After Life - Netflix

Ricky Gervais Netflix dramedy Afterlife will drop the 3rd ( final ) season on Friday, Jan. 14. Season 3 will span six episodes.

Watched all 6 this evening. First three were quite poor imo but it really picked up for the final 3. A few scenes across the three had me choking up while others had me lolling. The music throughout, particularly in part 6, was exquisitely picked. Nicely wrapped up and a very enjoyable watch without being saccharine.

Love the new season. Watched the first 3 last night. It probably has taken 1 step back on Tony's journey through grief but I like that it's focusing on how he's trying to create a new relationship and the struggle that brings. Also, it's funny, charming and bittersweet as ever. Great show.

I'm an absolute mess after that last episode.

Loved it from start to finish. Sure, it had its flaws but overall it was great television that deals with an important subject. The ending was superb.

From a comedic perspective, Ken was my favourite character. His rant comparing Aids and Covid had me in stitches 😂

Yeah ... just as expected, half way through I just wanted to get it over with. It wasn't bad, some eps were enjoyable enough, but this forcing of already oddball characters to be more extreme and his continuous moping and whining was getting a bit much. Good series overall but it had run out of steam by S2 tbh, can see why he only did 2 seasons of his other hits [Office, Extras]

I was in bits in the last episode. In fairness, you could play Both Sides Now over footage over people laughing and being happy and it would still make you cry. :-)

In fairness that is the general rule on the forum when it comes to a streaming series. Because the full season might be released in one go and people will watch at their own pace (binge or every few days etc), spoilers can't be contained that well and so people shouldn't enter the thread if they don't want to be spoiled.

everybody dies is its point

I thought that was the try hardest to be controversial BS the show ever did, wasn't funny, wasn't even remotely amusing, just pathetic tbh. And I say that as a fan of most of what Gervais puts out, even when it gets down and dirty - that character was just @ss overall - not one ounce of anything approaching interesting

I thought it was awful. Incredibly forced, overly saccharine and the humour was just sh*te. Nobody in the show was a real character, they were only ever there to feed Gervais a setup line for him to go off on a tired tirade, to insult them, or to say something so profound and wise. It's one of the most masturbatory shows I think I've ever seen.

So much time was spent throughout this season with James and his ambitions, including getting p*ssed at his agent for wanting him to be a jester at the fair. And the resolution at the end? James prancing about happily as a jester at the fair. It was only done to have scenes with the f*cker with the beard and glasses, and show him in the bath and stuff because Gervais thought it'd be funny.

Similar happened with Matt last season when he broke up with the wife, mainly because Gervais wanted to keep the therapist character in the show so Matt would go to the therapist that season instead of him (he's someone I definitely didn't miss this season). And the resolution at the end? Matt's wife comes back to him because she gets jealous at the idea of Matt going on a date with Kath. No growth, no development, no actual plot. Just it didn't matter any more, so it's done.

Even the girl who sat beside Tony in the office for the first two seasons, she was only ever there because Gervais needed a reason to have Tony try to be kind. And the photographer for the newspaper (I can't even remember his name), just there for Tony to make fun of when talking to other people, and then take one very quick picture for the paper while barely even looking at the camera.

None of the side characters had any sort of actual character. They were just so Gervais could say what he wanted to say, or put them in cringy situations regardless of whether or not those scenes actually added anything to the show. Even the last episode where Matt has spent all season trying to be better at Tony at some sport, he steps up to be goalie against the two d*ckheads, and... he's still sh*t. That could have been a moment where he's actually good, blocks their shots and shows them up, and ties in with his story over the season. Kath finally breaks down and reveals she's lonely, and ends up getting a dog. Perfect. But then the postman comes along and straight away it's like wedding bells are ringing. No need for it.

Ted Lasso can be very overly saccharine too with quick and easy resolutions, and wise grandiose speeches, but it works because the strength and development of the characters can carry that. Gervais aimed for similar but used the side characters for his flights of fancy and just whatever amuses him rather than what works for the show, and the show has been a mess because of it right from the start.

I wouldnt class any season of After Life in the same league as The Office or Extras but I did enjoy S1 and 2. He really should have left it at that. This third season was really poor imo. After Life was always a bit shallow and not very subtle but my God it excelled itself this time. As has been said many times, overly saccharine, preachy, monologues with the subtlety of a sledge hammer. The characters have reduced from 1 dimensional to half a dimension in some cases.

If this didn't have Ricky Gervais' name over the title, most people would be slating it. He's getting away with murder at this stage. It really had the smell of a self indulgence. He's let himself go in more than just the waist size measurement. I can imagine he really enjoys meeting up with those actors and having mighty craic shouting "CÚNT" at the top of his voice, but a bit more than that is needed to make a decent series. It just felt so lazy.

I've always believed that Steve Merchant was the real brains behind what made the early stuff great. His own series Hello Ladies had all the charm and depth of the likes Extras, something Gervais has never managed to replicate since they've parts ways. It's as if Ricky was the master at the caustic wit, the cringe factor and vulgar humour, while Steve seemed to bring an understanding of social awkwardness and being an outsider. Maybe combined, they managed to give the stuff they did real emotional punch.

Completely agree. Same with Paul Kaye's therapist character in the first two series, and his two friends who popped up a few times this series. It's not about what's good for the show or how it fits into the show, it's just about what makes Ricky Gervais laugh. So he gives them a rough idea of what he wants, lets them improv and take it to extremes, it makes Ricky laugh on set, so it ends up in the show regardless of how much it completely plays against everything else he's trying to do with the show.

It has worked for him in the past, but I think without Merchant and without a stronger supporting cast of actual characters and stories he's gone completely overboard with it.

I’m surprised at earlier posters saying it was great and emotional wreck at the end.

I thought the season was awful and probably the worst work Gervais has done. 

Ridiculous characters of no consequence. Foul language just for the sake of it and if you keep saying it over and over again then it’s just not funny any more.

This show had serious potential to explore grief, depression and relationships but Gervais just decided to use the show to create wacky “characters” with storylines of no real interest and then play his own main character as an obnoxious krank who takes pleasure in belittling people.

His “redemption” by handing out cheques was very predictable and unemotional and the ending with a  coming together of all the characters was just over the top and unniteresting. 

It’s a pity as I really like Gervais and he has a great track record but he clearly needs somebody like Steve Merchant to bounce off and to hone his act as I really feel this show was a missed opportunity.