If it had premiered fifteen years ago, The Ricky Gervais Show would have been a critical darling, hailed by fans as a must-see under-the-radar comedy. It’s not that it’s dated, (although it does remind me of the classic animated series Dr. Katz, which, oddly enough, premiered fifteen years ago to critical acclaim and low ratings) but rather that television has gotten incredibly good in the last decade. The Ricky Gervais Show, which I quite like and watched all season, wasn’t even the best comedy on its network, HBO, this season (that would be Bored to Death or, more likely, Eastbound and Down.) It wasn’t even the best new cartoon show in 2010 (Adventure Time with Finn and Jake or Archer). It is, however, funny, low key, well, if simply, animated, and eminently pleasurable to watch.
The phrase “TV show based on a podcast” would normally make me quaver in my boots. Success in one medium rarely means a good product on film or TV, doubly so with internet nonsense. $#’! My Dad Says anyone? The Ricky Gervais Show avoids this problem by simply editing and animating the original podcast. The podcast evolved from an XM radio talk show starring Gervais (The Office, Extras, The Invention of Lying) and Stephen Merchant (who co-wrote and directed The Office and Extras), also called The Ricky Gervais Show. Over time, their producer, Karl Pilkington, became a regular cast member, because of his bizarre and hilarious personality (Pilkington on antiques: “If you’ve got antiques, and you sell it all, what’s left?...I know for a fact no one’s gonna go in there and buy the lot anyway...at no point in my life will I ever go: I need some old Russian wood”)
The show is mostly watching the animated versions of its three hosts, Gervais, Merchant and Pilkington, as they sit around a table in front of microphones, talking to each other, with occasional animations of whatever it is they’re describing. The animation is simple, basic line drawings filled in with bright, saturated colors. It’s a little cutesy, and certainly won't win any awards, but it is, as the show, endearing.
But the show’s major appeal is Karl Pilkington, whose odd combination of opinionated ire, inanity, and straight-man delivery makes him a lovable and incredibly intriguing figure. The whole show hinges on the rantings of Pilkington, and it’s hard to decide whether he’s the greatest comedic actor you’ve ever seen or just an incredibly singular buffoon. To this end, Merchant and Gervais spend most of the show’s time goading Pilkington into saying crazy things, then laughing or shouting him down. There are regular segments, like Monkey News, Karl’s Diary and Questions for Karl Pilkington, all exactly as they sound. But most of these segments end up the same: Gervais laughing hysterically, Pilkington arguing strenuously for some nonsensical position.
Yes, the show is, as they say in the introduction, made of a “series of pointless conversations”, but Gervais and Merchant were bright when they saw something special in Karl Pilkington. Pilkington plays (or is) a completely modern character: his idiot is a truly 21st century idiot. He is always short on context, and vague with citation: his ideas and stories always come “from the internet.” He is ironical, but lacks meaningful self-awareness; he is misinformed, but vociferously defends his opinions; he is funny, but it’s never clear if he’s in on the joke.
Ricky Gervais is actually the most annoying part of the show. Rude and pedantic, with an incredibly high-pitched laugh, he can be quite grating. The more you watch (or rewatch), the more you realize that Merchant and Gervais act more as audience ciphers, or perhaps lunkhead Virgils, leading you down deeper and deeper into the bizarre mind and experience of Karl Pilkington. And as a hilarious character study of one brave fool, the show is as satisfying as many much more self-serious character-driven dramas.
DVD Bonus Features
A one-minute advertisement for charity, which is basically just one extra minute of the podcast, and then one of the episodes animated only with the storyboards. It’s not much, really, and it’d be nice to have some formal commentary or discussion, but at least there isn’t a bunch of insulting thrown together garbage “extras.” There’s plenty enough content in the 13 episodes that make up the series to satisfy you.
"The Ricky Gervais Show: The Complete First Season" is on sale January 4, 2011 and is not rated. Animation, Comedy. Directed by Craig Kellman. Written by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Karl Pilkington. Starring Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant.
