misogynistic too, that character is a character he's equally vile about himself and other men, not just women

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I’m just binge watching this series late to the party and thought the way it divides opinion on here is interesting.

I have been finding it very moving and Ricky Gervais plays the part perfectly, the way his voice will suddenly crack when he talks about Lisa is heartbreaking. Yes his character is very flawed and stuck in a cycle of grief and self sabotage but that just makes it more realistic.

I think he tackles lots of modern day issues - dementia, grief, toxic misogyny, loneliness but also embraces the absurdities of human nature. I love the newspaper interviews he does with local people who find weird and wonderful ways to be noticed.

I like the videos of Lisa she makes on her own, it feels more authentically her as she controls the narrative this time. No more performing for him and his camera, being the fun, bantering, larking about ‘perfect’ wife he wanted her to be all the time. His videos feel like exhausting intense memory making, he even videos her watching her brother’s wedding dance, rather than the dance itself. Her videos contrast sharply with that in their calmness and authenticity.

I think it was brave of him to tackle such a heavy subject and it is heart warming and uplifting yet real and raw.

It's genuinely one of the worst shows I've ever seen. I am a massive fan of the Office and Extras but Afterlife is diabolical. All of the "fans" go on about how incredible it is..."I cried at the sad parts ( ricky let's them know when to cry with some insipid musical drivel ) and I laughed when that nameless character said cnt". Fans of the Office can remember most of the side characters names and yet in Afterlife the fans can literally name around 2 of them, they are just so ridiculous, unrelatable and written purely as strawmen to ask rick....errr sorry "Tony" pointlessly stupid questions in order for Ricky to hammer home his atheistic views. There are no consequences for anything in this shit show, Ricky can throw a plant pot through a car window ( that could've had kids in it ) and the driver doesn't kick his teeth out choosing instead to just shrug?!? Wtf!!!!!! Everything looks fake. His dead wife is offensively annoying with her endless videos where all they do is pranks!?!
Honestly, it is genuinely mind blowing how this indescribable drivel made it to screen. Bench woman just sits in a graveyard all day. Man posts dog sht in a letterbox. Twa from Derek plays twa from Derek and is an absolute carbon copy of his other role. Most of the jokes are ripped straight out of the xfm radio show. This show is everything that ricky swore he'd never make and the amount of times that he has lambasted twitter for " being the equivalent of writing on public toilet walls" he has monitored that website and liked / argued with thousands of posts regarding this utter twoddle. What a bellend this has shown ricky to be and I say that as a formerly massive fan.

It’s genuinely and absolutely awful. It’s hard to believe that a man who wrote The Office is also responsible for this shit. Stephen Merchant was clearly the brains of the operation.

I thought it was brilliant. Very cleverly done, made me laugh and cry.

I agree with this. It seemed dated, I was expecting something new and refreshing like The Office but I completely agree it’s repetitive drivel with lots of overly foul language thrown in for shock value. There are some funny parts and some good observational speeches from Gervais but none of it feels relevant to the plot.

And they didn’t come across as a believable couple either. As someone who has been through bereavement I didn’t relate at all.

You doff your cap.

I find it amazing. I’m watching as recently bereaved and it is deep and true to life